Thursday, September 30, 2010

Febregas

ARSENAL NEWS

Fabregas could miss Chelsea clash

By ESPNsoccernet staff

September 30, 2010

Cesc Fabregas could miss Saturday's Premier League game against Chelsea with a hamstring injury - but Arsene Wenger will give the Arsenal captain until the last possible moment to prove his fitness.

GettyImages

Cesc Fabregas' closing down was rewarded with a freak goal - and an injury

Wenger also confirmed that Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen will certainly not travel to Stamford Bridge, having failed to recover from an Achilles injury, and Abou Diaby remains a doubt with an ankle injury.
"I don't know about Cesc" said Wenger. "It looks a 50:50 but a 50:50 balancing on the negative side. I will find out on Saturday morning."
Wenger conceded earlier this week that his captain had "little hope" of featuring against the champions, but it seems as though the World Cup winner will be given every opportunity to play.
Fabregas injured his hamstring in the process of scoring a freak goal against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light two weeks ago, when a clearance by Anton Ferdinand ricocheted off him and into the net.
Wenger will give Diaby every chance to be involved on Saturday. The Arsenal manager said: "Abou Diaby has an 80% chance to be involved. I am not sure if he will be completely 100% but it is 100% he will be in the squad."
Manuel Almunia, who has not trained since conceding three goals against West Brom last weekend, missed Tuesday night's Champions League win over Partizan Belgrade with an elbow injury, meaning Lukasz Fabianski could start his second consecutive match in goal.
Meanwhile, there was positive news about two of Arsenal's longer term injuries.
"Nicklas Bendtner (groin) should be available after the international break," said Wenger, "and Aaron Ramsey (leg) is progressing very well."

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

baca kazan

FK Rubin Kazan 1 - 1 Barcelona

Preview Report Match Live Commentary GameCast Match Action

A tale of two penalties in Russia

GettyImages

Christian Noboa celebrates scoring his penalty against Barcelona.

Scoring Summary
FK Rubin Kazan	Barcelona
Christian Noboa (pen 30)	David Villa (pen 60)

Match Stats
	FK Rubin Kazan	Barcelona
Shots (on Goal)	8(2)	17(4)
Fouls	19	15
Corner Kicks	2	10
Offsides	0	1
Time of Possession	19%	81%
Yellow Cards	3	2
Red Cards	0	0
Saves	3	1

Match Information

Stadium: Central Stadium Kazan
Attendance:
Match Time: 16:30 GMT
Referee: Cüneyt Çakir

Teams
FK Rubin Kazan	Barcelona
77 Sergei Ryzhikov	1 Victor Valdés
4 César	5 Carles Puyol
27 Salvatore Bocchetti	3 Gerard Piqué
9 Lasha Salukvadze	19 Maxwell
3 Cristian Ansaldi	2 Dani Alves
19 Vitaliy Kaleshin	14 Javier Mascherano
16 Christian Noboa	16 Sergio Busquets
15 Rafal Murawski	6 Xavi
61 Karadeniz Gökdeniz	8 Andrés Iniesta
8 Aleksandr Ryazantsev	7 David Villa
88 Sergei Kornilenko	17 Pedro
Substitutes
28 Obafemi Martins	Seydou Keita 15
2 Oleg Kuzmin	Eric Abidal 22
14 Alan Kasaev	José Manuel Pinto 13
66 Bebars Natcho	Gabriel Milito 18
6 MacBeth Sibaya	Lionel Messi 10
87 Carlos Eduardo	Bojan Krkic 9
44 Giedrius Arlauskis	Thiago 30
Substitutions
MacBeth Sibaya for Sergei Kornilenko (62)	Lionel Messi for Javier Mascherano (60)
Obafemi Martins for Karadeniz Gökdeniz (65)	Bojan Krkic for David Villa (86)
Bebars Natcho for Christian Noboa (89)
Yellow Cards
Lasha Salukvadze (40)	Carles Puyol (52)
Cristian Ansaldi (74)	Gerard Piqué (90)
MacBeth Sibaya (80)
· Club Squads: FK Rubin Kazan \| Barcelona

