Manchester United set to offer Chicharito five-year deal as Real Madrid target strikerJavier Hernandez is in advanced talks with Manchester United about signing a new contract, Goal.com UK can reveal.
The Premier League leaders are ready to reward ‘Chicharito’ with an improved five-year deal that will tie him to the club until 2016.
Hernandez is expected to negotiate a considerable hike on his current salary, which is believed to be worth around £40,000-a-week, and put pen to paper by the end of the season.
There has been interest in the striker from Real Madrid, triggered by Karim Benzema's slump in form earlier in the season plus the long-term injury to Gonzalo Higuain, and Jose Mourinho is known to be a big admirer.
His current agreement was due to be reviewed at the end of his debut season, although interest from the Spanish giants has led United to move faster and protect their investment.
Hernandez has an impressive strike-rate at Old Trafford since his switch from Mexican club Chivas last summer for an initial fee of around £8 million.
He has scored 10 Premier League goals in 20 appearances, only nine of which have been starts, and netted 13 goals in all competitions for Sir Alex Ferguson’s team to put him behind only Dimitar Berbatov in the club’s leading scorers list this season.
Saturday 12 March 2011
Lucio set to miss Inter's Champions League clash with Bayern Munich
Inter's chances in the Champions League have been dealt a blow after it was reported that defender Lucio is a doubt for Tuesday's crunch last 16 encounter with Bayern Munich.
The Nerazzurri's official website revealed that the Brazilian picked up a muscle strain in last night's 1-1 draw with Brescia, and after tests on Saturday revealed the injury he went straight into physiotherapy.
It has not yet been confirmed by the club if Lucio will make the continental clash but it looks unlikely. Ivan Cordoba is one alternative to fill in at centre-back.
The Beneamata's Champions League chances took a big hit in the first leg, when Mario Gomez's 90th minute strike earned Bayern a 1-0 win in Italy.
Inter must win in Germany on Tuesday to have a chance of progressing through to the quarter-finals, and to thwart the Germans' hopes of gaining revenge for the final defeat of 2010.
The Nerazzurri's official website revealed that the Brazilian picked up a muscle strain in last night's 1-1 draw with Brescia, and after tests on Saturday revealed the injury he went straight into physiotherapy.
It has not yet been confirmed by the club if Lucio will make the continental clash but it looks unlikely. Ivan Cordoba is one alternative to fill in at centre-back.
The Beneamata's Champions League chances took a big hit in the first leg, when Mario Gomez's 90th minute strike earned Bayern a 1-0 win in Italy.
Inter must win in Germany on Tuesday to have a chance of progressing through to the quarter-finals, and to thwart the Germans' hopes of gaining revenge for the final defeat of 2010.
Friday 4 March 2011
Real Madrid CF attacker Cristiano Ronaldo may miss his side's UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg against Olympique Lyonnais after being ruled out for two weeks with a left thigh injury.
The 26-year-old Portugal winger felt soreness in his left leg after completing his hat-trick in Thursday's 7-0 Liga triumph over Málaga CF in the Spanish capital, with tests subsequently showing that he will be sidelined for ten to 15 days.
Midfielder Fernando Gago, meanwhile, is certain to sit out the Lyon match after suffering a right adductor tear during Friday's training session. The 24-year-old Argentinian international – who has been limited to seven appearances in all competitions this term – will be unavailable for three weeks.
Madrid coach José Mourinho must now prepare for the upcoming league encounters with Real Racing Club and Hércules CF, as well as for Lyon's visit to the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday 16 March, without the team's 27-goal Liga top scorer Ronaldo.
There were famous wins for Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC in the first legs of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 ties, but the question now is whether the north London pair can finish the job against FC Barcelona and AC Milan respectively.
Arsenal face undoubtedly the tougher challenge as they travel to Catalonia to defend their 2-1 lead against a Barcelona side who have won 18 of 21 home matches this season. Josep Guardiola's men crushed the Premier League team 4-1 at Camp Nou in last year's quarter-finals – Lionel Messi scoring all four – and the Argentinian international is unlikely to be as profligate as he was in the first leg, prior to Arsenal's late revival. Arsène Wenger's hopes of hurting Barça at the back on Tuesday are not helped by the absence of the injured Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott.
