TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Viduka over and out? It's ironic that a Socceroos squad gathered in Dubai this past week for an Asian Cup qualifier shorn of almost all its biggest stars, most notably Mark Viduka. foxsports.com.au |
Britain's deep freeze hits 4 Premier League games Britain's cold weather has disrupted the weekend Premier League program with four matches called off Friday by clubs concerned about icy roads and railway disruptions to stadiums. cbc.ca |
Anelka goes from loner to leader Chelsea are yet to miss Didier Drogba because of the Frenchman's can-do mentality and improved all-round gameNicolas Anelka has such a gift for spreading consternation that he has dumbfounded employers as much as opponents, but the attacker may have sprung his last and best surprise by delighting Chelsea. His status as a leaderat Stamford Bridge is increasingly marked and Carlo Ancelotti was stating the obvious when he suggested that Didier Drogba, otherwise engaged at the Africa Cup of Nations, need not be missed too much so long as the Frenchman is around.There had, after all, been a dress rehearsal when Drogba served a three-match ban in the Champions League at the start of this season. Anelka scored the only goal in each of the first two games. For a man of such an enviable aptitude, he can get exasperated when he is treated merely as a specialist finisher. While countless attackers would rejoice if they were ever to be described in that fashion, he holds higher ambitions.Anelka acts as if it is now his mission to achieve so much that the feats obliterate all memory of the period at Arsenal when he made his name by concentrating on being in position to outpace the last defender. It may seem odd to be scornful of such an approach, but a player who lives by the ploy will fade fast as youth and speed deteriorate. Nowadays, we have to get used to the fact that Anelka's conception of his true self was no delusion. He scored twice in Saturday's 7-2 rout of Sunderland, but was also involved in other goals.It is still futile to pretend that Anelka had always been wronged or that his conduct necessarily has its justification. His status at Stamford Bridge comes as a surprise when the 2008 European Cup final is borne in mind. The Frenchman had no apparent affinity with the then manager, Avram Grant, and his complaints were egocentric after his miss in the shootout made Manchester United the victors.Anelka, peeved by his introduction as a substitute in extra-time, rejected any idea that he ought take one of the early penalties if the game ended in a draw. "That is out of the question," the striker would explain later. "I have come on as a right-back." The convoluted argument seemed all the more ridiculous to those who recalled Anderson, a mere 19-year-old who took to the field a minute from the end, smashing home his kick nervelessly for United.Anelka did possess the conviction of a natural loner. The previous six Chelsea penalties had surely been hit by men obeying orders. Each was fired to Edwin van der Sar's left, where he looked weaker. John Terry alone failed to convert and even then there was no save, with the ball clipping the post. Anelka was to be different. His effort was directed to the goalkeeper's right and the save won the trophy for United.The Chelsea forward might have been wilfully disobeying but he may also have calculated that he could surprise Van der Sar. Whatever the interpretation, Anelka had followed his own hunch. It is a habit that can make him as infuriating as he is intriguing.Anelka's path has been idiosyncratic. His time at Real Madrid looked calamitous, butit tends to be forgotten that he was in the line-up that won the 2000 European Cup.He did squander years and the advice of his brothers appeared misguided. For a while he lived in Salford Quays and would have gazed across the waterfrom his apartment at one of the great amphitheatres of football, Old Trafford. Then Anelka would get into his car and drive off in the opposite direction for training with Bolton. No slight intended on Sam Allardyce'shighly capable side, but it was not the expected setting for a potentially formidable talent in his mid-20s.However he did it, Anelka has prevailed and, at last, is succeeding on his own terms. The forward is settled, with his wife expecting their second child, and circumstances are right on the pitch. He is at far less risk of being shunted on to the wing and treasures the licence to scheme as well as shoot. His country, who preferred to call up Sidney Govou for the 2006 World Cup when Djibril Cissé got injured, have presented Anelka with 30 of his 63 caps in the last three years.By pursuing his own instincts a 30-year-old in the latter stages of his career is giving more to Chelsea and to the game itself than ever before.ChelseaPremier LeagueAvram GrantKevin McCarraguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Essien out for six weeks Chelsea and Ghana midfielder Michael Essien will be out of action for up to six weeks after returning from the Africa Nations Cup with a knee injury, his club announced. foxsports.com.au |
Blatter comments 'no surprise' Australia's bid to host the FIFA World Cup finals remains on track despite FIFA president Sepp Blatter's comments that the 2018 tournament should be staged in Europe. foxsports.com.au |