Juventus boss Luigi Delneri was left fuming after his side threw away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at home against Catania on Saturday.Two first-half goals from Alessandro Del Piero put Juventus comfortably ahead at the break, but Catania fought back with strikes from Alejandro Gomez and Lodi – from a free kick on the stroke of full-time – to secure a crucial point in their battle to avoid the drop.
Delneri, whose side are in seventh place and three points short of a Europa League berth with four games to play, was furious by the performance of his men and referee Mauro Bergonzi, who allowed five minutes of stoppage time.
“I am angry with everything, not just with Juventus’ performance, but also with the serious mistakes we made in the second half and the mistakes in the game’s finale due to high tension and due to errors from the referee,” Delneri said.
“At the end he did so many things he (Bergonzi) shouldn’t have done.”
“There was a series of quite complicated factors – the injury time, their free kick from (Felipe) Melo’s foul that wasn’t a foul, because it would have been impossible not to use that arm.”
“A more serious foul by (Pablo Martin) Ledesma was not seen from a Del Piero free kick, so to tell the truth I think he made quite strange decisions.”
“I’m not saying he did that on purpose, but if you are a referee you should behave as a referee otherwise it would be better to change profession. You should have a logic in what you see.”
There is no question where the match of the weekend is and Old Trafford which could prove to be the title decider for the 2010/11 season. Chelsea have stormed into the race out of nowhere and should they eclipse United and land the title this season, then it must go down as one of the biggest turnarounds in history.
In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include Viera claims the race quotas are scandalous; Whelan reveals talks of a salary cap, while David Gold concedes that his England stars are likely to move on if West Ham are relegated.
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Vieira: FFF race quotas are ‘scandalous’ – Guardian
Fifa alarmed by global match-fixing threat – Daily Telegraph
Real Madrid legend Mijatovic could step into Arnesen’s shoes at Chelsea – Daily Mail
Whelan reveals top-flight salary cap talks – Daily Telegraph
Young’s Villa departure is not ‘inevitable’ – Guardian
Parker and England mob will leave if we go down, says Gold – Daily Mail
Win or lose, Ferguson’s fire will still burn bright – Daily Telegraph
Man Utd close in on keeper Rui – Sun
Liverpool and Villa are tracking Baggies’ Brunt – Mirror
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I was hoodwinked by Harry – Sun
Real Madrid refuse to buy Adebayor – even at £15m – Mirror
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AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf has signed a one-year contract extension with the Serie A champions, the club announced on Wednesday.There had been speculation over the 35-year-old’s future with his contract set to expire in June.
But rumours of his impending departure have been put to rest as the Dutch international signed a deal to stay with the club he joined in 2002.
“There was almost no need to negotiate. Last week, we settled on an agreement on the main points of the contract and today we have finalised it,” he said.
“Everything is fine. There weren’t any problems. AC Milan has made me an offer, which I’ve accepted. As I’ve said, we didn’t negotiate that much. Everything has been very quiet and serene.”
Seedorf said there were no problems between him and the club in reaching the agreement.
“The willingness of the club and of the president (Silvio Berlusconi) has been very clear and I’ve been clear as well. In this way, we can restart next year with important objectives, like all years,” he said.
“We have won the championship and now we should get closer to Europe. This represents a great incentive for me and I’d like to repeat the same performance next year as well.”
Seedorf joins fellow veterans Alessandro Nesta, Massimo Ambrosini and Filippo Inzaghi in signing new deals to remain at the San Siro.
With the FA Cup final coming up between Manchester City and Stoke I thought it would be a good time to look at some other games over the years that have featured a highly fancied team against one that wasn’t given a chance before the game. Here is a top ten list of some memorable games that big underdogs have taken part in.
10 2009-10 Chelsea 1 Portsmouth 0
I feel this is worth a place on the top ten because of the immense problems Portsmouth went through that season that included heavy debts and ended with relegation. However, despite those problems the club still managed to reach the FA Cup final at a packed Wembley. Chelsea won the match thanks to a 59th winner from Didier Drogba.