Updated: September 29, 2010, 7:45 AM GMT

David Villa netted a second-half penalty to earn Barcelona a point from their trip to Rubin Kazan, who once again proved a frustrating opponent for the Catalan giants.Villa slotted home on the hour-mark to cancel out Cristian Noboa's 30th-minute penalty for Rubin, with both goalkeepers coming agonisingly close to saving the respective spot-kicks.
Barca dominated for large periods but not even the second-half arrival of fit-again Lionel Messi could inspire Pep Guardiola's side to victory, and the visitors almost ended up empty-handed as Rubin substitute Obafemi Martins hit the woodwork late on.
The result leaves Barca on four points from two games on Group D following their 5-1 mauling of Panathinaikos in round one, while Russian outfit Rubin picked up their first point having previously lost to FC Copenhagen.
Rubin proved a problematic opponent for Barca in last season's Champions League, winning 2-1 at Camp Nou and then holding the 2009 European champions goalless at home, and Kurban Berdyev's side had Guardiola's men on the back foot again tonight after taking a first-half lead.
Barca had bossed the opening stages and hit the crossbar through Pedro Rodriguez before Villa fired just wide, but against the run of play Rubin took the lead.
Victor Valdes' mis-hit clearance gave Vitali Kaleshin the chance to burst into the Barca where he was sent tumbling by Dani Alves as he tried to burst away from the Brazilian and Gerard Pique.
Valdes almost atoned for his part in the incident as he guessed right for Noboa's penalty, but although he managed to get some of his body behind the shot, he could not prevent the Rubin captain from putting his side ahead.
That was a blow to Barca but they had a chance to get back on level terms just before the break when Pedro side-footed another good chance narrowly wide.
Barca had to wait until the 60th minute to even things up, with Andres Iniesta winning a penalty in almost exactly the same place and fashion as Kaleshin had in the first half, Spain's World Cup final hero being brought down by Lasha Salukvadze as he attempted to escape from two defenders.
Villa, like Noboa before him, managed to find the back of the net but not before suffering a scare as the diving Sergei Ryzhikov got a hand to his shot but not enough to keep it out. The final half-hour was virtually all Barca, with Dani Alves almost capitalising on a terrible back-header only to be denied by Ryzhikov.
The arrival of Messi, who had missed Barca's past two matches with an ankle injury, gave the visitors another attacking threat and the Argentinian drew a good block from Ryzhikov in the 67th minute.
Messi then headed another opportunity over before Barca enjoyed a big let-off in the 86th minute when Rubin came so close to netting on a rare attack.
Martins peeled away from Carles Puyol to get on the end of a deep cross but his powerful downward header from four yards out hit the near post and rebounded to safety.
Even after that though Barca had two great chances of their own to take the spoils, Bojan Krkic heading wide when unmarked before Iniesta curled an injury-time effort over with just Ryzhikov to beat - a miss that left more than one Barca player holding his head as the Spanish champions had to settle for a share of the points.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

early kickoff

Spartak Moscow 3 - 0 MSK Zilina

Preview Report Match Live Commentary GameCast Match Action

Ari hits brace for Spartak

GettyImages

Ari celebrates his double for Spartak.

Scoring Summary
Spartak Moscow	MSK Zilina
Ari (34)
Ari (61)
Ibson (89)

Match Stats
	Spartak Moscow	MSK Zilina
Shots (on Goal)	24(11)	11(0)
Fouls	12	14
Corner Kicks	7	2
Offsides	2	1
Time of Possession	63%	37%
Yellow Cards	0	2
Red Cards	0	0
Saves	0	8

Match Information

Stadium: Luzhniki Stadium
Attendance:
Match Time: 16:30 GMT
Referee: Martin Hansson

Teams
Spartak Moscow	MSK Zilina
81 Andrej Dykan	30 Martin Dubravka
17 Marek Suchy	23 Ondrej Sourek
19 Nicolas Pareja	15 Jozef Piacek
16 Evgeniy Makeyev	6 Patrick Mraz
15 Sergey Parshivlyuk	5 Lubomir Guldan
9 Ari	37 Sergio Vittor
5 Aleksandr Sheshukov	3 Mario Pecalka
11 Welliton	14 Tomas Oravec
12 Alex Raphael Meschini	12 Robert Jez
99 Dmitriy Kombarov	10 Tomas Majtan
64 Aiden McGeady	9 Emil Rilke
Substitutes
7 Ibson	Vladimir Leitner 7
3 Martin Stranzl	Martin Vyskocil 11
6 Renat Sabitov	Admir Vladavic 44
2 Cristián Maidana	Momodou Ceesay 18
27 Zhano Ananidze	Martin Krnac 22
56 Aleksandr Belenov	Stanislav Angelovic 2
18 Andrey Ivanov	Stefan Zosák 27
Substitutions
Ibson for Welliton (67)	Momodou Ceesay for Mario Pecalka (45)
Cristián Maidana for Dmitriy Kombarov (84)	Admir Vladavic for Emil Rilke (65)
Renat Sabitov for Aleksandr Sheshukov (90)	Stanislav Angelovic for Tomas Majtan (81)
Yellow Cards
	Lubomir Guldan (17)
	Mario Pecalka (41)
· Club Squads: Spartak Moscow \| MSK Zilina

