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a look back at the past week in football

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Weekend Football
29 February 2008
by Jerrad Peters

  

Tom Hicks would prevent George Gillett from selling his stake in Liverpool Football Club, the Texas businessman stated, yesterday. The two Americans, co-owners of the Premier League outfit since acquiring majority interest in February, 2007, have been at loggerheads with the club’s supporters and are widely speculated to be shopping the team and its Anfield Stadium to Dubai International Capital.

    Liverpool’s troubled season has exacerbated tensions between the owners and embattled manager Rafael Benitez. And while the fans remain split on whether the Spaniard should return for another campaign, many agree that the club is headed in the wrong direction under the leadership of Hicks and Gillett.

    With the ever-increasing anxiety as a backdrop, it came as little surprise when rumors were floated that the Americans had offered the club to the investment arm of Dubai’s ruling Al Maktoum family, Dubai International Capital (DIC). Headed by the prime minister of the United Arab Emriates, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, DIC had been frontrunners to purchase Liverpool Football Club before being beaten by a last-minute offer from Hicks and Gillett. The American businessmen bought the club on borrowed money, however, and were forced to refinance their debt before Christmas.

    The sequence of events prompted many pundits to contemplate the Americans’ long-term commitment to owning a Premier League club. And while DIC has continued to express its intent, Hicks attempted to put the issue to rest with his remarks on Thursday afternoon.

    “Not only am I not going to sell,” said the 62-year-old, “but my partner cannot sell without my approval. So I kind of have the ability to determine the outcome of what is going to happen.”

    Gillett, who also owns the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League and a NASCAR racing team, was not present when his colleague made the statement. But the 70-year-old has appeared the more enthusiastic of the two in the past and has already dispatched his son to Liverpool to oversee the club’s affairs on a full-time basis.

 

Liverpool aren’t the only English side to be amok in takeover rumors. Sheffield Wednesday – their financial turmoil well-known – could be on the cusp of a buyout. Russian telecommunications magnate Vladimir Yevtushenkov is the money behind a new bid fronted by Lancashire businessman Geoff Sheard.                Yevtushenkov, the 59-year-old president and primary shareholder of Sistema, has a Masters Degree in chemistry, a PhD in economics, and is eager to follow countrymen Roman Abramovich and Alisher Usmanov into English football.

    In tandem with Sheard, the offer is thought to be worth 60M-pounds, with an additional 250M-pounds guaranteed for operational expenses over five years. Owls’ supporters’ group Wednesdayite have already agreed to sell their 10% holding in the club to the new consortium.

 

Vasco da Gama have accused Real Madrid of tapping-up a 15-year-old footballer. The allegations were confirmed by the Brazilian club’s president, Eurico Miranda, on Thursday. The 63-year-old stated that the Spanish side had approached the family of Philippe Coutinho with “tempting but illegal offers.” The 2006-2007 La Liga champions are also thought to have offered employment to Coutinho’s father in the Spanish capital. Under FIFA legislation, players must have reached their 18th-birthday before transfering abroad.

    The law was best exemplified when AC Milan signed 17-year-old Alexandre Pato from Internacional. While the Brazilian Under-20 international made the move to Italy, he was unable to play in Milan’s first team until January.

 

Real Madrid have made their latest pitch for Cristiano Ronaldo. The 23-year-old Portuguese winger has scored 29-goals for Manchester United this season and is widely held as the best player in the world. Now, it seems, the Spanish giants would like to make him the highest-paid player as well.

    “To sign Cristiano Ronaldo is a dream,” admitted Real president Ramon Calderon. “But,” he said, “it is not impossible.”

    Maybe not. But it’s not very likely, either. Madrid have been boasting and blustering over their plans to sign Ronaldo since the previous World Cup. And while the player has admitted a desire to represent a Spanish side at some point in his career, for the time being, he has not shown any interest in leaving Old Trafford.

    Currently on 120,000-pounds per-week at United, Ronaldo is among the best-compensated players in English football. Madrid, however, would be willing to pay 160,000-pounds per-week for his services. How they would pry him away from the clutches of Sir Alex Ferguson remains to be seen.

 

Kaka, meanwhile, has extended his contract at AC Milan. The reining World Footballer of the Year, like Ronaldo, has been the subject of audacious bids from Real Madrid. And rather than let the rumor-mill continue to thrive, the Rosoneri tied the player to the San Siro until 2013.