[youtube CWOGmcCbZJM]
9 2007-08 Cardiff 0 Portsmouth 1
This game makes the list for two main reasons. Firstly, it was a fantastic achievement for a Championship club to reach the FA Cup final and playing in Europe for either club would be a fantastic achievement. Portsmouth won this encounter thanks to a winner goal from Kanu in the 37th minute. The result ensured Portsmouth had qualified for Europe for the first time in their history.
[youtube jPro_ktWYVs]
8 2003-04 Manchester United 3 Millwall 0
Manchester United won this game comfortably with a goal from Ronaldo and a superb brace from Dutch forward Ruud Van Nistelrooy. But it should be noted that Millwall did fantastically well just the reach the final considering it was the first time the club had reached a final in the League or FA Cup.
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Continued on Page TWO
7 2002-03 Arsenal 1 Southampton 0
Arsenal went into this game as big favourites after finishing second in the Premier League and having won the double the previous season. Even though Southampton were a solid side also but in this situation they were underdogs. As expected Arsenal won the game 1-0 with Pires getting the winner goal.
[youtube oRGiMoRforg]
6 1991-92 Liverpool 2 Sunderland 0
This was another great final between a massive club from the top flight and massive underdog from outside the top division. But the game went the expected way and Liverpool won through goals from Michael Thomas and Ian Rush.
[youtube KFDxP2gDCxA]
5 1987-88 Wimbledon 1 Liverpool 0
Liverpool were always billed as the likely winners of this game having just won the title for the top flight that season but it was plucky Wimbledon who upset the bookies with an unlikely win. Lawrie Sanchez struck the unlikely winner in the first half and Wimbledon recorded a famous victory.
[youtube iBNJLK9_fhg]
4 1986-7 Coventry 3 Tottenham 2
This was a classic of a game that again needed extra time to find a winner. The two sides were close throughout the game – but it was eventually Coventry that won thanks to a Gary Mabbutt own goal.
[youtube TBT4-jjiMyg]
Continued on Page THREE
3 1989-90 Manchester United 3 Crystal Palace 3
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What a classic game of football this was and even after extra time there was still no winner. In fact there was even time for two goals to be scored in the extra time period. Manchester United won the reply 1-0.
[youtube zqxSVE6pAts]
2 1982-3 Manchester United 2 Brighton 2
Manchester United were big favourites going into this game and Brighton had been relegated from the top flight that season and never reached the final before. However, they gave United quite a game and the match finished in a 2-2 draw thanks to 87th minute equaliser from Gary Stevens.
[youtube AD2SQyzMTho]
1 1982-3 Manchester United 4 Brighton 0
After such a strong performance in the original game they would have had high hopes for the replay but it proved to be a very one-side affair with United winning 4-0. United did well to record such a convincing win in what must have been such a tricky game.
Corinthians’ 2-0 home victory over Fluminense saw them cut Sao Paulo’s lead atop the Brazilian Serie A to two points on Sunday.A first-half double from striker Willian paved the way for Corinthians to record the win in front of their home fans at the Estadio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho.
Willian grabbed his first after six minutes and when Fluminense defender Leandro Euzebio gave away a penalty on the half-hour mark, he slotted the resultant spot-kick.
In other matches, third-placed Palmeiras were robbed of a victory in the dying stages in their 2-2 draw at Internacional.
Goals in the second half to Kleber and Luan looked to have given the visitors all three points but Leandro Damiao equalised in injury-time.
Neto Berola’s 76th minute goal earned Atletico Mineiro a point in a 1-1 draw at Bahia while Botafogo climbed to fifth as they beat Coritiba 3-1 thanks to goals from Maicosuel, Elkeson and Alex.