Updated: September 28, 2010, 7:47 AM GMT

Brazilian striker Ari struck twice as Spartak Moscow stepped up their push for a place in the Champions League knock-out stages against a Zilina side who were overrun.Ari's compatriot Welliton had been the player Zilina feared the most, after his 16 goals in 17 domestic league appearances for Spartak this year.
But former AZ Alkmaar frontman Ari was the player who made the difference between the teams, scoring in each half as the Russians took their points tally to six from two matches, ahead of home and away fixtures with Chelsea.
Ibson, another Brazilian, added a late third to emphasise the difference between the teams.
Spartak beat Marseille 1-0 in their opening group game, hinting at their strength, while Zilina were downed 4-1 away by Chelsea.
Although Slovakia recently beat Russia in the qualifying group stage for Euro 2012, their national champions have yet not looked up to scratch for this competition.
With pace to spare in their attack, Spartak got in among the Zilina defence early on.
Shots from Aleksandr Sheshukov and Sergei Parshivlyuk carried threat, while Aiden McGeady's pace tormented the visitors.
Welliton went close soon before the opening goal, when his left-footed half-volley was parried out by Martin Dubravka.
Ari made the breakthrough after 34 minutes when Alex's left-footed corner from the right found him around 15 yards from goal beyond the far post, from where he sent a looping header over Dubravka.
Defender Patrik Mraz might have done better but stationed himself behind the line, and by the time the ball reached him it had entered the goal, making his prodded clearance worthless.
Spartak pushed for a second goal but it did not arrive until the 61st minute, with Ari again the man on target.
Alex swung a fine lofted pass from a central position to Dmitri Kombarov stationed on the left flank, and he wasted no time in firing over a probing low cross which Ari, attacking the far post, swept in from close range.
It was nearly 3-0 in the 75th minute when Alex unleashed a 20-yard strike which hit Jozef Piacek on its way through to Dubravka, seemingly close to the defender's arm, and the goalkeeper pushed the ball against his left-hand post.
Ibson had replaced Welliton by that stage, and in the 89th minute he condemned Zilina to a second successive three-goal European defeat with a sweet finish on the run after Christian Maidana angled in a perfect cross from the left.

mortality

MORTALITY LEGACY
We are all mortal being
any moment may be our last
We will never be lovier than we are now
and we will never be here again
when you feel it, its now upon you,its cold hands already
encircling you in an embrace,that final embrace,that takes away you
you look around you,you become very conscious of everything in the world
You see the rising morning sun,the birds in the air,
The trees dancing with the wind,the soft feel of breeze upon your cheeks
You think of the rain,the moon,the stars,you remember your childhood,
your growing up days,the people in your life,your parents,your siblings
your friends,even those you fight with,you think of the moment you had
laugh,when you had cried,when you had thought life was beautiful or
not worth living.
Now everything is significantly important and fill you nostalgia
You want to smile but instead you cry cos it breaks your heart.
Soon you will be gone and you will miss everything.
you will never see the sun rise again,you will never see the moon at night,
you will never see the faces of your loved ones,you will never cry
or laugh nor think again cos you will be dead.
And leave your loved ones on that day,put into the ground like a faded
flower.
"Death is not easy for those left behind"
Lets not be afraid to die,but be afraid of what people will remember us for,
so live a life that will affect others positively.
Give a helping hand today
what ever comes our way,we always have a choice
its that choice that make us who we are
And we always have the choice yo do what right

liverpool

LIVERPOOL NEWS

Reina stresses need for patience

By ESPNsoccernet staff

September 28, 2010

Pepe Reina believes it could take up to six months for Roy Hodgson to get Liverpool back on track.

GettyImages

Pepe Reina is confident that Roy Hodgson will get it right at Anfield

Liverpool have taken just six points from their opening six games and currently sit just two places above the relegation zone, with Hodgson struggling to turn things around after replacing Rafael Benitez this summer.
Reina is confident that Hodgson's methods will prove successful at Anfield, but he has warned Reds fans not to expect too much in the short-term.
"When you have so many changes moving in a new direction under a new boss, things don't happen instantly," he told LFC Weekly. "It can take between three and six months before you see improvements.
"Obviously, the quicker we adapt and improve as a team, the better it will be for everyone. That doesn't just happen overnight. Each of us has to adjust to working in a new way.
"With the passing of each day, I get used to it and what the manager wants. It's the same for all of us. We need to be patient."
Reina feels, though, that Liverpool have not been helped by the fixture list at the start of the season.
"People who criticise us about it should look at the fixtures we've had. It has been a difficult start. Arsenal at home and then going to play Manchester City, Manchester United and Birmingham away was never going to be easy.
"Not many teams will go to the City of Manchester Stadium, Old Trafford or St Andrew's and win. Those three teams have very good records at home."
Meanwhile, Hodgson is warning that Fabio Aurelio could still be some way away from a first-team return after suffering an Achilles injury last month.
"Where Fabio Aurelio is concerned, caution and prudence have to be the words that we use," he said. "He is progressing all the time and his efforts are very commendable but we can't bring him back too early.
"We took him off against Trabzonspor as a precautionary measure, as we didn't want to run the risk of him sustaining a serious problem."

miss

Rooney misses Valencia trip
Manchester United head to Valencia on Tuesday without Wayne Rooney but Darren Fletcher says the team is confident of kick-starting their season with a win. Read

BUNDESLIGA NEWS

Van Gaal signs new contract with Bayern Munich

September 27, 2010

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has revealed that coach Louis van Gaal has signed a one-year contract extension, despite his side's poor start to the season.

AlexGrimm/GettyImages

Louis van Gaal has endured another slow start to the Bundesliga season

Van Gaal's current deal was due to expire next summer and he had made it clear that he would like to manage a national team in the near future, but negotiations over a 12-month extension were successful.
''I am glad that I will be staying in Munich for a further year,'' he said. ''We have started something here that I would like to continue. And FC Bayern give me opportunities that I as a coach could not find better anywhere else.''
Bayern made a slow start to last season and Van Gaal's job was hanging in the balance until a 4-1 win at Juventus in the Champions League and a revival in the Bundesliga saved him. He went on to lead Bayern to a domestic double and the final of the Champions League, where they were beaten by Inter Milan in Madrid.
As a result of that success, Van Gaal chose not to make any new signings this summer and to keep his faith in a winning squad. Rummenigge does not regret the decision not to spend money on reinforcements.
"The coach has this philosophy and we are fully behind him,'' Rummenigge added. "The coach is doing an excellent job and it is not he but the players who are now under pressure to deliver the goods.
"I would always prefer to do things you might not expect. After a victory, anyone could renew a contract. Therefore, it is a good sign for the public that, even after the defeat to Mainz, we would like to extend the coach's stay."

Monday, September 27, 2010

d d

PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS

Drogba may not finish career with Chelsea

By ESPNsoccernet staff

September 27, 2010

Didier Drogba has suggested that he may not finish his career with Chelsea after previously indicating he wanted to commit the rest of his playing days to the club.

PA Photos

Didier Drogba joined Chelsea from Marseille

Drogba was rumoured to be the subject of a transfer bid from former club Marseille in the summer, something that was denied by Chelsea, but the Ligue 1 outfit have stated their desire to eventually re-sign the 32-year-old.
Chelsea signed Drogba from Marseille after he had scored 30 goals in 43 games in all competitions in the 2003-04 season. The striker himself previously indicated he would like to return to Stade Vélodrome before he retires.
Drogba may get that chance in December when the two sides meet again in the return tie of this week's Champions League encounter at Stamford Bridge. Drogba will miss the home match against Marseille as he completes a two-game suspension.
Drogba, who has two years to run on his current deal, told the Sun: "When I signed a new contract at Chelsea, I always said I wanted to finish my career here. But I am well placed to say that anything can happen.
"When I was at Marseille I said I would finish my career there but, one week later, everything changed.
"I hope I don't miss the return match as the Velodrome has an exceptional atmosphere."