No surprise then that the England duo dominate the back pages of Thursday’s newspapers.

Writing in The Independent James Lawton likens Rooney to an unbeatable hand in a poker game and expects the striker to be at the peak of his considerable powers when the World Cup kicks-off in June.

“When Wayne Rooney scored his second goal at the start of the second half – and his 30th of the season – Sir Alex Ferguson, who was chastising him so recently for his insistence on grabbing every available second of game time, did not respond with any great abandonment to the fact that his team were now freewheeling into the quarter-finals of the Champions League. He just grinned like a man holding an unbeatable hand in another round of poker.

Unbeatable, certainly, in the knowledge that he could not want more from the 24-year-old who has so spectacularly filled the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo at the end of last season.

In his own perfect world, Ferguson would have Rooney as the exclusive driving hammer of all the remaining hopes he carries into the final phase of his extraordinary career. But if he frets over the fact that Rooney has also worked his way to the centre of England’s best hopes for this summer’s World Cup finals in South Africa – and, at the age of 24 perhaps at least two more – he must count it as the cost of possessing a national football treasure.”

In The Times, Matt Dickinson turns his attention to David Beckham, who took to the Old Trafford pitch amid a standing ovation and left to rapturous applause as he wrapped an anti-Glazer green and gold scarf around his neck.

“His legs are not what they were when last he played at Old Trafford, but no one could accuse David Beckham of losing the ability to work a crowd.

The last man off the pitch last night, his name resounding around the ground, Beckham stopped by the tunnel, took an anti-Glazer green-and-gold scarf and slipped it round his neck in front of the Stretford End. A very good player – but a PR genius.

His skill at diplomacy ensured that a scarf was as far as he would go. Afterwards he sidestepped an invitation to criticise the Glazers, the loathed owners who have saddled the club with vast debts. Fellowship with the fans who acclaimed him is one thing, but he is not about to apply for leadership of the green-and-gold movement.”

Today’s Mill has its head in the clouds

Some years ago research carried out by unlicensed Chinese neurologists on a sample group of 5,000 men with internet access and a large comic book collection that they keep in little plastic sleeves and occasionally brood over concluded that, when most people picture The Mill, the image that springs into their mind is either:

(a) a pleasantly shuttered, Flemish-style clapboard and oak-beamed structure on a slight incline, set against a cloudless sky in fine, rolling countryside which, pushing open its heavy front door, turns out to be operated entirely by very small, frightening pig-faced men; or

(b) an overheated strobe-lit basement down a narrow hidden staircase that smells overpoweringly of meat and where the door seems to vanish as soon as it slams shut behind you and a peculiar gurgling, thrashing, chugging noise is coming from inside a studded, leather-upholstered ante-room and something is suddenly moving in the corner of your eye before, all at once, everything goes dark.

Which is strange, because in the Mill’s own mind it is a beautiful place that exists in the sky, perhaps in the first-class section of a prestigious aeroplane. A place where a smiling teenage Brazilian is constantly going somewhere, perpetually excited, always linked, continually a whizz, a picture only partially clouded by the lingering stench of something that might be, and then might not be, Harry Redknapp’s distinctive gentleman’s cologne.

Which is, by coincidence, pretty much exactly what’s going on in this morning’s Daily Mirror. There’s a picture of the Internacional starlet Sandro Ranieri (which is Portuguese for “Sandra Redknapp”) preparing himself for his £6m summer move to Tottenham by reading an English dictionary.

“I need to be prepared for my new challenge in Europe,” he said, spending 20 minutes frowning over the word “aardvark”.

West Ham are planning a sensational triple swoop on Birmingham. Liam Ridgewell and Sebastian Larsson may be available on the cheap. Christian Benítez, who runs a lot and tries very hard but rarely scores goals, is available for £7m.

Roma are dead serious about signing the quivering Arsenal defensive diva William Gallas. Their sporting director Daniele Prade attempted to “thrash out” a deal after the victory over Porto.

Harry Redknapp is frantically trying to find a club in Belgium to loan his new Zambian left-back. Emmanuel Mbola has somehow signed for Spurs even though we’re not in the transfer window. “Spurs liked me a lot but there is contract confusion with my Armenian club and my agent,” Mbola shrugged yesterday, pretty much clearing all that up then. Celtic and Rangers both want Arsenal striker “Oh” Jay Simpson, currently on loan at QPR.