Tottenham wrote the most captivating page yet of the fairy tale that has been their debut campaign in the UEFA Champions League when Peter Crouch earned them a 1-0 first-leg success at a rain-soaked San Siro. The omens are positive that they can complete their assignment on Wednesday against opponents missing the suspended Gennaro Gattuso for the White Hart Lane return. Spurs have won all four home games in the competition this term while Milan have recorded only one victory in 14 previous visits to England.
Like Milan, AS Roma must overturn a deficit when they go to FC Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday and history is not on their side – just once in the UEFA Champions League era has a team undone the damage of a first-leg home loss. Shakhtar triumphed 3-2 in Rome to take a big step towards reaching the last eight for the first time and the Ukrainians' 11-match unbeaten home run in Europe underlines further the size of the task facing Roma's rookie coach Vincenzo Montella, who has replaced Claudio Ranieri since the opener.
The only one of this week's ties currently all-square is FC Schalke 04 v Valencia CF, although the German hosts hold a slight advantage following their 1-1 draw at Mestalla last month. Raúl González got Schalke's away goal and will attempt to inflict further punishment on his compatriots. Valencia, however, have their own causes for optimism – namely, their unbeaten away record in the group stage and the uplifting precedent of a 1-0 victory in Gelsenkirchen in the 2007/08 group stage.
Can Arsenal hold out against Barcelona? Will Milan or Roma battle back? Can Raúl take Schalke past Valencia? Have your say on this week's second legs.
Barclays Premier League Podcast
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish reveals why he is expecting his side to bounce back from a disappointing defeat at West Ham as the Reds prepare to renew rivalries with old foe Manchester United this weekend. Steve Bruce explains how he hopes to halt Sunderland's losing streak when they take on Arsenal and despite dropping points at home to Fulham last time out, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini says he is happy with the season so far.
HOW IMPORTANT
Aston Villa star Marc Albrighton tells us how important Saturday's match against Blackburn Rovers is and we hear from Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti and Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of the big fixture between the sides.
There are details on how to win Barclays Premier League tickets, our weekly trivia teaser, and in our fan of the week section we speak to a Mambwe Chilwesa, a Manchester United fan from Zambia.
The running time of the Barclays Premier League podcast is 36 minutes and 24 seconds.
The podcast will be available every Thursday evening throughout the season. Click here to subscribe via iTunes
Ronaldo to miss a fortnight
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo will miss two weeks of football after injuring a hamstring in his side's 7-0 mauling of Malaga on Thursday.
A Real statement said the 26-year-old had suffered a minor tear in his left hamstring during the game - in which he scored a hat-trick - and would be out for between '10-15' days.
"A magnetic resonance done at Sanitas La Moraleja Hospital has determined Cristiano Ronaldo has a Grade I muscle injury on the left biceps femoris muscle," the statement read.
"The player will miss 10-15 days. His recovery is being monitored."
Ronaldo left the field moments after scoring his third goal, which lifted him level with Barcelona ace Lionel Messi on 27 goals for the season.
Despite posting a message on his Twitter account claiming he was hopeful of being fit for Real's next game against Racing Santander on Sunday, Ronaldo later removed the post.
Thursday 24 February 2011
Xavi knock gives Barcelona cause for concern
FC Barcelona are confident Xavi Hernández will be available for their UEFA Champions League round of 16 decider against Arsenal FC although the midfielder is nursing a calf injury.
The 31-year-old has been ruled out for ten days with a minor muscle tear in his left calf, which he had initially dismissed as a bout of cramp. The Spanish club's medical staff nonetheless expect him to be involved as Josep Guardiola's side bid to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit against Arsenal at Camp Nou on 8 March.
Meanwhile, Barcelona goalkeeper Víctor Valdés and defender Carles Puyol continue to receive specialist attention as they look to shake off left knee complaints.
Rooney satisfied with United stalemate
Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidić both warned Olympique de Marseille to expect a different Manchester United FC in the second leg at Old Trafford following Wednesday's stalemate.
