TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Terry like Baresi, Maldini: Ancelotti Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has likened John Terry to Italian greats Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini in his latest show of support for his beleaguered captain. foxsports.com.au |
Premier League: Blackburn Rovers 2-2 Sunderland In much the same way that ice-bound north-east roads refuse to thaw, there seems no end in sight to Sunderland's bleak mid-winter. Steve Bruce's suddenly fragile side have now gone seven games without a win and were arguably lucky not to lose here against an initially sluggish Blackburn who grew stronger as the afternoon unravelled.A raft of injuries deprived Bruce of Andy Reid, Lee Cattermole, Kieran Richardson, John Mensah and Anton Ferdinand, thereby dictating that 20-year-old David Meyler, signed from Cork City by Roy Keane, finally made his first senior start. Meyler proved quietly competent in central midfield, showing off some intelligent movement and even finding the time to chest down a high ball and send a first-half volley swerving narrowly wide.Similar highlights were frustratingly few and far between with the opening period's principal drama focused on the sometimes abrasive central midfield sub-plot featuring Lorik Cana's duel with Blackburn's Steve Nzonzi. A typical cameo occurred when Nzonzi – aka Ewood Park's answer to Patrick Vieira – accidentally caught the Albania captain in the face and Cana retaliated by barging into his unimpressed adversary.Perhaps inspired by his co-midfielder's uncompromising approach, Meyler wellied late into Morten Gamst Pedersen with a Keane-esque tackle and promptly earned a booking. The sense of minor grievance stemming from that little incident seemed to inspire Blackburn, sparking a period of concerted, set-piece punctuated, home pressure which saw Keith Andrews direct a right-foot shot from outside the area intended for the top corner fractionally off target.Not that there was exactly a surfeit of excitement on a day when both teams craved the sort of imagination and invention customarily supplied by Blackburn's injured David Dunn and Sunderland's Reid.Rovers fans seem reasonably satisfied with the job Sam Allardyce is performing here but, even so, there is still plenty of nostalgia in these parts for the Mark Hughes era. If Manchester City fans do not appear overly exercised by the former Blackburn manager's sacking, Ewood regulars are convinced it was a terrible mistake.Pedersen has largely looked such a shadow of his former self under Allardyce that he has been dubbed "The Ghost". The Norway winger still boasts a trick or two, though, and, almost immediately after Darren Bent had given Sunderland the lead, Pedersen wrong-footed Phil Bardsley down the left transferred the ball from his preferred left to his right foot and defied Marton Fulop - who arguably should have done better - with a shot which went in off a post.The joke doing the rounds in the north-east at the moment is that Bruce has banned his players from owning dogs as "they cannot hold onto leads". Sure enough Pedersen's equaliser highlighted a worrying Wearside trend.Sunderland had rarely looked like scoring until – helped on by the leg of Chris Samba – Bent lashed home his 12th goal of the season following a goalmouth scramble occasioned by Daryl Murphy's cross and Paul Robinson's parry.Undeterred by seeing his side's lead wiped out, Bent merely dusted himself down and scored a distinctly superior second. Connecting with Jordan Henderson's offside-defying through pass, the striker advanced to the edge of the area from where his low shot proved far too good for Robinson. Bent's name has not always been synonymous with poise but this was a wonderfully composed finish.Unfortunately for Bruce it was insufficient to win the game. El Hadji Diouf, newly on the pitch as part of a triple attacking substitution on Allardyce's part, swiftly rose to head a Pascal Chimbonda cross beyond Fulop with Nyron Nosworthy the defender most culpable. The fact that Diouf and Chimbonda left Sunderland under considerable clouds last January hardly enhanced the mood of visitors who have now won just once in 12 games.Premier LeagueBlackburn RoversSunderlandLouise Taylorguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Felipe Caicedo joins Málaga on loan from Manchester City • Ecuador striker agrees loan deal for remainder of season• Caicedo currently on loan with Sporting LisbonMálaga have reached an agreement with Manchester City to take the Ecuador striker Felipe Caicedo on loan for the remainder of the season, the Primera División club announced today.The 21-year-old Caicedo, who has already passed his medical with Málaga, had been on loan from City at the Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon since the start of this season.Málaga are currently third from bottom in the Primera División standings and two points adrift of safety ahead of tomorrow's home match with Athletic Bilbao.Caicedo joined City from the Swiss side Basle in January 2008 and made 25 appearances in all competitions last season for the Premier League club, scoring seven goals.However, with the arrivals of Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz last summer, Caicedo's opportunities for first-team football at Eastlands were limited and he agreed to join Sporting on a season-long loan.Caicedo made seven league appearances for Sporting and a further three in the Europa League.Manchester CityMalagaSporting Lisbonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Campbell close to Arsenal return after reserve outing • Campbell near agreement on deal until end of season• Defender turns out for Arsenal reserves at West HamSol Campbell reappeared in an Arsenal shirt this evening when he played 45 minutes for the club's reserves at West Ham. The defender is now close to a return to the first team, having nearly reached agreement on a contract until the end of the season.The 35-year-old, who left Arsenal for Portsmouth in the summer of 2006 after five successful seasons, has been without a club since he walked out on a lucrative deal at the League Two club Notts Country in September. He was prohibited from joining another club by football's transfer regulations. Campbell has since trained at Arsenal's London Colney headquarters in a bid to maintain his fitness but he is now to get his ticket back to the top flight. "It felt great to be out there tonight," said Campbell, who came through unscathed. "Forty-five minutes was probably enough for me after four months out."