In the Daily Mail delicious pigs-ear-in-mushroom-pastry-parcel dish Wellington Silva is all set to sign for Arsenal, although Fluminense want to keep the 17-year-old, who has only just got into the first team, until 2012. Wellington has agreed a £3.5m move but can’t be registered until after his 18th birthday. “We are working on a way to make it happen,” emoted leg-warmered Fluminense vice-president Alcides Antunes, dancing on top of a car.

Chelsea have opened talks with Nicolas Anelka over paying him an extra £40,000 a year until 2013. Talks The Mill imagines will be over very quickly and simply involve him muttering the word “yes”. This means they have to get rid of increasingly peripheral ageing wing-jink prodigy Joe Cole.

In The Sun David Beckham “wore the green and gold” on his return to Old Trafford. “I did it as I’m a United fan, always will be,” he said, before stopping off in Hertfordshire and Essex on his way to the airport. Portsmouth have sacked 85 staff who have nothing to do with the club going bust. Peter Storrie is still being paid £10,000 a week.

And Sol Campbell, 49, is “chasing” an England recall, presumably very slowly in a pair of XXXL shorts, waggling his elbows about a lot before eventually falling over. “You never know. I might get a sniff if I keep on playing. Why not?” he asked, putting his hands over his ears and walking off before you can answer.

Surprisingly good American Landon Donovan will play his final game for Everton on Saturday. LA Galaxy’s manager, Bruce Arena, who either does everything in US football, or is one of several men also called “Bruce Arena”, said: “Landon will be back on March 15.” Just like that. Not March the 15th. “March 15.”

And on Goal.com The Houston Dynamo have signed Francisco Navas Cobo from the Dynamo Academy. A man called James Clarkson, who presumably has both long, girly hair and horrible baggy stone-washed jeans said: “To have a successful Academy, you need talent and opportunity. In Francisco Navas Cobo, we have talent, and through Dominic Kinnear’s vision and support of the Dynamo Academy, we’ve been able to provide opportunity to Francisco and the other young men in our development system.”

Which The Mill has now written on its hand and will be repeating like a personal mantra as it attempts to struggle tearfully through the rest of the day.

]]> http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-transfer-rumours-william-gallas-to-roma/feed/ 0 http://www.latestfootballnews.net/juventus-3-1-fulham-%e2%80%93-video-highlights-%e2%80%93-11-march-2010/ http://www.latestfootballnews.net/juventus-3-1-fulham-%e2%80%93-video-highlights-%e2%80%93-11-march-2010/#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:50:29 +0000 admin http://www.latestfootballnews.net/juventus-3-1-fulham-%e2%80%93-video-highlights-%e2%80%93-11-march-2010/

Juventus 3-1 Fulham
UEFA Europa League
11 March 2010

Juventus would get a 3-1 win at home with the second leg heading back to London and Craven Cottage.

It was a great first half for Juventus who would score three first half goals. The first came from Legrottaglie in the 9th minute, the second from Zebina in the 25th minute, and the third from Trezeguet in the 45th minute.

As Juventus led 2-0 after Zebina’s goal, Fulham would cut the lead in half and appeared to be grabbing the momentum. A goal in the 36th minute from Etuhu made it 2-1. Unfortunately for Fulham they couldn’t keep that momentum alive and Juventus scored again in 1st half stoppage time to make it 3-1.

Neither team would score in the second half but both had some chances. American Clint Dempsey came in as a substitute to play his first minutes since a knee injury but looked a bit rusty. Overall, Juventus were the better side and are in good position to advance but Fulham are not out of it yet.

Juventus 3-1 Fulham Video Highlights

“Juventus 3-1 Fulham – Video Highlights – 11 March 2010” was originally published at Soccerlens.com – Football News.

Join celebrated football pundit, author, radio show host and DJ Andy Brassell every Monday on the Soccerlens Show.

In Episode 19, Andy talks about the recent action-packed Champions League matches. Arsenal took on Porto and smashed home 5-0, winning the tie 6-2 and over in Spain, Real Madrid failed to secure a win at home against Lyon and got knocked out of the Champions League.

Andy further discusses the positions of the four clubs involved in their respective leagues and how there have been ups and downs in their recent forms and what could we expect in the future. Real Madrid deserves a special mention here because they have spent huge amounts of money in the last summer and they still couldn’t go pass the Round of 16. Plus, Bernabeu has been named as the Champions League final venue.

You can watch the show below or by following this link:

Make sure you send in your feedback and questions through tv@soccerlens.com and Andy will feature the best of them in next week’s show.

