TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Ancelotti: slump will not derail challenge • Ancelotti: 'It's not our best moment'• One win in seven is 'not a big problem'Carlo Ancelotti believes Chelsea are still on track to win the Premier League title despite a run of disappointing results.The Blues have won one of their last five league games, and one in seven in all competitions, following yesterday's goalless draw at Birmingham. Ancelotti's side face a west London derby against Fulham tomorrow before the departure of three key players to the African Cup of Nations, but the Italian coach insists his team's current form is not "a big problem"."It's not our best moment; one victory in seven is not good for us," said Ancelotti. "I don't see a big problem, though. I think we have some problems, because we have two players out who are very good in Nicolas Anelka and Michael Essien and we don't always play well. But not against Birmingham – in this match I think we played good football."Our aim is to win the title and we are at the top of the table at the moment. This was the halfway point in the season and we're top so that's good for us. We hope to be [at the top of the table in May]. If we do a good job and work hard like we have until now, then I think we can win it."In our mind it is impossible to win the title in December. You have to win the title in May and you have to be ready in May because I think it will be a long race right until the end of the season."A difficult afternoon for Chelsea at Birmingham – during which the hosts could have snatched a win had Christian BenÃtez's first-half effort not been disallowed for a questionable offside – was compounded by the late dismissal of Florent Malouda for a second booking.Ancelotti remains unconcerned about the subsequent suspension, however, despite being without another attacker in Anelka."We will put other players in on Monday against Fulham, it's not a problem," he said. "There's no Malouda but there are other players. Birmingham and Fulham, at this moment, are in very good condition and I expect a tough game on Monday for sure, just like today," he continued. "Anelka and Essien are important players for us because they have a lot of quality but they are out and we have to find other solutions. I think we have a very good squad and we will find a different solution.""It is not easy to prepare for a game every two or three days but it is not only our problem, it is a problem for every team. So we are all in the same situation."Chelsea also dismissed a report suggesting they are looking to replace goalkeeper Petr Cech and have drawn up a list of possible signings.A spokesman for the Premier League leaders said: "It is absolute rubbish."ChelseaCarlo AncelottiPremier Leagueguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Beckham still has the class to inspire Impressive return to Milan shows that David Beckham could have a World Cup role to play for EnglandDavid Beckham likes to show the world his highly marketable smile but he has never looked more genuinely happy on a football pitch than in his time with Milan, which resumed on Wednesday night with a 5-2 victory over Genoa. And for Fabio Capello, who had chosen to spend the evening at San Siro rather than the snowbound Eastlands or Emirates, he produced an encouraging performance.In his years with Manchester United Beckham was making his name and building his brand. With England he had responsibilities. With Real Madrid he was having to prove his right to be called a galáctico. With the LA Galaxy he is getting paid an awful lot of money but is doing his work out of sight of most of the footballing world. With Milan he can relax.This is an aristocratic club where he is wanted for his qualities as a footballer. Adriano Galliani, who wields the power on behalf of Silvio Berlusconi, treats the Englishman with warm respect but not undue deference, as did Carlo Ancelotti. Leonardo, Ancelotti's successor, has given him a similar welcome. The former Brazil player has recovered from a sticky start and can now look on Beckham's arrival as a welcome reinforcement rather than a one-man rescue mission.At the club's training centre a team of physiotherapists, kinesiologists and dieticians are the world leaders in the art of keeping footballers fit and functioning well beyond their normal expiry dates. Beckham has made use of their expertise and advice, and on Wednesday he showed there is no physical reason why he should not play a part in the World Cup finals, which begin five weeks after his 35th birthday.In a BBC radio interview last weekend he teased his interviewer with the suggestion that he might still be playing at 40. No one mentioned Stanley Matthews and the half-century but as long as he is capable of making himself useful then he will not lack for employment opportunities.Out of necessity, in fact, he has cleverly reinvented himself as a utility player, albeit in a five-star, de luxe version of the role. Before the match against Genoa it was first suggested that, given Milan's injury problems, Leonardo would ask him to play at right-back. No problem, he said. Then the situation changed and he was scheduled for a slot on the right of the three-man midfield. On the morning of the match La Gazzetta dello Sport predicted that he would be positioned in the hole behind the three strikers. When the team took the field, however, it could be seen that he was lining up on the right of the attacking tridente, replacing the injured Alexandre Pato alongside Marco Borriello and Ronaldinho.After three minutes he raced down the right alongside his marker, Domenico Criscito, and performed the old familiar trick of getting in a cross without having to beat the defender first. This was one of his best, a fast, low, curling effort that invited Borriello to meet it with an improvised flourish which brought a wonderful save from Marco Amelia. A dozen minutes later he produced his own brilliant first-time flick, showing an impressive degree of physical commitment to put Borriello through again.On the half-hour he drifted into central midfield and flighted a ball up to Borriello of which his team-mate Andrea Pirlo, the