Scolari Demands Big Commitment From Chelsea Squad
Posted on June 13, 2008
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Luiz Felipe Scolari who was named as new Chelsea manager on Tuesday has demanded a squad commitment from the Chelsea players next season. He officially takes over the reigns at Stamford Bridge on July the 1st, and has a reputation amongst those in the press of being a tough character.
He told the Daily Star “I have a reputation of being a tough guy, and that’s why they call me Big Phil. What’s wrong with that?”
“I look after my players, they look after me. On the pitch, you must give everything and save nothing.
“I like aggression in players and those who love to impose themselves on games. Players have to be physically strong.
“Players must understand what I say and what I want. I will give them responsibility to sort things out on the pitch, but first they must prove to me they can handle that.
“No player must play for me if he cannot have the confidence to express himself.”
This was a strong signal of intent for things to come and the opposite style of managed previously employed by Avram Grant. ‘Big Phil’s’ managerial style may well suit the English game, due to its more physical nature when compared to other European leagues and its quicker pace.
Deco – who plays under Scolari for Portugal has been touted as one of Chelsea’s first signings of the new season. Although Scolari has distanced himself from these reports, he did reserve special praise for Deco during a press conference saying “He is an individual player - talented but daring,” said the World Cup winner. “It is easy to play football when you are daring. He dribbles and protects the ball and makes things happen.
“He is always expressing himself. There will be mistakes, but this I can excuse. Deco is not afraid.”
Luiz Felipe does have his fair share of critics however. Some sections of the media have claimed that he only knows how to perform in cup knockout football (he has never managed in Europe) and that his command of the English language is weak. He agent however has squashed these rumors and stated that whatever country he moves to he has no problem in adapting to the local way of life. There will be a big expectation for Chelsea to deliver this season, and in football nowadays a manager’s lifespan is very short if he doesn’t bring instant success. The upcoming Premier League season should prove to be one of the most exiting to date.
Portugal Take One Step Further To Quarter Finals
Posted on June 11, 2008
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Ronaldo scored a crucial goal in tonight’s football fixtures in an interesting game between Portugal and the Czech Republic. The match played in Geneva ended 3-1 in football goals to Portgual, with Deco, Ronaldo and Quaresma hitting the net for the Portuguese. The win means that Portugal has not got two wins out of two and on course for the next stage of the tournament. They currently stand at the top of the group’s football tables.After the game Ronaldo said “It’s a very good feeling. We’ve almost reached our first goal which is to get to the next stage. I’m very happy I was able to contribute with a goal. “We played well. The Czechs played really well during the first half. It was very hard to penetrate their defence. “We created a lot of chances and played as a unit. If we keep on playing like that we’ve got a good chance of doing well in this tournament.” Portugal has turned in two quality performances this tournament and are being considered by many as early tournament favourites. Their position in the football tables proves this point. Other favourites in the football fixtures remain the usual suspects, especially Holland and Spain after their impressive first fixture wins. Holland cruised to a 3-0 win against world champions Italy and Spain beat a weak Russia side 4-1. So far it is looking as though this could be the best tournament to date. The group of death still has a couple of big games to look forward to, in particular Holland against France and Italy against France.Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet Sven-Goran Eriksson is preparing his Mexican team for the next big tournament in football, the world cup 2010 in South Africa. He is hoping Mexico can score many football goals during their qualifying campaign and finished at the top of the football tables. From an English perspective, should they qualify for the finals in two years time there is a very real chance they can be matched against their former manager.
United Report Real Madrid To FIFA
Posted on June 9, 2008
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Manchester United have taken an unusual step and reported Real Madrid to FIFA over their continued effort to court Cristiano Ronaldo, one of United’s leading football goals scorer. United manager Alex Ferguson has said on a number of occasions that he is unhappy at the way Madrid act in the transfer market and is different to that of their arch rivals in the Spanish football tables CF Barcelona, who never state their intentions publicly.
Ronaldo has been arguably the world’s best player this season scoring no fewer that 42 football goals in all football fixtures and competitions. It his enormous value to the club that has made him such a big transfer target this summer. Alex Ferguson has been adamant that he will not sell the football result changing playmaker, but Ronaldo himself has stated on a number of occasions that he would one day consider a move to his boy-hood dream club within the Spanish football tables. For one to understand why he is constantly being linked to Madrid you have to look at the effect of Spanish football on the Portuguese nation. Like most young kids in the Far East want to grow up and play football fixtures for United, the same can be said for the young Portuguese kids with respect to playing and scoring football goals for Madrid. There is a certain element of pride and achievement of pulling on the famous white shirt. Ronaldo himself has commented on this in the media, but has now distanced himself and decided not to speak about his future until after the European Championships ahead of next seasons football fixtures.
The fee that Madrid would have to pay Manchester United has been speculated in the media, with most putting his value at around the seventy million pound mark. There has also been talk of him being offered a reported three hundred thousand pounds a week after tax.
Article 18 of FIFA’s regulations for the status and transfer of player’s states: ‘A club intending to conclude a contract with a professional must inform the player’s current club in writing before entering into negotiations with him.
‘A professional shall only be free to conclude a contract with another club if his contract with his present club has expired or is due to expire within six months. Any breach of this provision shall be subject to appropriate sanctions.’
Whatever happens this summer, it seems almost likely that Ronaldo will move to Real Madrid at some point in his career, but whether it will be this summer or a year or two in the future remains to be seen.
Chelsea Gives Green Light For Drogba Negotiations
Posted on June 8, 2008
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AC Milan was given the go ahead to start discussions with Drogba’s representatives about a future move to Italian football tables giant today, ahead of next seasons football fixtures. Adriano Galliani, the clubs vice president was understood to be delighted by this news, however the one time AC Milan now Chelsea reserve football goals scorer Shevchenko has not been allowed to follow suit and discuss a possible move to the Italian team.
Drogba has had an impressive career to date, but came under a lot of bad press during his time at Chelsea for his play acting and diving during premiership football fixtures. His football goals record has been impressive however and he has been regarded as one of Chelsea’s most valuable players in the last few seasons. The possible end of Drogba’s time at Chelsea would not have been helped by events in Moscow’s football result, in which they lost the Champions League to Manchester United, and in the Premiership on the final day of this seasons football fixtures.
Milan fans are likely to be gutted that they are not allowed to open negotiations with former player Andriy Shevchenko. The player completed a thirty million pound move to Chelsea a couple of seasons back, but has so far failed to excel for Chelsea during this seasons football tables. A lot of people in the media believe that Chelsea would never let Shevchenko go, simply because his market value is only a small percentage of that they paid for him, and by doing so would be a blow to their pride.
Milan has also been linked to another Premiership star – Emmanuel Adebayor although Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has categorically stated that the Togo striker is not for sale. As well as a possible move by Barcelona striker Eto to Milan, there is no short supply of activity in the transfer market. AC Milan clearly feels that by strengthening in the striking positions, they will be able to compete domestically and in Europe.
Other news in the transfer market see Arsenal Midfield maestro Cesc Fabregas linked to a move to Real Madrid. Although the midfielder has constantly stated that he is content with life in England, the speculation does not appear to be vanishing. With recent news that a Ronaldo move to Real Madrid imminent, it is unlikely that they will be able to fund the purchase of Fabregas on top of that of the Manchester United playmaker.
Euro 2008 kicks Off Today
Posted on June 7, 2008
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Today sees the European Championship kick off in Austria and Switzerland, with the first match being played by Austria against the Czech Republic. This tournament promises to be one of the most exciting to date, with the bookmakers having no clear favourite.
One team however that are on many peoples lips at the moment is Spain. All though they have not fulfilled expectations in tournament gone by they still have quality players throughout the squad such as Casillas, Puyol, Fabregas, Torres and Villa. Spain’s build up to this match has been relatively disappointing, only managing a one nil win against the USA this week.
Other favourites kicking around are France and Italy. Although Cannavaro and Vieira look set to miss out on the tournament, both teams have a lot of quality throughout the playing squad. Italy has an added incentive to follow up from their World Cup success by adding another trophy to their impressive cabinet.
Fabio Capello backed up by a Castrol Performance Index review has named Germany as his favourites for this year’s tournament. Their first game is against Poland, in which three points will be seen to be vital.
Scouts from around Europe are also going to be in their masses to see if they can spot the next big star. This year will be no different, and there is plenty of new talent that will be on show. One example of such player is Karim Benzema, who has caught the eye of many this season. He currently plays for Lyon and managed to score against Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League.
With players like Ronaldo and Henry on show there will be plenty to see for fans. The only dampener that can be put in this tournament is the non existence of the England football team. Love them or hate them, they always add to the excitement and general buzz around major tournaments like this. Once this tournament is over the teams will have a short pre-season break before competing in their domestic leagues next season, and concentrate on the qualifiers for the World Cup in 2010.