The Premier League leaders arrived in southern France with several senior figures missing as Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Owen joined Anderson and Park Ji-Sung on the sidelines, yet they still managed to get through a difficult night unscathed. Spurred on by a noisy crowd, Marseille tried hard to put the visitors under pressure but continually foundered on a solid defence, with Vidić and the deputising Chris Smalling performing admirably.
Although United were rarely at their fluent best and also struggled to create chances, Rooney was confident of sealing a quarter-final spot in the 15 March decider. "The fact we didn't lose is very positive," the England striker said. "
We've got Marseille at home now and we know that if we beat them we're through to the next round. We're confident at home and we have to be positive."
It was largely a frustrating game for the attackers and especially for Rooney, who found himself playing a far more defensive role than usual on the left flank. The 25-year-old was happy to help the team out, though, saying: "We've got a lot of injuries at the minute, so I don't have a problem [playing on the wing]. But it was quite a difficult game for us. Marseille didn't cause us many problems, but we didn't create as many chances as we'd have liked. We had a few big players missing and I think they would have made a difference had they been here."
Ferdinand's absence gave Smalling another opportunity to show off his talent and the 21-year-old Englishman took his chance well. Of his centre-back partner, Vidić said: "He's a very good footballer and played well tonight. It's great for the future of Manchester United and English football." United's captain also expressed confidence ahead of the return meeting, saying: "Marseille didn't have many chances and we kept the ball well, so there are positive things to take from this game. But
the home game will definitely be different."
The 2011 UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken is under way in Asia – after making Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur, the first of eight scheduled stops over the next two months.
This latest edition of the trophy tour was launched from UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, last week before reaching its first destination on 22 and 23 February. Kuala Lumpur got its first glimpse of European club football's most coveted piece of silverware during a press conference on Tuesday which heralded the official opening of the tour.
The star of the press conference was Gianfranco Zola, the UEFA Champions League Ambassador for this leg of the tour. Zola presented the trophy in front of more than 90 guests, including various media representatives and journalists. The media representatives were joined by senior representatives of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Heineken special guests.
The press conference was staged amid an authentic trophy tour atmosphere, with guests enjoying a preview of what lies in store for the many Malaysian, Thai, South Korean and Chinese football fans who will be coming to see the UEFA Champions League Trophy for themselves.
As well as the glittering prize itself, the tour houses a UEFA Champions League exhibition that features stands dedicated to unique tournament memorabilia as well as historical images and videos relating the competition's long history, which dates back to 1955. Fans will be able to learn more about the Asian players who have graced the UEFA Champions League, about the tournament's leading clubs and about previous finals, among many other items of interest.
Given the Asian setting, one appropriate exhibit was a full and signed Manchester United FC kit worn by Park Ji-Sung, the Old Trafford team's Korea Republic midfielder.
As a prelude to the interaction that takes place between trophy tour ambassadors and visitors, Zola – the former Italy, Chelsea FC, SSC Napoli and Parma FC forward – was also available for a meet-and-greet session with Malaysian fans, signing autographs and having his picture taken with dozens of football lovers.
Zola said of his participation: "For me personally, it's a great honour. I never won this competition, I just played in it a couple of times, on two different occasions. But I know how important, how prestigious this competition is, all over the world. And for me to be here in Asia, promoting it, it's a great pleasure and an honour."
The trophy tour village will open its doors to much greater numbers of local football supporters during public visiting days at the Kuala Lumpur venue on 26 and 27 February. The trophy is remaining in the Malaysian capital until after the weekend, and will also return there next month after making a stop in Penang on 5 and 6 March.