Atletico Goianiense came from behind to defeat Ceara 4-1 with Anselmo netting a double but it was far more even in the other match of the day as Deivid’s 80th-minute equaliser secured a 1-1 for Flamengo at Atletico Paranaense.
Former Real Madrid player Zinedine Zidane will succeed Jorge Valdano as director of football at the La Liga giants.Frenchman Zidane, a three-time world player of the year, retired in 2006 after spending the last five seasons of his career in the Spanish capital.
The 39-year-old won the La Liga title and the Champions League during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu and has been serving as a special advisor to Real president Florentino Perez since June 2009.
Zidane is set to take over at least some of the duties of Valdano, another former player who worked as director of football in two spells between 2000-2005 and 2009-2011.
The 55-year-old Argentine, formally a close ally of Perez, was removed by the president in May this year.
The move was seen by many as a victory for head coach Jose Mourinho after a power struggle between the two men following the arrival of the Portuguese from Inter Milan in May 2010.
“We are going to start working in the role as director of football to the first team,” Zidane said.
“Mourinho has been fundamental in this, but so has the president as well.”
When asked what the roles entails, Zidane said: “We shall see.”
“Everyone has been asking me the same question, but I will be there from next Monday, until the end of the season.”
“Real Madrid is the most important thing that happened to me, both as a footballer and as a person. And I will continue to work with the club because it is the best.”
Real finished second in La Liga last season, losing out in the title race to Barcelona, who also beat them in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien is expected to be sidelined until January after undergoing knee surgery on Monday.The Ghana international, who has a history of knee injuries, ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament and the meniscus in his right knee in pre-season training last week.
The injury is said to have stunned Chelsea officials, who were expecting scans to reveal a simple twisted knee after Essien fell innocuously during a training drill.
Instead, the 28-year-old has had surgery to repair the torn structures and faces up to six months of rehabilitation before he can return to the Blues.
It is Essien’s third serious knee injury in three years. The midfielder missed a large chunk of the 2008/09 campaign due to cruciate ligament damage and was forced out of the 2010 World Cup with a less severe medial ligament injury.
New Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas said: “Everyone at Chelsea wishes Michael well for his recovery.”
“His team-mates and all the staff and I look forward to helping him return to playing as soon as possible.”
Mario Balotelli has risked the wrath of Manchester City fans after claiming that he does not like the city and is homesick, echoing comments made by teammate Carlos Tevez earlier this year. Balotelli is yet to establish himself as a fan favourite at Eastlands, and these remarks are just the most recent in a chain of controversial events that seem to have dominated his career as a footballer.
Whilst Balotelli insists “everything is fine” with regards to playing for Manchester City, his comments about the city will have undoubtedly upset a vast number of Mancunian’s, both blue and red. Unlike Tevez, Balotelli did not discuss his dislikes in any detail, but merely claimed that the city is not to his “tastes”. Manchester may not have the same culture or weather as say, Milan, but it is still ‘home’ for the City fans, who will almost certainly feel disgruntled over Balotelli’s apparent lack of respect for this.
As if this was not enough, the Italian then went on to discuss his future, and insisted that “one day” he would like to join AC Milan. At 20-years-old it would perhaps be unreasonable to expect the forward to remain a City player for the rest of his career, however it is certainly not unreasonable to expect him to respect his contract and the club by not discussing his future so openly, having only been at the club for a year.
Balotelli seems to insist on presenting himself as the “bad boy” of football, and his apparent arrogance and immaturity both on and off the field has overshadowed the talent that we are led to believe he possesses. In his first year in English football Balotelli managed to score just 6 goals in 17 league appearances, including a hat trick against Aston Villa back in December. This record is hardly prolific, and though we have seen glimpses of brilliance from the Italian, it is fair to say he still has a lot to do to prove himself as one of the best forwards in the league.