Subscribe to The Soccerlens Show

You can subscribe to the Soccerlens Show RSS feed to be automatically notified when there’s a new show, and you can also subscribe to Soccerlens’ Youtube channel.

“Soccerlens Show: Arsenal vs Porto and Real Madrid vs Lyon” was originally published at Soccerlens.com – Football News.

A bit late, but this is a classic by D-Wreck – an exclusive interview with Wayne Bridge on John Terry’s ‘alleged’ affair with Vanessa Perroncel:

“Bridge speaks out for the first time about Terry and Vanessa” was originally published at Soccerlens.com – Football News.

Lille 1-0 Liverpool
UEFA Europa League
11 March 2010

It was an even match but Lille scored a late goal to get a 1-0 lead after the first leg on Thursday.

Lille started out the match as the better team but Liverpool would get the better of play late in the first half. It remained scoreless at halftime with both sides getting chances.

Liverpool once again struggled to score goals away from Anfield as they would be held scoreless for the 90 minutes. Lille would continue to attack and eventually get a 85th minute goal from Eden Hazard. It proved to be the difference and gave Lille a 1-0 lead heading into the second leg.

Lille 1-0 Liverpool Video Highlights

Hazard 85′ (1-0)

“Lille 1-0 Liverpool – Video Highlights – 11 March 2010” was originally published at Soccerlens.com – Football News.

This comes in as a consolation for the Liverpool fans because Real Madrid’s exit from the Champions League at the hands of Lyon after going on a spending-spree of €200m is a much bigger disappointment. They brought in some of the best in the world like Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United, Kaka from AC Milan, Karim Benzema from Lyon, Raul Albiol from Valencia, Alvaro Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso from Liverpool and their youth product Esteban Granero from Getafe.

All of that seems to be useless as they failed to defeat Lyon at the Bernabeu in the return leg. They were already trailing 1-0 from the game in Stade Gerland. The fans are certainly not happy with the club and the board might not be pleased with the current performance of the Galacticos.

It will be very inconvenient for football in general, in case they ever end up making the claim that they are concentrating on the league. Although they have managed to level with the last year’s mega-champions Barcelona but they’re ahead only on a tiny goal difference. If all goes well for both the Spanish and the Catalan giants, the game at the Bernebeu between the two might be the decider of who will be crowned the 2009/2010 La Liga champions.

Last night’s game against Lyon was kind of over-shadowed by David Beckham’s return to Old Trafford after seven years and that too playing against United. As much as it was hyped about, there was nothing special in it. In fact, Beckham almost gave away another goal to United but thanks to Thiago Silva it didn’t happen.

Anyways, here’s what the Real Madrid superstars had to say after the game:

Iker Casillas, Goalkeeper

I apologize on behalf of the team. We inexplicably dropped in intensity.

Guti, Midfielder

We can not fight as if we are a team.

Kaka, Midfielder

It’s a big blow, a very difficult time for Real Madrid and the fans. All we can do is apologize to the fans. We had all been looking forward to playing in a Champions League final at the Bernabeu and we have not achieved that.

Sergio Ramos, Defender

There is a curse and hopefully this run will end soon.

Manuel Pellegrini, Manager

We would have liked to have won it all. Hopefully we can win the championship, as did the club with Capello and Schuster. You can not assess such a large project in six months.

Interviews

“Real Madrid – 200mil down the drain” was originally published at Soccerlens.com – Football News.

Catania v Inter Milan
Italian Serie A
Stadio Angelo Massimino – Catania, Italy
12 March 2010 – 19:45 GMT

Inter Milan looks to extend their lead at the top of the Italian Serie A table to seven points as they travel to face Catania on Friday.

Catania v Inter Milan Preview

Inter Milan hold a four point lead in the Serie A table heading into the match while Catania are 15th with 28 points. Inter have a 7-4-2 record on the road and Catania are 4-5-4 at home in the Serie A.

Inter Milan could rest a few players with their second leg in the UEFA Champions League against Chelsea next Tuesday. Milan will be without manager Jose Mourinho, who’s serving the last of a three match touchline ban. Inter will not want to take Catania lightly at home where they have not lost in several months.

Catania won their last home match, a 4-0 thrashing against Bari, and have only conceded 11 goals in 13 matches. Inter have conceded 11 goals in road matches and defeated Udinese 3-2 on their last away match.

A win for Inter Milan would keep their lead above second place AC Milan to at least four and as many as seven. A loss could allow AC Milan to close the gab to one point. With the Champions League match on Tuesday, it’s likely Inter will rest a few players against Catania. They should still field a strong enough team to at least get a draw if not a win.

It won’t be a high scoring match but Inter Milan have showed the consistency in the Serie A to get wins when they need them.

Catania v Inter Milan Prediction

Inter Milan will win the match 1-0.

Watch Catania v Inter Milan Live Online

You can watch Catania v Inter Milan live online as well as dozens of other Serie A and European football games. Read our live Serie A football page for more details.

“Catania v Inter Milan – Preview – 12 March 2010” was originally published at Soccerlens.com – Football News.

Schalke v Stuttgart
German Bundesliga
Veltins Arena – Gelsenkirchen, Germany
12 March 2010 – 19:30 GMT

Schalke can go to the top of the Bundesliga table as they host Stuttgart on Friday, March 12, 2010 at the Veltins-Arena.

Schalke v Stuttgart Preview

Stuttgart face a tough test playing at Schalke ahead of their UEFA Champions League second leg match at the Camp Nou on next Wednesday against Barcelona. Schalke are 9-2-2 at home with a +14 goal difference. Stuttgart are 4-4-4 with an even goal difference on the road.

The key for Schalke this season in the Bundesliga has been their defense as they’ve allowed a league low 19 goals in 25 matches. Stuttgart did not have a great first half of the season and sacked former manager Markus Babbel. Christian Gross stepped in after Babbel and has led Stuttgart to only one loss since taking over. With the Champions League match not till next Wednesday, Stuttgart should be able to field their strongest side and still be ready for the trip to Spain.

Stuttgart sits 7th in the table heading into the match and seven points back of the last Europa League spot. They are unlikely to play in Europe next season which will be disappointing considering they reach they’ve reach the knockout stage in the Champions League. Schalke are two points behind league leaders Bayern Munich. A win on Friday would boost their title chances as they have several tough matches in the upcoming weeks (at Hamburg, Leverkusen, and home against Bayern).

Schalke will be favored with five straight home wins at home but Stuttgart have a strong 3-2-0 record in their last five away matches.

Schalke v Stuttgart Prediction

Schalke will win the match 2-0.

Watch Schalke v Stuttgart Live Online

You can watch Schalke v Stuttgart live online as well as dozens of other Bundesliga and European football games. Read our live Bundesliga football page for more details.

“Schalke v Stuttgart – Preview – 12 March 2010” was originally published at Soccerlens.com – Football News.

”In the polarised world of the Spanish football media, reaction to Real Madrid’s elimination by Lyons on Wednesday was perhaps predictable.

The Catalan press gloated in a rush of schadenfreude, speaking of “humiliation” and the “destruction of the Galaxy”, while the Madrid press were split among those, such as Marca, who have been calling for the head of Manuel Pellegrini, the coach, and AS, which has taken a more cautious line.

Two numbers crop up time and again: six and 250. The first is the years that the club have failed to reach the Champions League quarter-finals. The latter is an estimate in millions of pounds that Real spent on players last summer, as the club secured, among others, Kaká, Xabi Alonso, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Both weigh heavily on Pellegrini, whose portrayal as a scapegoat is inevitable. After all, changing one coach is cheaper — and more satisfying — than ridding yourself of players. But a more informed analysis may reveal that sacking Pellegrini is probably not the way forward.”

Elsewhere, The Independent‘s James Lawton also has his view on Madrid’s mess, but points to ‘team spirit’ as the key to success.

”It was hard to know the greatest victim of the night when the map of European football power was rather more than singed by the flames licking Real Madrid and Milan. No, it probably wasn’t David Beckham milking once again his genius for injecting celebrity fantasy into a career that in truth rarely rose above the second rank.

However, there was something weirdly, even climatically symbolic about the way his profile could so easily be linked with the differing fortunes, and priorities, of three of Europe’s most famous clubs.

Beckham, naturally, was received warmly at Old Trafford and, given his forlorn status on the bench of ramshackle Milan, it was even by his standards a stupendous achievement to finish up on some front pages despite being so utterly overshadowed by the talent and momentum of his England team-mate Wayne Rooney.

But then this is so much the story of the second half of Beckham’s career, when fame has outstretched by such an outlandish margin anything resembling enduring achievement.

It meant that when you saw the depths to which Milan had sunk, and then heard the news from the Bernabeu, where Real Madrid’s Galacticos policy was once again in ruins, Beckham, strangely but unavoidably, had to be included in any analysis of why Manchester United, for all the horrors of their ownership, remain on course and two great clubs with a combined total of 16 European Cup wins, had failed so miserably.”