The UEFA Champions League Trophy is back in Asia for the first time since the inaugural trophy tour of 2007 and following subsequent successful expeditions to Latin America, Africa and North America. This time, it will take in a total of four countries and seven cities during an eight-week Far Eastern excursion:
• 22-27 February – Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
• 5-6 March – Penang (Malaysia)
• 11-12 March – Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
• 16-17 March – Bangkok (Thailand)
• 19-20 March – Chiang Mai (Thailand)
• 25-27 March – Khon Kaen (Thailand)
• 6-9 April – Seoul (Korea Republic)
• 15-17 April – Hong Kong
• 5-6 March – Penang (Malaysia)
• 11-12 March – Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
• 16-17 March – Bangkok (Thailand)
• 19-20 March – Chiang Mai (Thailand)
• 25-27 March – Khon Kaen (Thailand)
• 6-9 April – Seoul (Korea Republic)
• 15-17 April – Hong Kong
Sparta bow out as Kuyt rescues Liverpool
Dirk Kuyt headed in with four minutes to go to send Liverpool FC through to the UEFA Europa League round of 16, with AC Sparta Praha failing to cause their hosts enough problems at Anfield.Kuyt craned his neck to nod in Raul Meireles's corner as Liverpool finally found some penetration after 176 minutes without a goal in this tie, averting the unwanted prospect of extra time in the process.
With Steven Gerrard injured, the Reds hardly exploded into Kenny Dalglish's first European home game as the club's manager. Moments after lifting a shot over the bar, Sparta's Václav Kadlec got his head to Libor Sionko's cross following a slick move down the right. Pepe Reina's save was comfortable enough, but Liverpool looked distracted.
Chances came their way regardless. Jaromír Blažek scrambled Sotiris Kyrgiakos's downward header around his right-hand post, and Meireles speared over from Martin Kelly's cross as Liverpool broke quickly following a Sparta corner which Reina came for and missed. Later Blažek blocked a David Ngog shot, before warding Joe Cole off the loose ball.
Ngog received further indication that this was not his night after the break; he had the ball taken off his toes as he powered into the area and then miscued badly when Kuyt's pull-back from the left found him in space. Meireles clipped a cheeky ball through for the French striker with 15 minutes to go, but this time Blažek denied him, racing off his line to force the ball out of play.
The goalkeeper then smothered a Kuyt shot as thoughts turned to extra time, but the Dutchman did better when a Meireles corner found him in the shadow of Blažek's goal. Further missed chances from Ngog and Cole mattered not.
Ronaldo retires from futbol…
Some of you friends may be surprised: a tribute for a Brazilian player on the argie blog ?!
Well, like Maradona or Zidane, Ronaldo is futbol.
People who have watched Ronaldo live at the stadium can confirm you that “something special” was always going on when he was playing. I was very lucky to watch every single game played at San Siro, between 1995 and 1999, and I let you guess who I’ve seen ; )
Players like Zidane and Crespo could silent the whole stadium. But With Ronaldo, it was different. Each time he would touch the ball, every spectator in Giuseppe Meazza would stop breathing and slowly stand up. Something was always going to happen and the silence was showing it. The power mixed with the technique was so spectacular. That kind of atmosphere is difficult to explain. Those who have watched Maradona know what I mean.
Alessandro Del Piero said these nice words about him: “I have always believed that the greatness of a player is also measured by the greatness of his opponents, of the great duels that even a team sport like football can produce. At the end of the game we always went looking for each other to swap shirts. Ronaldo was one of the players who I respected the most. His announcement struck me even if it didn’t surprise me. Unfortunately it was the injuries that have tormented the final years of his career that made the decision for him. As with Marco Van Basten, injuries have impeded everyone who is fascinated by sport (me included) from seeing the products of these monsters on the pitch. But what Ronaldo did will forever remain in the history of football and in the eyes of the people who love this sport, independently of the colour of their shirt, of their support, of the flags”.
Thank you Ronaldo!
Wednesday 23 February 2011
Tottenham Hotspur seek seaside solace in Dubai after Blackpool loss
 Tottenham Hotspur will spend the next week training in Dubai due to the break in their fixture list that means Harry Redknapp's team are not in action again until 6 March when they travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers. The side now have 10 days to refocus following the 3-1 defeat to Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on Tuesday evening that Michael Dawson, the team captain, said left them "bitterly disappointed". He told the club website: "We had all the chances but they created four or five opportunities and scored three goals. We are bitterly disappointed with the goals we gave away and obviously not putting a few in the back of the net at the other end. The first one was a penalty and with the second we were on the attack and they broke away. It is normally us doing that to teams but they did it to us. "We knew at half-time and said make sure we get the next goal. If we could have got one early in the second half then they would have been on the back foot. We've got 10 days now to think about it and as players you look at performances and results – but we've got to move on. It was a disappointing night, but credit to Blackpool." After the match against Wolves, Milan visit White Hart Lane on the following Wednesday for the return leg of the Champions League last-16 tie. Gennaro Gattuso has said he will not travel because "37,000 people are waiting to give me a slap". The midfielder butted Joe Jordan, the Spurs first-team coach, during the opening leg at San Siro and is suspended after being booked during Spurs' 1-0 win in Italy last week. He was handed a furtherfour-match ban by Uefa after his run-in with Jordan which began during the match and continued after the final whistle. Gattuso said: "I would like to go to White Hart Lane for the second leg but I have been advised not to. I have been told there will be 37,000 people there just waiting to give me a slap, so I will stay in Milan. It was lucky Zlatan Ibrahimovic [the Milan striker] was not at my side when the confrontation with Jordan happened. If he had been, the fight would still be going on." |
HOW TO FOLLOW EUROPEAN SOCCER
he United European Football Association, or UEFA, is the governing body for soccer in Europe. It is comprised of the national federations for over fifty nations in Europe and Central Asia (its members include Israel and Kazakhstan). It administers the game through the national federations, while also hosting its own competitions. These are very prestigious world-wide events that are second only to the World Cup itself. UEFA's two club competitions, the Champions League and UEFA Cup, are intensely followed through the soccer season. Its primary international competition, the European Championships, pits country against country. It is a mini-World Cup, full of intrigue and passion.
So, if you are interested in following the top flights in European soccer, this page is for you.
- Background. Comparing American Sports Leagues to the European Soccer System
- The National League Competitions
- The National Cup Competitions
- Qualifying for the UEFA Competitions
- The UEFA Champions League
- The UEFA Cup
- The European Championships ("EURO")
- The International Scene -- Competitions and Friendlies
- The World Cup Qualification Tournament
- Other Competitions
- Going to the Game and Enjoying It (and Avoiding Trouble)
4. The UEFA Club Competitions -- What they are and how to qualify
The UEFA Champions League is just that -- a league of national champions. Each of the UEFA federation members send their national champions from a given year to the UEFA Champions League the next season. Some countries get to send more than one, perhaps their second and/or third are included.
The UEFA Cup is a Cup competition that works the same way as the national Cup competitions, except that this only includes first division clubs from across Europe.
Qualifying for these competitions are directly related to two factors -- (a) where 
the team finishes in the first division and (b) which national federation it comes from. Each competition takes a fixed number of clubs, with the slots apportioned to the national federations. For example, Germany normally gets three Champions League slots and two UEFA Cup slots. Since the Champions League is the greater of the two, it is the first, second, and third place clubs that go to the Champions League, while fourth and fifth place join the UEFA Cup. Naturally, this favors the larger soccer nations, which makes sense.
the team finishes in the first division and (b) which national federation it comes from. Each competition takes a fixed number of clubs, with the slots apportioned to the national federations. For example, Germany normally gets three Champions League slots and two UEFA Cup slots. Since the Champions League is the greater of the two, it is the first, second, and third place clubs that go to the Champions League, while fourth and fifth place join the UEFA Cup. Naturally, this favors the larger soccer nations, which makes sense.UEFA manages the overall schedule for the competitions, assigning most of its competition dates on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, leaving the weekends to the national federations to play their own leagues. These competitions do not go every week.
5. UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League is an extremely complicated competition. It contains several phases, some of which are single-elimination, others are league format or group format. But, however it goes, it systematically takes about sixty to seventy clubs and makes them earn their berth in the Champions League Final, usually held in late May.
The way it works is that the main competition has 32 clubs. These 32 clubs either qualify directly or must play their way in according to seeding by UEFA. In the case of Germany, for example, its first two clubs automatically make the 32, while the third place club must play its way in. Most of the smaller nations must play all their entries in.
The following are the sequences of stages from start to finish.
 | Qualification Rounds. Typically played in late summer/early fall before the national competitions get into swing. These games determine the 32 clubs in the "First Round". Usually three qualification rounds are held, and each are single-elimination. Teams who must play in are seeded, and they enter the competition in either the first, second, or third rounds.
| ||||||||
| First Round. Usually held between September and December. The 32 qualifying clubs are broken out into eight groups of four teams. These groups then play six games, two against each other club in the group, one home and one away. Teams do not play teams in other groups. The top two clubs advance based on record, where three points are awarded per win, one per draw. Ties in the standings during the First and Second rounds are resolved as follows:
| ||||||||
| Second Round. Usually January/Febraury through March. The 16 clubs are again broken out into groups of four, except that no two teams from the group will again be paired. The format of the First Round is repeated to produce a final eight. | ||||||||
| Knockout Rounds. Usually March to April. The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds are two-game home-and-home series where the better aggregate advances. | ||||||||
| The Final is a single game winner-take-all in late May. |
The groups in the First and Second Round are populated as follows.
| The clubs are stratified into pools according to their strength and/or past history in such competitions -- the top eight are in Pool A, the next eight in Pool B, etc. |
| Each group is drawn, one team from each pool, in lottery fashion. |
| However, there are restrictions. One group may not have two clubs from the same country, for example. The Second Rounds groups cannot contain two teams from the same group in the First Round. |
6. The UEFA Cup
The UEFA Cup is a Cup competition that matches several hundred clubs together. The competition begins in late summer and runs all the way through May. Like the Qualification rounds of the Champions League, teams are injected into a particular round of the tournament according to seed.
One unique thing about the UEFA Cup is that certain teams eliminated from the UEFA Champions League are retained in the UEFA Cup. These are normally the third-placed clubs in the First and Second Rounds, who are then inserted into the Cup at about the midway point. The irony, of course, is that a team that does too well can be knocked out in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, yet a lesser club can do mediocre in the League and go on to win the Cup. Don't believe that's ever happened, but it is an odd possibilito say the least.
7. The European Championships (EURO)
UEFA also runs its own mini-World Cup, where each national federation puts forth a team of its best players to battle for European supremacy. The European Championships are played opposite the World Cup (meaning that while the World Cup runs in 2002, 2006, 2010,... the EURO competition goes in 2004, 2008, 2012).
EURO is a two-year competition with three stages -- a group stage, a qualification stage, and the finals. The group and qualifying stages end with 16 countries who enter the finals. Normally, the host automatically qualifies for the final, so 15 slots are up for grabs.
| Group Stage. UEFA's fifty-plus federations are divided into a number of groups. For EURO 2004, it was ten groups of five. The teams in each group play all other teams twice, one home and one away, over the course of a year-and-a-half. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw. The group winner automatically qualifies for the EURO finals. | ||||
| Qualifying Stage. This is a second-chance for the runners-up in each group. The second place teams are paired off in a draw, and these pairings compete in a single two-game series with the winner qualifying for the EURO finals. | ||||
| Finals. This is a major tournament played over a three-to-four week period in the summer.
|
8. The World Cup Competition
The FIFA World Cup runs the same two-year-long qualification and Finals system as the EURO. However, the qualification for the FIFA World Cup Finals are run entirely by UEFA. FIFA awards a number of slots in the 32-team Final to UEFA, and UEFA hosts a Group Stage and Qualifying Stage competition to field those clubs.
The one additional step to the World Cup process is that FIFA may award UEFA 
13-"and-a-half" slots. What this means is that UEFA will qualify 13 teams on its own, and then offer one additional team to face off against a team from another continent for a 14th slot. For example, in 2002, Iran from Asia faced Australia from Oceania for one of the slots.
13-"and-a-half" slots. What this means is that UEFA will qualify 13 teams on its own, and then offer one additional team to face off against a team from another continent for a 14th slot. For example, in 2002, Iran from Asia faced Australia from Oceania for one of the slots.9. International Friendlies
Not all international matches are part of a sanctioned competition. Occasionally, UEFA reserves dates to permit the member nations to play practice games against each other. These are called "friendly" matches, although past history has shown that these can be very competitive, even un-friendly. UEFA does have the right to impose penalties against players and federations for misconduct during these games.