    “Kaka’s new deal is a beautiful thing,” commented manager Carlo Ancelotti, “for him and for Milan.”

 

Wednesday Football
26 February 2008
by Jerrad Peters

  

Kevin Keegan and Denise Wise are football’s version of Lewis and Clark. Like the New World explorers, the Newcastle boss and executive director are searching far and wide for answers. But instead of studying rivers, routes, and indigenous peoples, Keegan and Wise are hoping to overturn a handful of undiscovered footballing talents. This week, their expedition has taken them to Scotland.

    Newcastle’s sudden obsession with Scottish footballers can be attributed to the embarrassing reality that no English-based players were foolish enough to join the club during the January transfer period. Everyone from Wes Brown to Lasana Diarra to Jonathan Woodgate resisted Keegan’s advances; and the Toon manager has had to look elsewhere as a result.

    At the top of his shopping-list is Celtic winger Aiden McGeady. The 21-year-old has blossomed at Parkhead this season. He mixes lightning-quick pace with a good dribbling ability and is a dependable link-up man from the left of midfield. Hoops manager Gordon Strachan values the coveted youngster at roughly 12M-pounds. He will be highly sought-after during the closed season and Keegan would like to lay the groundwork of a deal before the end of June.

    Steven Fletcher is also on the Magpies’ radar. Just 20-years-old, the Hibernian striker has become one of the most lethal forwards in the Scottish Premier League this term. His 13-goals in 2007-2008 paces the Edinburgh side and Scotland manager George Burley will, in all probability, have Fletcher in the lineup when Croatia visit Hampden Park at the end of March. Both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have also expressed an interest in the player.

    Keegan, meanwhile, has acknowledged his present difficulty in attracting players to St. James’ Park.

    “First and foremost, I am looking for players with experience from within the British Isles – and, preferably, the Premiership,” stated the 57-year-old. “But the next step after that, if we can’t get those ones, is Scotland.”

 

The Premier League has conceded ground on its proposed 39th match. Faced with a barrage of opposition from fans, the media, the FA, and FIFA, Richard Scudamore canceled his meeting with Sepp Blatter yesterday evening.

    The Premier League chief executive was scheduled to meet the FIFA president for face-to-face discussions regarding the matter on Thursday in Zurich. Blatter was reportedly prepared to give Scudamore the hairdryer treatment for proposing an extra game, above and beyond the current schedule, to be played at various, international venues.

    In an attempt to save face, however, the Premier League has stated its intent to further pursue and fine-tune the idea in the future.

    “We need to conduct further internal studies and consultation before seeking the advice of the governing body,” read an official statement.

    The Premier League also expressed its disappointment over the decidedly unenthusiastic reaction to the proposal.

    “Opinions were formed by many without detailed knowledge,” the statement continued, before boldly declaring that “this project is still very much in its infancy.”

 

Everton are pursuing Marseille captain Lorik Cana. The 24-year-old Albania international has also attracted interest from Bayern Munich and AS Roma, despite having recently agreed a contract which will keep him at Stade Velodrome until 2012.

    Cana, at 6-foot-1, is a sturdy, defensive midfielder and is renowned for his superb fitness level. He was born in Pristina, Kosovo before fleeing to Switzerland where he enrolled in Lausanne Sports before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2002. He made the switch to Marseille in 2005 and became captain of Albania shortly after earning his first cap in 2003.

 

Marco Van Basten will take the helm at Ajax after EURO 2008. The 43-year-old Dutchman, currently in charge of Holland, will step aside from the national team on July 1 to manage his former club. Current assistants John van’t Schip and Rob Witschge will join him at Amsterdam Areana.

    Van Basten, who scored nearly a goal-a-game while at Ajax between 1982 and 1987, has agreed a four-year contract with the club. Ajax technical director Martin van Geel is delighted at the prospect of having a legend holding the reigns at the Dutch side. “It’s good that we now have clarity regarding the coaching staff for the years to come,” he stated as Van Basten’s plans were announced.

    Current manager Adrie Koster succeeded Henk ten Cate after the latter joined Avram Grant’s staff at Chelsea in the autumn.

 

Atletico Madrid are expected to make an advance on Rafael Benitez during the summer. The Rojiblancos, currently fourth in La Liga, have a talented, dynamic squad and believe themselves to be on the verge of both domestic and European success.