Balotelli on the other hand, believes that only Messi “is a little stronger” than him when it comes to ability on the field, and that “all the others are behind”. When he joined City he claimed not to know who Jack Wilshere was, but that he would “show him the Golden Boy trophy and remind him that I won it”. It is these kind of remarks that have made him such an unpopular figure in English football, but Balotelli continues to be seemingly unfazed by what the fans think, even his own.
Whilst Carlos Tevez’s comments about Manchester and his outspoken desire to leave the club will have upset a number of City fans, his performances and work-rate on the pitch week-in week-out will have gone some way towards their acceptance of his inevitable departure. Mr Baloltelli plays with an air of arrogance about him, rarely displaying any signs of enjoyment, and is so casual at times you would think he had better things to be doing. The only time we really see any emotion from the forward seems to be when he is substituted, and his outburst at Mancini in a friendly against LA Galaxy a week or so ago exemplified this perfectly. Taken off for attempting a back-heel when through on goal, Balotelli reacted as though he had done nothing wrong.
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Whilst it is obvious that he must change his attitude if he is to become a fan favourite at Eastlands, Balotelli seems so uninterested and indifferent when it comes to being ‘liked’, that this “bad boy” attitude is almost certain to continue for the foreseeable future. If (and it is a big ‘if’), the Italian can prove himself to be ‘ahead’ of everyone else in the league, then City fans will almost certainly become less concerned with what he thinks about their city, and English weather. For now, Balotelli should probably watch his tongue a little more carefully – especially whilst the City faithful are the only fans not to have turned on the youngster.
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Agree or disagree? Feel free to continue the discussion either below or on Twitter @sixthofficial
The opening weekend of the Premier League season was overshadowed by one incident when Mr Controversy himself, Joey Barton, proceeded to drag the Ivorian to his feet and remonstrate at him for diving and trying to pull the wool over the eyes of Peter Walton.
Gervinho wasn’t best pleased and proceeded to attach himself to Barton with the Toon midfielder doing the same although more in the vicinity of the Arsenal man’s neck. Players from both sides streamed in and all of a sudden Barton flopped to the deck after Gervinho’s hand merely brushed his cheek with Steven Taylor exclaiming ‘HE’S ELBOWED HIM’ to anyone in the vicinity.
Not that i’m condoning this sort of behaviour but it’s human nature to get all giddy and excited when you see two players square up and clench their handbags tightly in their fists. In a majority of cases hilarity ensues as these so called men try to act tough but end up looking like a complete wally as the entire stadium attempts to stitch up the sides that have been split on witnessing the pathetic brawl.
There have been a fair few grapples down the years, some more suited to a comedy sketch and some that wouldn’t look out of place in an UFC ring. For some reason Arsenal are heavily prominent in this list yet are regarded as one of the cleanest clubs this world has ever seen…
Click on the famous Alcock/Di Canio spat to unveil the top 10 tear-ups
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Arsene Wenger has hit out at the Premier League for the way they have sold out to SKY in the way they have laid out the fixtures this season. The Arsenal boss feels it is unfair that they have to face so many top sides in the opening weeks of the season and believes it wouldn’t happen in any other country.
Elsewhere in the papers Vincent Kompany believes United can go for the title; Arsenal look to hijack Lille’s move for Chu-Young, while United reveal they snubbed a move for Nasri after broken promises.
Ferguson takes pot shot at Wenger’s barren run at Arsenal – Guardian
City can go for the title, says Kompany – Guardian
Capello captivated by United’s class of ’11 – Guardian
Arsenal swoop for £10m Park Chu-Young – Daily Telegraph
Hargreaves: I offered to play for United for free – Daily Telegraph
Stoke splash £15m to tie up Crouch and Palacios deals – Daily Mail
Terry says no one’s safe while sending out warning to new-look United – Daily Mail
United snubbed Nasri after broken promises – Mirror
Drogba scans all clear following horror collision – Mirror
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Arsene Wenger hits out at Premier League fixture-compilers for selling out to Sky – People
Luka Modric still trying to figure out his escape route from Tottenham – People