10. Other Competitions
UEFA also hosts junior and women's competitions. The junior competitions are typically under-21, under-19, and under-17, and are held as an international competition during the late spring or summer. The national federations sanction junior leagues at these age groups, but no higher than local or district level. That is, there is not a "Premier League" for junior players ordinarily. However, there are plenty of camps and other venues where the federations can choose the players for their national squads.
Women's soccer competitions tend to be very limited, with each country holding a national league with a small number of teams, and most local clubs hosting women's teams when enough ladies are available to play.
What is not done is college competitions. College athletics are strictly intramural in Europe.
Ancelotti: 'We are not dead'
Nicolas Anelka, believed to be on the outs at Chelsea, scored both goals in Blues' 2-0 win at FC Copenhagen in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 series on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho's frustration boiled over continued as he blasted the refereeing in the Merengues' 1-1 tie with Lyon.
Anelka's penalty-kick miss contributed to Chelsea's exit from the FA Cup on Saturday, but Blues manager Carlo Ancelotti kept him in the Chelsea attack alongside recent signing Fernando Torres whileDidier Drogba began the game on the bench.
The Frenchman, nicknamed "Le Sulk" for his moodiness, silenced the sellout crowd at Parken Stadium with the opening goal in the 17th minute and the second nine minutes after the break.
The win took some of the pressure off Ancelotti after three straight games without a win that left Chelsea 12 points off the pace in the EPL and out of the FA Cup.
“Anelka was able to score, and Torres had a lot of opportunities that he created with his movement,” said Ancelotti. “[Our season is] still alive. I had this idea before the game and I maintain it now. We are not dead.”
Former Lyon player Karim Benzema scored an excellent goal in the 64th minute, shortly after entering the game at the stade Gerland, but Bafetimbi Gomis equalized with seven minutes to play.
The tie was better than the result of Real Madrid's last three trips to Lyons -- all losses -- but Mourinho was fixated on what he termed an unacceptable error by German referee Wolfgang Stark.
Shortly after he hit the post with a free kick, Cristiano Ronaldo had another attempt stopped by aYoann Gourcuff handball.
"It's difficult to be a referee and there are errors in matches that are due to fatigue or slowness to react," said Mourinho. "These are the errors we have to accept. After, there are other errors that you can't accept. There was a free kick and in the slow-motion replay you can see it clearly. I was 50 yards away and I could see it. He [Stark] was five yards away with all his assistants and he didn't. I don't understand. It could still be decisive in the series. I just hope it won't be."
Anelka's penalty-kick miss contributed to Chelsea's exit from the FA Cup on Saturday, but Blues manager Carlo Ancelotti kept him in the Chelsea attack alongside recent signing Fernando Torres whileDidier Drogba began the game on the bench.
The Frenchman, nicknamed "Le Sulk" for his moodiness, silenced the sellout crowd at Parken Stadium with the opening goal in the 17th minute and the second nine minutes after the break.
The win took some of the pressure off Ancelotti after three straight games without a win that left Chelsea 12 points off the pace in the EPL and out of the FA Cup.
“Anelka was able to score, and Torres had a lot of opportunities that he created with his movement,” said Ancelotti. “[Our season is] still alive. I had this idea before the game and I maintain it now. We are not dead.”
Former Lyon player Karim Benzema scored an excellent goal in the 64th minute, shortly after entering the game at the stade Gerland, but Bafetimbi Gomis equalized with seven minutes to play.
The tie was better than the result of Real Madrid's last three trips to Lyons -- all losses -- but Mourinho was fixated on what he termed an unacceptable error by German referee Wolfgang Stark.
Shortly after he hit the post with a free kick, Cristiano Ronaldo had another attempt stopped by aYoann Gourcuff handball.
"It's difficult to be a referee and there are errors in matches that are due to fatigue or slowness to react," said Mourinho. "These are the errors we have to accept. After, there are other errors that you can't accept. There was a free kick and in the slow-motion replay you can see it clearly. I was 50 yards away and I could see it. He [Stark] was five yards away with all his assistants and he didn't. I don't understand. It could still be decisive in the series. I just hope it won't be."
Manchester City Ace David Silva Rubbishes Claims He Is Unhappy
Manchester City winger David Silva admits he was baffled to hear claims that he was unhappy with life at the Eastlands.
Quotes had came out of the Spanish media suggesting that the former Valencia man was looking to move elsewhere, but the tricky schemer has reassured all of those concerned that he has no intentions of leaving the club.
“I was as surprised as anyone else here to have read those reports,” Silva told City's official website.
“I do the odd interview with Spanish press but I have never come out with these quotes that may or may not have been attributed to me.
“My initial reaction was surprise, but as I have said before, I am happy to be here and I find myself very much at ease with life here.
“The thing about a big city like Manchester is that people respect your space. They leave you to get on with your life. In Spain, people can get on your back and maybe live the game more. Here it’s nice to go out and chill in the city.”
Silva conceded that he struggled at first to adapt to life in the Premier League, where he has only found the back of the net three times.
However, recent performances indicate that the talented 25-year-old has rediscovered the form which earned him rave reviews for World Cup winners Spain.
The Spaniard also commented that his fellow team-mates helped to settle him into life at the Blues and felt that traveling between international games and domestic matches had disrupted attempts to reach peak fitness.
Silva continued, “The help of my team-mates and all the people at the club has helped my settling-in period go so smoothly.
"It was difficult to begin with, but I was not quite 100 per cent fit because I missed part of pre-season due to my late arrival from the World Cup.
“There were also a couple of international friendlies that involved long journeys which interrupted me getting shape. I didn’t have the time then, but since then I think the form has started to come through for me.”
Quotes had came out of the Spanish media suggesting that the former Valencia man was looking to move elsewhere, but the tricky schemer has reassured all of those concerned that he has no intentions of leaving the club.
“I was as surprised as anyone else here to have read those reports,” Silva told City's official website.
“I do the odd interview with Spanish press but I have never come out with these quotes that may or may not have been attributed to me.
“My initial reaction was surprise, but as I have said before, I am happy to be here and I find myself very much at ease with life here.
“The thing about a big city like Manchester is that people respect your space. They leave you to get on with your life. In Spain, people can get on your back and maybe live the game more. Here it’s nice to go out and chill in the city.”
Silva conceded that he struggled at first to adapt to life in the Premier League, where he has only found the back of the net three times.
However, recent performances indicate that the talented 25-year-old has rediscovered the form which earned him rave reviews for World Cup winners Spain.
The Spaniard also commented that his fellow team-mates helped to settle him into life at the Blues and felt that traveling between international games and domestic matches had disrupted attempts to reach peak fitness.
Silva continued, “The help of my team-mates and all the people at the club has helped my settling-in period go so smoothly.
"It was difficult to begin with, but I was not quite 100 per cent fit because I missed part of pre-season due to my late arrival from the World Cup.
“There were also a couple of international friendlies that involved long journeys which interrupted me getting shape. I didn’t have the time then, but since then I think the form has started to come through for me.”
latest on ferguson
The love-in between Sir Alex Ferguson and Gabriel Heinze has continued with the Manchester United boss hailing the Argentine as a 'warrior'.
PA PhotosSir Alex Ferguson fell out with Gabriel Heinze after he demanded a move to Liverpool in 2007
Heinze left United in acrimonious circumstances, having been shipped out to Real Madrid after failing in a bid to secure a move to Liverpool. Heinze has since moved on to Marseille and will face his former club in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The defender said in an interview withESPNsoccernet that he regretted the way his relationship with United soured - admitting Ferguson was a huge influence on his career. It was suggested the relationship was still strained, but Ferguson has insisted it is the player's agent rather than Heinze that was the cause of the unrest.
"I have no problem with Gaby," Ferguson said. "He was badly advised in my opinion. He [Heinze's agent] engineered a situation to try and trick David Gill, which we then proved it was of no foundation. So we stopped his agent's attempts to get him to Liverpool. He appealed and they lost it unanimously and Gaby moved on to Real Madrid.
"He was a fantastic player for us, a warrior and in three years with us he did very well."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)