    Chairman Enrique Cerezo, however, seems to be of a mind that a new manager is needed before the club can realize its ambitions. Current boss Javier Aguirre has been in charge at the Vicente Calderon since 2002 and is probably headed out the door in June. A stunning loss to Bolton Wanderers in the UEFA Cup did nothing to enhance his job security at board level.

    Benitez, likely facing the sack at Liverpool barring another Champions’ League victory, won La Liga with Valencia in 2004 before moving to Anfield ahead of the 2004-2005 season.
 
Tuesday Football
26 February 2008
by Jerrad Peters

 

Most compelling viewing

Birmingham City 2-2 Arsenal

 

It was the hiccup that everyone and their uncle knew was coming. Arsenal, with a chance to increase their lead atop the Premier League table to eight points, fell harder than Eduardo da Silva under a Martin Taylor challenge. And while the Croatian international’s horrific leg-break has overshadowed everything else to do with Arsenal at the moment, a few hard truths must surely be running through Arsene Wenger’s mind.

    Firstly, his players seem to lack the sort of killer instinct that wins championships. With Birmingham City reduced to 10-men for all of 87-minutes, the Gunners were unable to tighten the screw. Quite the contrary, as a matter of fact. But for a quarter-hour after the restart, they were decidedly unconvincing. Theo Walcott did well to notch a brace within five minutes; but neither Cesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini, or Alexander Hleb provided much in the way of opportunities from the midfield.    Emmanuel Adebayor had countless chances to pop a third. And despite a superb campaign which has seen him tally 22-goals to date, the Togolese international’s finishing ability often leaves much to be desired. Nicklas Bendtner, for his part, was a non-factor after replacing Eduardo in the third minute.

    Secondly, the attitudes of several Arsenal players should be of great concern to the manager. The behavior of William Gallas, in particular, was downright amateurish. After City were awarded a penalty in the dying seconds, the French defender fled, sulking, down the field. It was as if he expected James McFadden to make a successful conversion. And after the 24-year-old Scotland forward beat Manuel Almunia for the tying goal, the Arsenal captain broke down. Both he and Bacary Sagna were shown the yellow card for their antics.

    Still, the players cannot and should not bear all of the blame. Their plummeting performances and inexplicable conduct are merely a reflection of the man who guides them. Arsene Wenger, for all his qualities, manages to consistently utter the most preposterous remarks at the most inopportune of times. This Saturday afternoon was case-in-point. When asked to comment on Eduardo’s injury, the Arsenal manager growled that Martin Taylor “should never play football again.”

    It was an outrageous statement for two reasons. One – the tackle was hardly vicious. If anything, it was a clumsy challenge which barely qualified as a sending-off. Two – the Gunners have written the book on dangerous tackles this season. Emmanuel Eboue, it can be argued, is the worst offender in English football. It was his lunge, don’t forget, which crocked Chelsea’s John Terry for the better part of two months. And both he and Gallas made similarly foolish challenges against Manchester United in the FA Cup last week.

    Saturday’s draw, however, was not the turning-point if, indeed, Arsenal lose their place top the standings. That, of course, was the 4-0 drubbing at the hands of United at Old Trafford. It was a loss which humiliated the club and its fans. And while it was altogether unforeseen in the buildup, it was a defeat which came with a disgraceful pre-qualification from Wenger.

   The Arsenal boss used every excuse in the book before kick-off. It was pitiful, really, to hear an accomplished, top-flight manager whinge over the injuries in his squad. He would even struggle to find 16, partially-fit players for the match, grumbled the Frenchman. As it turned out, only a handful of his players actually turned out for the contest. And that can be blamed on Wenger. His pre-match comments did nothing to foster an atmosphere of confidence and assurance among his side.

    If things are to improve, and if Arsenal are to win a first title since 2004, they will have to display the intangibles which nobody believes them to have. And Wenger will have to rebuild the self-belief which he dismantled ahead of the United debacle. Both can happen; but time is running out.

 

Notable results

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Chelsea

 

Tottenham Hotspur are back among the trophies. The north London side defeated their local rivals in the Carling Cup final, Sunday, and lifted their first piece of silverware since defeating Leicester City in the same competition nine years earlier. On the balance of play, the result should never have been in doubt. But Didier Drogba put Chelsea ahead after 39-minutes. And given the Blues’ ability to sit back and defend a lead, it appeared as though the League Cup would be successfully defended for the first time since Nottingham Forest accomplished the feat in 1990.

    Full credit to Spurs, however. Juande Ramos made several, tactical changes which had his side in the ascendancy after the restart. Tom Huddlestone was introduced in the centre of midfield and Aaron Lennon switched to the right flank in order to challenge the gaffe-prone Julio Belletti. When Mark Halsey awarded a penalty in the 70th-minute, it hardly came as a surprise. The Lillywhites were in the drivers-seat by then; and while the handball against Wayne Bridge was debatable, Spurs were fully deserving of the goal.

    Dimitar Berbatov’s successful conversion will only enhance his iconic status at White Hart Lane. But Jonathan Woodgate became an instant legend when he headed past Peter Cech for the cup-winning goal on 94-minutes. The Chelsea goalkeeper made a rare mistake when he fumbled Jermaine Jenas’ free-kick into the oncoming defender. It was Woodgate’s first goal for Spurs after moving to London from Middlesbrough in January.

    Robbie Keane and Ledley King deserve honorable mention as well. Keane has bled for the club during its ups and downs. He always gives his 110 per-cent; and to see him in such raptures with the trophy was fantastic. King, for his part, may have played one of his final matches. The 27-year-old captain has a debilitating knee condition which will end his career sooner or later. But he played the entire 120-minutes at Wembley and was spectacular. If it was, in fact, his swan-song, it was an appropriately happy ending.

 

Real Madrid 0-1 Getafe

 

Coupled with Barcelona’s 5-1 destruction of Levante at the weekend, Real Madrid’s disappointing loss to Getafe had their lead atop La Liga cut to a mere two points. If momentum means anything – and, at this time of the season, it almost always does – the Meringues look to be following Arsenal down the road to capitulation.

    Argentina international goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri was superb in goal for the visitors. He made several, key saves on Guti and Julio Baptista. And whenever it appeared as though he was beaten, the likes of Raul and Ruud Van Nistelrooy consistently missed the target or skied the ball over the bar.

    Still, Madrid’s constant pressure looked to have produced an opener shortly after the hourmark. Arjen Robben latched onto a Raul cross in the 64th-minute and directed the ball past Abbondanzieri. But while the Madrid players celebrated, the linesman’s off-side flag went unnoticed. To everyone, that is, but a handful of Getafe players.

    Francisco Casquero raced away with the ball as the Santiago Bernabeu descended into confusion. And by the time that the hosts realized what was happening, only two defenders remained between Casquero, Ikechukwu Uche, and Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas. The resulting goal vaulted Getafe into the top half of the table. Madrid, meanwhile, were left to rue missed chances and a seven-point gap which had been reduced to two.

 

AC Milan 2-1 Palermo

 

The Rosoneri may have leapfrogged Fiorentina into fourth place in Serie A, but they may have to defend their position without the services of the World Footballer of the Year. Kaka aggravated a knee injury, Saturday, when he was tackled by Palermo’s Roberto Guana after just two minutes of play at the San Siro. The 25-year-old Brazilian played until the interval, however, before being replaced by Yoann Gourcuff.

    By then, the scoreline was level at a goal apiece. Australian international Mark Bresciano had given the visitors the lead after nine minutes when his shot struck Massimo Oddo in the chest before trickling past Milan goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac. Italian international Massimo Ambrosini replied a quarter-of-an-hour later when Oddo arched a pass from the right.

    Milan applied constant pressure throughout the second period. But both Christian Zacardo and Edison Cavani nearly scored on the counterattack as the hosts pushed forward. Finally, 34-year-old Filippo Inzaghi struck the match-winner as time expired. The win leaves Milan level with Fiorentina on 41-points from 24-rounds and ahead on goal-differential

 

Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Schalke 04

 

For whatever reason, the Bundesliga consistently produces the most entertaining title race in Europe. This season has been no exception. While Bayern Munich have set the pace since August, they have a narrow, four-point lead over Werder Bremen at the moment – a lead which was made all the more intriguing when neither side managed a win over the weekend.

    Bayer Leverkusen, however, secured all three points against Schalke 04 on Saturday. The win pulled them into the top-three for the first time since 2004 and left the Royal Blues a mere two points above sixth-place Karlsruhe.

    Manuel Friedrich scored the lone goal of the affair. The 85th-minute strike was his fourth goal for Leverkusen since moving from Mainz in the summer. Stefan Kiessling had numerous chances to open the scoring from the hosts before the defender finally broke the deadlock. But the 24-year-old striker was repeatedly denied by either veteran defender Marcelo Bordon or Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Gonzalo Castro created the visitors’ best opportunity when he put Georgian international Levan Kobiashvili in the clear. The 30-year-old, however, was denied by Benedikt Fernandez in the Bayer goal.

    With the win, Leverkusen are just two points adrift of Werder Bremen and six off Bayern’s pace. They are joint-third with Hamburg and ahead on goal-differential.

 

Newcastle 1-5 Manchester United

 

For about 20-minutes, it appeared as though Kevin Keegan’s first, positive result as new-again Newcastle manager was in the cards. Then everything fell apart. Newcastle are an absolute embarrassment at the moment; and the 57-year-old manager has some very hard decisions ahead as his club battles relegation in the Premier League.

    Struggling to cope with the speed of left-back Charles N’Zogbia, United’s Cristiano Ronaldo swapped wings with Portuguese countryman Nani just after the opening 20-minutes. The move paid immediate dividends as the 23-year-old lost his marker and delivered a beautiful cross to the feet of Wayne Rooney. It was a tap-in for the United forward. One of many for the visitors, as it would turn out.

    Ronaldo doubled the lead just prior to halftime when he ran onto a lovely through-ball from Michael Carrick. And while the finish was grand, it should be noted that Carrick was splendid on the night – his passing ability catching out the Newcastle defenders time and again.

    It was Ronaldo again just prior to the hour-mark. Steven Taylor having tripped as the winger approached, Europe’s top goalscorer proceeded to round goalkeeper Steven Harper for his second of the evening and 29th of the season.

    Newcastle only ever looked dangerous from set-pieces; but Abdoulaye Faye’s goal from a corner-kick in the 79th-minute only seemed to incite the visitors. Rooney scored his second just moments later with a lovely, curled effort from the edge of the box before feeding Louis Saha for his fourth of the season in added-time.

 

Key contributors

Samuel Eto’o

 

Making his first appearance for Barcelona since returning from the African Nations Cup, Samuel Eto’o did nothing to dissuade the notion that he remains the most lethal striker in Europe. In a deadly tandem with Lionel Messi, the 26-year-old Cameroon international fired a hat-trick within a half-hour as Barcelona destroyed Levante 5-1 at the Nou Camp. The first goal, on 56-minutes, was particularly eye-catching. Eto’o rounded Vladan Kujovic after a brilliant Messi pass before stroking the ball into the back of the net.

 

Luis Fabiano

 

Luis Fabiano is continuing a rather unbelievable pattern. Since arriving at Sevilla in 2005, the Brazilian forward has doubled his goal-scoring total from the previous season every year since. In his debut campaign, he tallied seven times. Last term, he scored 15. And with a third of 2007-2008 yet to be played, the 27-year-old has already notched 27-goals. Two of those came in a 5-0 trouncing of Real Zaragoza on Saturday. Brazilian right-back Daniel Alves was involved in both. Fabiano’s first goal came after 20-minutes when his countryman swung a seeing-eye pass from the right that the former Porto striker had only to tap in.

 

Man of the weekend

Lionel Messi

 

Barcelona are roaring back to the top of the Liga table; and their 20-year-old phenom is largely responsible. Lionel Messi’s 15th-goal of the season was the match-winner as the Catalans ran roughshod over Levante on Sunday.

    Making a trademark run from the right of the 18-yard-box, the Argentina international played a neat one-two with midfield marshal Xavi before blasting past Vladan Kujovic. Messi turned from goalscorer to provider after the restart. Samuel Eto’o scored two of the easiest goals of his career in the second half after connecting with a pair of marvelous passes from the former Newell’s Old Boys prodigy.

    The convincing victory pulled Barcelona to within touching distance of league leaders Real Madrid. Since losing to their archrivals before Christmas, they have gone eight matches without defeat; and, after upcoming tests against Atletico Madrid and Villarreal, have a decidedly straightforward schedule until journeying to the capital in May.

 

Your questions

 

Football fans, and North American football fans in particular, are often left puzzled by many of the sport’s quirks and peculiarities. In upcoming editions of my weekly column for the Winnipeg Free Press, I will be answering your questions directly. While only one or two will be printed in the newspaper, I will do my best to respond to each query sent my way. You can email your questions to jerradpeters@gmail.com.