• Barney Ronay: Why does Campbell divide opinion?Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, who was among the 300 or so hardy souls at Upton Park, has problems in central defence, where he has lost faith in Philippe Senderos, while Johan Djourou has a long-term knee injury. Alex Song, the midfielder who can deputise in the position if necessary, is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon and, most alarmingly, there are fitness concerns over William Gallas. He has played with a back problem of late and, while Wenger has Thomas Vermaelen and Mikaël Silvestre, it was the need to find cover for Gallas that prompted him to enter the transfer market.After careful consideration, he saw the solution on his doorstep. Campbell's age makes him an atypical Wenger signing. And the manager is generally sceptical about the January transfer window, viewing it as a time for panic buying, but he came to the conclusion that the defender, who won 73 England caps and played at two World Cups, would bring leadership to his side both on and off the pitch.It has long been suggested that Wenger's young team might benefit from the know-how of a vastly experienced professional who has won trophies. Wenger almost made a move last summer for Patrick Vieira, another of his Invincibles from 2003-04, only to decide against re-signing the 33-year-old, who last week joined Manchester City. But Wenger has taken the plunge on Campbell, and the player could not be happier."I cannot tell you how much I've missed playing after being out for so long since leaving Notts County," Campbell said. "I need a couple of reserve games at least before I can start looking any further ahead. I am signing for Arsenal until the end of the season. "There are still a few technicalities to iron out, but I have signed for Arsenal until the end of the season, and it's fantastic, great, marvellous. The old enthusiasm is back. I've got to tell you it seems as though I have never been away. I'm ecstatic really to be back at Arsenal, and I have worked bloody hard to get there."There was an element of irony to Campbell facing West Ham again in an Arsenal shirt. The last time he did so, in February 2006, he left Highbury at half-time, having suffered a severe crisis of confidence. Neither Campbell nor Wenger has ever properly explained what went on in the dressing room that night."Arsène Wenger has been an inspiration," Campbell said. "He has watched me closely after letting me train at Arsenal for nearly two months now. He's not stupid – he wouldn't have taken me back if he didn't like what he has seen, and I have worked and worked. I do believe I can contribute. I really have my confidence and fitness back and believe I can make a big, big contribution. There is fantastic quality all around the pitch within this Arsenal team and I want to be part of it, and I will make a big push to try to do that, but it's little steps at a time. First step is at Upton Park; the next step is more football."ArsenalTransfer windowPremier LeagueDavid Hytnerguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Deportivo La Coruna 3-1 Athletic Bilbao La Liga match report Deportivo La Coruna boosted their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League by beating Athletic Bilbao. However, the Galicians' victory was tainted as full-back Filipe LuÃs fractured his ankle as he scored his side's first goal. The Brazilian is set for a long spell on the sidelines.Filipe was carried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital for tests, while the players and his coach Miguel Angel Lotina covered their faces with their hands. "It's a terrible setback for him and for all of us," Lotina told La Sexta television. "He had high hopes of making it to the World Cup this year."Filipe, courted by Barcelona in the summer but priced out of a move to the league champions by the Deportivo president Augusto César Lendoiro, gave the Galicians the lead in acrobatic style, but fell awkwardly and suffered a nasty twist to the ankle that left him in excruciating pain and will leave him sidelined for several months at least.The win moves Depor into fourth place, where they sit provisionally a point clear of Mallorca, who travel to Espanyol today. Athletic began the day a point behind Deportivo, giving this clash added relevance in the race for European places next season. The Basques started with intensity and had Deportivo on the back foot for the opening quarter of an hour.Fernando Llorente, who scored the winner against Real Madrid last weekend, came close to scoring another. The Spain striker headed over after four minutes, saw a shot deflected off target shortly after that and had a third effort saved by Deportivo keeper Daniel Aranzubia.Adrian López missed Depor's first opportunity just before the interval, but the home side went ahead shortly after the break. Filipe leapt brilliantly to divert Rodolfo Bodipo's header into the net after 49 minutes. Depor's players were clearly affected by the sight of their team-mate in such obvious pain.That did not seem to have a negative impact on their football and Juca put the home side two ahead 10 minutes later. The Brazilian latched on to Adrian's exquisite back-heel and clipped a deflected shot over the helpless Gorka Iraizoz to put Depor two up.Colotto gave Athletic hope when he turned Iraola's cross into his own net with 11 minutes left, but Deportivo wrapped up a fine win, when Pablo Alvarez swept home from close-range after he was set up by Juan Carlos Valerón.La LigaDeportivo La CorunaAthletic BilbaoEuropean footballguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |