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Saturday, December 20, 2008
Champions League Knock out Draws
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Ronaldo very happy at United
Crisitiano Ronaldo has insisted that he is "very happy" at Manchester United despite ongoing the Real Madrid saga.
The Manchester United winger has been back in the headlines again over the past 48 hours, thanks to more speculation linking him with Real Madrid.
But comments from Real director Pedro Trapote have been greeted with disdain at Old Trafford, Sir Alex Ferguson claiming 'I wouldn't sell them a virus' following his team's 5-3 Club World Cup victory over Gamba Osaka.
Ronaldo opted not to get embroiled in the war of words between two clubs, who may get drawn together in the Champions League knockout round tomorrow.
However, he has confirmed he remains happy with life at Old Trafford - after Ferguson persuaded him to stay last summer.
"I don't care what people are saying," he said.
"I have not read it. I am here in Japan and I know nothing about what is going on around me.
"But I am very happy playing for Manchester United."
After the intense speculation that surrounded him last summer, it seems Ronaldo must once again get used to being the centre of attention.
The Ballon D'Or winner preferred to talk about his goalscoring contribution to United's latest triumph.
After heading home a Ryan Giggs corner in first-half stoppage time, Ronaldo has moved into double figures for the season.
As he prepares to be confirmed as the best player in the world at a glitzy FIFA ceremony next month, Ronaldo confirmed life at the moment is going well.
"It would mean a lot for me to be a world champion," he said.
"It would be fantastic to win this trophy - and now there is a good chance, not just from a personal perspective but for Manchester United.
"We might only have one opportunity and we have to take it."
Ronaldo knows the bare minimum about Sunday's opponents, Ecuador's South American club champions LDU Quito.
They were not that impressive in beating Pachuca in yesterday's semi-final, but Ronaldo knows any club capable of overcoming the might of Brazil and Argentina must be respected.
"We are expecting a difficult game," he said.
"The second match is always more difficult than the first, and we have to prepare well.
"Quito are a good team, with a lot of experience.
"We have a couple of days to study them and to see who the best players are, but the most important thing for us is to put the ball in the net."
Van Persie to Barca?
League leaders Barcelona are reportedly interested to bring Arsenal forward Robin van Persie to Camp Nou.
Marca reported that Barca made their intentions known and has received positive response from the player's associates.
Arsenal on the other hand has been trying to tie Van Persie down to a longer contract with his current deal running out in 2011.
Barca's technical secretary Txiki Begiristain has been scouting for a new left-sided attacking player with Thierry Henry unlikely to stay on after this season.
Some other notable players linked with Catalan giants is Valencia's explosive winger David Silva while another Arsenal player, Cesc Fabregas is a long-term target that will unlikely be available this summer.
With Sylvinho also rumoured to be on his final season at the club and French international Eric Abidal keen on a move back to Olympique Lyonnais, Barca's priority in the transfer marker will be to solve the left-sided void that could spell trouble if not plugged swiftly.
The Blaugrana are no strangers to signing Dutch players with Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars and the De Boer brothers just some of the Oranje players who have plied their trade under Barca colours.
Adriano to play in All-Star Game
Inter Milan striker Adriano will take part in a benefit All-Star Game organised by Brazilian legend Zico next week.
Adriano's participation is the match, which is due to be played next Tuesday at the Estadio Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, is a curious situation given Inter allowed him to return to his homeland earlier this week because of a muscle injury.
The striker had been ruled out of Inter's game at Siena on Saturday because of the injury, prompting the club's decision to allow him to return to Brazil ahead of the upcoming winter break.
However, he looks set to play some role in Tuesday's match after an organiser of the event, Junior Coimbra, confirmed his participation.
"Adriano has arrived in Rio and confirmed his presence in the All-Star Game," he said.
"We are still waiting for the confirmation from a few other players, both local and international."
Money collected from the game will be donated to charity and to help the thousands of victims of the floods in the state of Santa Catarina which killed 128 people.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Juande Ramos: Real Madrid Job Is A Dream For Me
The new Real Madrid coach has described his appointment as Bernd Schuster's successor as a dream job after he penned a deal that will keep him at the club until the end of the season at least
Juande Ramos agreed a deal to take over as Real Madrid coach over breakfast on Tuesday morning, he revealed at a press conference where he was officially presented as the new coach of the club.
The former Sevilla and Tottenham Hotspur has signed an agreement until the end of the current season and both sides will then sit down and discuss a longer contract if they are happy.
Describing the appointment as a dream come true for him, Ramos also said that Madrid could add to their squad again in January once he has analysed the squad.
"I would like to thank the club the faith that they have placed in me. I am very excited about the prospect of coaching Real Madrid," Ramos said to reporters.
"It is every coach's dream and I do not want to let anyone down in their choice and hope to bring success to the club.
"The speed of the agreement has surprised me. I was invited to have breakfast with the directors this morning and we talked about a deal then and it was all signed then.
"In most of my previous jobs I have had short contracts and I will be here until the end of the season. It was a quick agreement and if both sides are happy then we can sit down in the summer and maybe extend the agreement.
After reports that Bernd Schuster's comment that Real Madrid could not beat Barcelona on Saturday, Ramos said that he would focus on the Blaugrana game after the Zenit game.
"They are one of the biggest clubs in the world and I have not doubt that they are playing very well at the moment, but Real Madrid has the capability and the prestige to take on any team at any stadium in the world," he continued.
"Real Madrid can only look to the next game and that for us is Zenit and when that game is played we will then think about Barcelona."
Ramos takes over a squad with several players absent through injury and stated that he could well be dipping in to the transfer market in the winter window.
"In January we may have to do something, but we have to be clear about who we need and who will be right for this club," he added.
Real Madrid Sack Bernd Schuster, Juande Ramos In
Madrid have announced that they have dismissed their coach on Tuesday morning and reports state that Juande Ramos has been installed and will take training at the club this afternoon.
Bernd Schuster has been sacked by Real Madrid, the Spanish giants have confirmed after a series of meetings on Tuesday morning and is reported to have been replaced by Juande Ramos.
With Predrag Mijatovic said to have been at the forefront of the move, he had already lined up Ramos and the former Sevilla and Tottenham Hotspur coach will take training on Tuesday afternoon after a brief presentation.
The German coach has paid for the turmoil on the pitch and apparently for his comments off it after he stated that Los Merengues could not beat Barcelona this weekend.
Despite leading the club to the league title last term, his inability to produce an attractive and consistent team this season has meant that he has now paid the price.
Sporting director Mijatovic was reported to have been very unimpressed by the trainer's outburst to add to the poor performances in recent weeks and was intrumental in his sacking.
Ramón Calderón had previously wanted to retain Schuster's services for fear of a backlash against him, but he was persuaded to make the move after Sunday's defeat by Sevilla.
Madrid are now said to have appointed former Sevilla and Tottenham Hotspur coach Juande Ramos and he will be at the Bernabéu for the game against Zenit on Wednesday.
Schuster, 48, took over at the Bernabéu after Fabio Capello was dismissed because his style of play was not said to be entertaining enough despite securing Madrid's first championships for four seasons and now the club have removed another title-winning coach.
The former Madrid, Atlético and Barcelona player was warned about his conduct in the press room last term and while results were going his way there was little outcry, but now the team has faltered his latest outburst about the impossibility of winning at Camp Nou has cost him dearly.
Ramos made his name by winning five trophies in 15 months at Sevilla and he added to that by leading Tottenham to the Carling Cup last term, their first major trophy for nine years.
Despite the north London club's subsequent dip in form, the Andalucian trainer's stock held up in Spain and he was tipped to join Real Madrid as soon as it was announced that he had lost his job at White Hart Lane.
Ronaldinho: Private Issues Led To Poor Barcelona Form
The former World Player of the Year has been discussing the reasons behind his below par performances for the Blaugrana last season.
he Brazilian superstar has found a new lease of life at his new club Milan, where he is an integral part of their Serie A title challenge.
But some of his displays for Barcelona last season led to speculation that the 28-year old no longer had the drive to perform consistently at the highest level.
However, 'Ronnie' has spoken out about his final months at the Camp Nou, and insists his dip in form occurred as a result of personal problems off the pitch.
He told Italian publication Corriere della Sera, "Many thought I was in decline and that I would never come back to my best level, but the truth is that at the beginning of this year I had an accident that created many problems."
The attacking midfielder, who scored 70 goals in 145 games for Barcelona in his five years at the club, refused to go into further details regarding the nature of the problems, but made it clear that the snipers who had criticised him at the time left an indelible mark on his confidence.
He added, "They said and published many things that were hurtful to me. I wanted to prove to them that I am not finished."
With Ronaldinho as their top scorer so far this season, Milan lie in second position in the Serie A table, while Barcelona are riding high at the summit of the Primera Division.
Sergio Ramos Ready To Shackle Lionel Messi
Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster will be forced to shuffle his back-line for Saturday’s critical El Clasico clash, but it appears that he has found a solution for the problem known as Lionel Messi.
Real Madrid will head into Saturday’s showdown with bitter rivals,Barcelona without at least half of their first team.
With injured players littered across every position and department on the pitch, Madrid’s most vital absence, however, will be in the left-back slot: the flank Lionel Messi will attack from.
Marcelo is suspended and Miguel Torres is out injured, while at this stage Gabriel Heinze appears to be doubtful. And even if he does recover from a muscle ailment in time, he will be short on match fitness: a defect that can be brutally fatal against a player like ‘Little Lionel’.
Madrid-based daily AS has speculated that coach Bernd Schuster will turn to the versatile Sergio Ramos in an attempt to put the brakes on the mercurial Messi. With Pepe also sidelined, Christoph Metzelder will most likely partner Fabio Cannavaro in the centre of defence, but this will leave the right-back position up in the air.
While Ramos may look like the perfect solution to stop Messi, the bad omen for Madridistas is that the only two occasions where he has been employed as a left-back since joining Los Blancos occurred back in 2007 under Fabio Capello, against Deportivo La Coruna and Real Valladolid. Madrid lost both matches.
The possible absences of midfielders Wesley Sneijder and Royston Drenthe will pose another selection headache for Schuster. If the pair fail to recover come kick-off, the German-born coach will have to deploy Rafael van der Vaart, Javi Garcia and Guti just infront of Fernando Gago.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
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