master quarterback, would have been proud. Borriello headed it down for Massimo Ambrosini, who drew a foul from Amelia. From the spot Ronaldinho made amends for an earlier miss.Beckham roved around the pitch as the match went on, maintaining the momentum with sensible short passes and only occasionally attempting more ambitious deliveries. By the time he was withdrawn, after 75 minutes, Milan were 5-1 up and he had unquestionably played his part."He's already one of us again," Ambrosini, the captain, said afterwards. "Like all great champions, he takes new situations in his stride. He's arrived to find a new coach and a new formation but he's adapted straight away."Leonardo's assessment was equally encouraging. "During the week, unforeseen circumstances meant that he practised in all the roles," the coach said."But he ended up playing on the right side of the attack and he read the game perfectly."England's manager has already made it clear that as long as Beckham is fit he will be on the plane in June. On Wednesday Capello watched an impressively athletic and mature player who is unlikely to start matches in South Africa and might not be the player whom you would ask to make the tackle that would save your life but who, along with his experience and his technical gifts, now commands a versatility that could prove extremely valuable.David BeckhamMilanFabio CapelloEnglandRichard Williamsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
City grant Adebayor compassionate leave Roberto Mancini, the Manchester City manager, turned his thoughts to Emmanuel Adebayor and the "unbearable" events in the Africa Cup of Nations after his side had beaten Blackburn Rovers 4-1 last night to move into fourth position in the Premier League.Adebayor has been granted compassionate leave following the gun attack on the Togo team bus in Angola on Friday that killed the driver, as well as the assistant manager and the team's press officer.The striker has returned to Togo for three days of official mourning. There are no plans as yet for him to return to Manchester and the tournament is going ahead without them. Mancini, meanwhile, is working under the assumption that the player will not be in the right frame of mind to be considered for Saturday's game at Everton.City's victory over a Blackburn side that has now gone 10 league games without a win was preceded by a minute's silence and Mancini then explained that Adebayor had been told to take as long off as he felt necessary to cope with the emotional trauma of what the player has described as the worst experience of his life. "I'm very sorry for him because the situation is unbearable," Mancini said. "I will wait for him and when he comes back we will speak with him. After that we'll decide when he's ready and OK to play."City's fifth victory in a row, and the fourth since the change of manager, was inspired by a Carlos Tevez hat-trick to Âre-affirm his position as the Premier League's in-form striker. Micah Richards scored City's other goal. Morten Gamst Pedersen replied for Blackburn. The visitors' display angered their manager, Sam Allardyce, whose side face Aston Villa in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final on Thursday. "I could not believe what we were doing in the first half," he said.Emmanuel AdebayorTogoAfrica Cup of NationsManchester CityDaniel Taylorguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Micah Richards flies the flag for Roberto Mancini's Manchester City City defender Micah Richards is finally reaping the rewards for loyalty. telegraph.co.uk |
Lerner backs Villa to tune of £138.6m • Lerner has funded ownership with own money• Aston Villa made £7.3m loss last yearAston Villa's US-based owner, Randy Lerner, has put almost £140m into the club since his 2006 takeover, according to official documents. The club's statement of capital, filed at Companies House this month, shows that £138.6m has been invested from Lerner's UK holding company, Reform Acquisitions.The financial accounts for the year to 31 May 2009 are not due to be filed until the end of next month, so it cannot yet be seen how exactly the money was paid to the club. However, the most recent published figures, for the previous year, to 31 May 2008, reveal that the investment up to then, £49.5m, was in the form of loan notes, from Lerner's holding company in the United States.During that year the manager Martin O'Neill's signings and a more than doubling of players' wages led to Villa recording a £7.3m loss. The interest paid on the loan notes owed to Lerner's US company was at a fairly standard 2% above interbank rates, amounting to £4m, which came out of Villa's own income, including fans' ticket money.Lerner's quiet revolution at Villa Park, where his £62.6m takeover was financed with his own and his family trust's money and the £138.6m has since strengthened the team, makes a stark contrast to the regime at Manchester United. There the Glazer family loaded their own borrowings to take the club over on to United itself, and the club were recently revealed to have debts of £716m, not one penny of it paid in as investment for the club.Lerner's funding of Villa, principally to provide O'Neill with money to spend on transfers and wages, has beenmade in nine separate injections since July 2007, according to Companies House documents. The amounts paid to the club range from £8m, in November 2007, to £30m, in August 2008. The money is routed from Reform Acquisitions, which, in the most recent accounts, was shown to have borrowed the investment up to that date from Lerner's US company, also called Reform Acquisitions.this month when he was replaced after the Browns' poor season.The investment and stewardship from Lerner have brought a transformation in Villa's fortunes and qualification for the Carling Cup final, their first Wembley final in a decade. However from 2012-13, the new "financial fair play initiative" from Uefa will require all clubs involved in European competition not to be making consistent losses, regardless of whether they are supported financially by an owner.Aston VillaPremier LeagueBusinessDavid Connguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |