TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Lionel Messi-less Barcelona drop first points in Nou Camp draw Barcelona dropped home points for the first time in Primera Division this season after Villarreal draw. telegraph.co.uk |
Togo may drop out after attack; separatists claim responsibility French media reports say a bus carrying the Togo national football team has been attacked by gunfire in Angola ahead of the African ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Essien likely to miss at least six weeks • Chelsea fear Essien has torn left medial ligament • Midfielder set to miss Arsenal and Internazionale gamesMichael Essien is due back in London by Thursday amid fears that the Chelsea midfielder has torn the medial ligament in his left knee. He will miss at least six weeks if that is confirmed, ruling him out of next month's potentially critical derby against Arsenal and the first leg of the Champions League tie against Internazionale.The 27-year-old injured the knee on Sunday in training with the Ghana squad at the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola. A preliminary assessment undertaken by the national federation's medical staff suggested Essien had partially torn the medial ligament and damaged the meniscus in the joint, though Chelsea will conduct their own scans once the player reports back to Cobham, most likely on Thursday, with the results due the following day.A despondent Essien is desperate to learn the extent of the damage suffered when he slipped while passing to a team-mate in training in Luanda. Chelsea have been in regular contact with the Ghanaians, who must win Tuesday's Group B game against Burkina Faso to proceed to the knockout phase of the competition, but will be hugely concerned at the prospect of being without the dynamic midfielder, in particular for the games against Arsenal – who could usurp them at the top of the Premier League if they beat Bolton by two goals at home on Wednesday – on 7 February and against Internazionale and José Mourinho at San Siro on 24 February.Carlo Ancelotti had been resigned to Essien's absence until the Arsenal game. Although Chelsea were publicly comfortable with their midfielder's participation in Angola, his involvement still represented something of a surprise given that he had not since tearing a hamstring against Apoel Nicosia in the Champions League in early December and had resumed full training only on 6 January.His rehabilitation work from that injury, and the adverse weather conditions in the United Kingdon, had delayed his departure for Angola until last Wednesday for what proved to be a farcical week-long stay at the Cup of Nations. Essien trained with his international team-mates last Thursday and was then pitched straight into competitive action, as a second-half substitute, in Friday's 3-1 loss to the Ivory Coast in Cabinda. He departed the turf on a stretcher at one point in that 45-minute appearance following a clash with his club-mate Didier Drogba, though came through the game unscathed only to suffer the fall on Sunday."Michael was turning to make a pass when he just went down," said the Ghana midfielder Anthony Annan. "There was no contact from any other player, but those around him say they heard a click, and then the physios rushed over." Essien was taken to hospital in Luanda in an ambulance to be assessed, with his fears particularly acute given that he had missed a little over six months of last season after rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament playing for Ghana in a World Cup qualifier against Libya in Tripoli in September 2008. That injury required major surgery.Chelsea will only determine whether their policy of non-recruitment during this transfer window should be modified once they have determined the extent of Essien's latest injury.Juliano Belletti excelled as a makeshift defensive midfielder during Saturday's 7-2 victory over Sunderland, though sterner tests than that lie ahead.ChelseaGhanaAfrica Cup of NationsDominic Fifieldguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
West Ham courting van Nistelrooy: reports West Ham has offered a weekly salary of £100,000 ($169,845 Cdn.) in the hope of enticing a star player to help it avoid relegation from the Premier League. cbc.ca |
Shot soccer star Cabanas suffers brain swelling Doctors treating Paraguay soccer star Salvador Cabanas say he is showing symptoms of swelling around the brain as he tries to recover from being shot in the head. cbc.ca |