EURO MANIA - Football On a Whole-Nother Level

Manchester United vs Arsenal

2009-08-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

Here comes the first clash of the top four. Stay tuned for the links....
http://atdhe.net/8857/watch-manchester-united-vs-arsenal

Watch live video from footymatch on Justin.tv

Watch live video from ALL EPL MATCHES LIVE on Justin.tv

Watch live video from lokcricket on Justin.tv

Champions League Time: Watch Celtic vs Arsenal live and other Premiership matches.

2009-08-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

Watch live video from Champions League on Justin.tv

CELTIC VS ARSENAL: http://atdhe.net/8540/watch-celtic-vs-arsenal

SUNDERLAND VS CHELSEA: http://atdhe.net/8542/watch-sunderland-vs-chelsea

Arsenal vs Everton 6-1 Highlights

2009-08-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

Your boy is back from Holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ON A BREAK

2009-08-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

After a whole year of school and Acounting work I've decided to go on holiday in Hawaii.

John Obi Mikel Will Be The Playmaker For Chelsea - Carlo Ancelotti

2009-07-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti feels that this season could be the campaign where midfielder Jon Obi Mikel steps forward and shows his qualities as a creative midfielder.

“I have a lot of trust in Mikel,” he told The Daily Mail. “I think he can be the playmaker of this team. He is a young player, but has great quality, both technical and tactical.

"For the present and for the future he is a very important player for us. We are very happy he has signed a new contract and I hope that he stays at Chelsea for a lot of years.

“I would like that he puts in his great quality for the team.”

Mikel was clearly pleased by his manager's praise, saying “It is a great honour that he sees something in me. He says I am a player with great qualities, but thinks I can be even better.”

“It is going to take a bit of time, but I am going to work very close with him to make it happen.”

"He likes the fact I am strong and can play with the ball, but says that I still need to add more things to my game — if I do that then he thinks I’m going to be fantastic.”

The Nigerian believes Ancelotti will finally bring a Champions League to Stamford Bridge, saying, “We have come close so many times and I think that is why the club have brought him here, to take us to that final step.”

"The way he has come in and the ideas he has as to how to set the team up, I think we can win everything."

John Mikel Obi commits future to Chelsea by signing new five-year deal

2009-07-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

John Mikel Obi has become the latest Chelsea star to signed a new long-term contract with the club.

Former Blues boss Jose Mourinho had hoped to take Obi to Inter Milan and was prepared to pay the midfielder £60,000 a week, as revealed in Sportsmail in April.

But the 22-year-old Nigerian, who is thought to be on around £40,000 a week, will see his wages rise to around £70,000 a week after putting pen to paper on a five-year deal.

'It was easy to commit to because I am happy here and when the opportunity came it was good to sign after speaking to the club,' he said.

Chelsea have already secured Florent Malouda on a long contract this summer and Didier Drogba is expected to agree a new deal.

The Blues have also brought in Yuri Zhirkov, Daniel Sturridge and Ross Turnbull under new boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Joe Cole is also close to signing a fresh contract at Stamford Bridge.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1198080/John-Mikel-Obi-commits-future-Chelsea-agreeing-new-year-deal.html#ixzz0M0BaAAOS

Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor Passes Manchester City Medical

2009-07-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Arsenal stand to make a £22 million profit on Manchester City-bound Emmanuel Adebayor as the Togo striker made a further step towards a deal with the Citizens following a successful medical check at Eastlands, according to the BBC.

The player's mega-money move - he stands to pocket a tidy weekly wage of £170,000 - is riding on a work permit, which should be granted later today.

Adebayor spent three-and-half seasons at Arsenal following a £3 million switch from Monaco after he helped the Ligue 1 side make an unexpected appearance in the Champions League final in 2004 - a match they were to ultimately lose to Jose Mourinho's Porto.

Adebayor will be City's third striker signing this summer, and will join target-man Roque Santa Cruz and tireless forward Carlos Tevez, who received a hero's welcome following his two-year loan spell at city rivals Manchester United.

Mark Hughes' strengthening at City has now dented the squads of two members of England's top four, and the club's chances of breaking into the Champions League elite continue to increase.
Adebayor scored 62 goals in 142 Arsenal appearances.

Manchester City in talks with Arsenal over signing star striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

2009-07-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

Manchester City are in discussions with Arsenal over signing their striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

The big-spending Eastlands club are keen to boost their squad further in what has already been a frantic summer in the transfer market.
City have already signed Gareth Barry from Aston Villa and Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn, with Carlos Tevez set to cross town from Manchester United and join the revolution.

They are however keen to boost their attacking options further, having released a statement on Friday to say they were ending their interest in signing Barcelona star Samuel Eto'o.

Adebayor has reportedly been a target for European giants AC Milan and Barcelona.

His stock has fallen dramatically among Arsenal supporters after a string of disappointing performances.

Adebayor joined Arsenal in 2006, with his goals helping the Gunners to make a concerted challenge for the league title in 2007-08, before they fell away in the final two months of the season.

Manchester City tired of waiting for Eto'o and pull out of race to sign Barcelona star

2009-07-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

Manchester City last night pulled out of the race to sign Samuel Eto’o after growing tired of the Barcelona striker’s failure to respond to their stunning offer of £180,000 a week after tax.

City expect to clinch a deal with Carlos Tevez in time to unveil him on Tuesday and are planning a further move for John Terry but have given up on Cameroon striker Eto’o.

Chief executive Garry Cook said: ‘Samuel Eto’o is undoubtedly a fine footballer but the circumstances surrounding him were such that the deal could not be completed.
'We now feel the time is right to pursue other avenues and we have a clear and strategic transfer plan, which we continue to follow.’

The news surrounding Tevez is far more positive for City fans, however. Sources at Eastlands are convinced they have beaten off interest for Tevez from Chelsea to
land the former West Ham and Manchester United striker for £25.5million.

And City are also quietly confident they can tie up a deal for Chelsea and England captain Terry before they fly to South Africa on a pre-season tour on Wednesday.

Chief executive Cook flies back to Manchester this weekend after attending Robinho’s wedding in Brazil and will spend Monday putting the finishing touches to the Tevez deal before turning his attention to Terry.

Chelsea themselves are keen to have Terry’s future resolved before they set off on a pre-season tour of the United States on Thursday.

He had brief discussions with owner Roman Abramovich’s closest aide, Eugene Tenenbaum, on his return to training on Thursday but more serious talks with either chief executive Peter Kenyon or even Ambramovich himself are planned for early next week.

It seems they will have plenty to discuss, with City poised to raise their bid for Terry to £35m and offer him £200,000 a week to join Mark Hughes’s squad.
The official line from Chelsea remains that they do not wish to sell Terry and that their skipper wants to stay. However, much could depend on whether they are prepared to increase the 28-year- old defender’s £130,000-a-week wage by around another £20,000.

Should Terry opt to stay at Chelsea, he is likely to appear at a press conference alongside his new manager Carlo Ancelotti before the trip to the States.

If not, then the possibility remains that Terry could be joining his new City teammates
in South Africa.

While Terry is tempted by the goings on at Eastlands, the same cannot be said for Eto’o.

According to reports in Spain the Cameroon striker has turned down the chance of a two -year contract extension at the Nou Camp and is ready to leave this summer rather than see out the remaining year of his current deal.

But it seems Eto’o would prefer to wait and see if an offer from the likes of Manchester United or AC Milan is forthcoming despite City having agreed a £25m fee with Barcelona.

Meanwhile, Robinho’s marriage to childhood sweetheart, Vivian Guglielmetti, in Guaruja, Brazil on Thursday afforded the City star the opportunity to reacquaint himself with his former employer, Santos president Marcelo Teixeira.

And although Robinho left the Brazilian side in acrimonious circumstances, Teixeira
wasted no time trying to talk the skilful forward into a return to the Sao Paulobased
club.

‘Now that he is married and calm, it will be easier for him to return to play at Santos,’
he said. ‘It is a plan that both he and I have. I wish he could return to the club as
soon as possible.’

Such claims were no doubt taken with a pinch of salt by Cook, who was joined by a
star-studded collection of Brazil stars at the ceremony, including Robinho’s Eastlands
team-mate Elano, £56m Real Madrid man Kaka , former Arsenal forward Julio Baptista and his national team boss Dunga.

Money issues aside, Terry is also understood to be concerned at the lack of serious
movement by Chelsea in the transfer market, with Yuri Zhirkov their only major
capture of the summer along with youngsters Ross Turnbull and Daniel Sturridge.
The fact that City are in the market for players of the calibre of Tevez and Eto’o,
having already landed Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry, is certainly a statement of intent by their hugely wealthy Arab owners and may prove just as appealing to Terry as the cash on offer at Eastlands.

But given the difficulty in signing either Terry or Eto’o, and the debacle of City’s attempt to sign Kaka last January, it is clear their wealth is still not attracting the marquee names.

That would all change were they able to offer Champions League football, a situation that might well become reality next summer should Hughes be able to add more high-calibre players.

Hughes wants a sense of clarity about his squad. As long as Eto’o dithered, such a position was impossible to achieve, leading to last night’s statement.

Meanwhile it has emerged that City's England defender Micah Richards contracted swine flu during the summer while on holiday in Ayia Napa.

The illness was diagnosed and treated in Cyprus, but the star of Stuart Pearce’s successful Under 21 side was then kept in isolation when he returned home.

He has now fully recovered and is with City’s squad for their pre-season trip to Germany.

PICTURE SPECIAL: Robinho's Wedding ceremony

2009-07-10T07:53:00.001-07:00

Samuel Eto'o edges towards Manchester City mega-move by telling Barcelona: I quit

2009-07-10T07:43:00.000-07:00

Samuel Eto'o has told Barcelona he will quit the club this summer.

But the Cameroon striker will wait to see if Manchester United or AC Milan make an approach before accepting Manchester City's offer to make him the best-paid player in the world.

The 28-year-old has rejected Barcelona's offer of a two-year contract extension and has decided to leave now rather than at the end of his current deal next summer.
His agent Josep Maria Mesalles yesterday held talks at the Nou Camp with the European champions' technical secretary Txiki Begeristain.
After ruling out the option of the contract extension - half-heartedly offered by Barca director of football Raul Sanllehi without a pay rise - Mesalles discussed the possibility of Eto'o sitting out the final year of his contract.

But the Catalans are desperate to cash in now rather than lose him for nothing and both sides are so divided that Eto'o has decided to leave now, according to Barcelona-based newspaper Sport.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta this week admitted he had tried to call Eto'o several times during the summer vacations but that there had been no reply.

Reports this morning suggested City had given Eto'o a 24-hour deadline to decide on their offer of paying him £180,000 a week after tax. However, such a stance is inconsistent with manager Mark Hughes insisting they must be patient in their approach.

They are the only club to make a formal approach, and Barca are happy to accept a bid understood to be about £25million.

Eto'o, who is on holiday in New York, is also interested to hear if United are prepared to formalise reported interest in him. It is suggested he would be happy even to take a pay cut to join the Barclays Premier League champions, but there has been no bid and United are reportedly looking at other targets.
Reports in Spain today link them strongly to 21-year-old Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero.

AC Milan are interested but say they cannot come close to City's stratospheric offer. But their ability to offer Champions League football next season could count more than the financial offer on the table.

Mesalles will be keen to talk to Milan general manager Adriano Galliani, who is due in Barcelona this week when his club compete in an indoor football tournament with Barcelona and Real Madrid.

So with City the only club formally declaring an interest they are the strong favourites for his signature, though his reluctance to immediately jump on board the Middle Eastlands revolution must be a worry.

Fabregas tug of war - Barca and Real Madrid do battle for £40m Arsenal skipper Cesc

2009-07-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid are ready to rival Barcelona with a move for Cesc Fabregas after being frustrated in the chase of Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso.

Madrid yesterday moved for Roma midfielder Daniele de Rossi but were immediately knocked back by the Italians, leaving them to turn to third-choice Fabregas.

And Barcelona president Joan Laporta last night said the Arsenal midfielder should not be ruled out as an alternative to Franck Ribery, the Barcelona star who increasingly looks to be beyond their financial reach.
It is only a fortnight since Arsenal skipper Fabregas publicly declared: 'I am wholeheartedly committed to Arsenal and my future lies with this great club.'
But that has not deterred Laporta, who recently said Barca was in Fabregas's DNA, or, it seems, Madrid.

Bernabeu sporting director Jorge Valdano has refused to completely rule out a move for Liverpool midfielder Alonso, but admitted they were nowhere near agreement with Rafa Benitez's valuation of the player.

Liverpool want £40m for the 27-year-old, according to reports in Spain, leading Madrid to make a £26m move for Rossi, but the Italians immediately ruled out the sale of their 25-year-old talisman.
Third choice is Fabregas, though Madrid have yet to make a bid and are also looking at Villarreal's 24-year-old Spain international Santi Cazorla.

Barcelona would love to sign Fabregas, who left the club for Arsenal when he was 16. Laporta yesterday said he hoped to sign a striker, left winger and midfielder.

Pep Guardiola would most likely team Fabregas with Xavi in central midfield, using Andres Iniesta in a more advanced role wide on the left.

The European champions are working on a restricted budget and would are hoping to push through the sale of Samuel Eto'o to Manchester City in a bid to boost their spending power above £60m.

Arsenal, who don't have the biggest budget themselves, may demand £40m for Fabregas, but Madrid believe they could get him cheaper and, at 22, he is better value for money than Alonso.

Fabregas, on holiday in New York, is frustrated by Arsenal's four-year run without a major trophy but is thought to be happy to stay at the Emirates for at least another season to see if there is an upturn in fortunes.

He is said to have an agreement with Sandro Rosell, who hopes to unseat Laporta as president in Barcelona elections next summer.

Lionel Messi warns Arsenal and Liverpool he hopes Cesc and Mascherano will join him at Barcelona

2009-07-08T05:10:00.000-07:00

Lionel Messi has warned all-conquering Barcelona they must not stand still - and has pinpointed Liverpool's Javier Mascherano and Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas as perfect recruits.

The Spanish giants may have achieved an unprecedented Spanish League, Cup and European treble last season, but the Argentina star believes they can still get stronger.

'We were spectacular last season and we hope that this term, we will be able to do the same, or at least repeat a little of what we achieved,' Messi told Catalan newspaper Sport.
'We were surprised by what we did last season but if players such as those who have been mentioned in the press arrive at the club to strengthen the team, it would be even better because it is important to be stronger.
'I hope Mascherano can come and we can form a solid partnership. His qualities are always appreciated. The same goes for Fabregas. A good footballer like him who can contribute a lot is always welcome.'

Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola and technical secretary Txiki Begeristain have discussed recuiting both midfielders, though will be able to afford just one this summer.

The Spaniards would prefer Mascherano and have already spoken to his agent Walter Tamer, but Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is determined to hold on to both the Argentina star and Real Madrid target Xabi Alonso.
The 25-year-old is thought to be keen on a move but has told Barca he won't force the issue with Benitez because the Spaniards are stalling on where to concentrate a fairly limited budget.

Barca may be prepared to pay up to £30m for Mascherano but are also desperate to add a new attacking option.

Like Chelsea and Real Madrid, they are ready to to have one final go at signing Franck Ribery from Bayern Munich, though their second option is to renew a bid for Fabregas.

Arsenal star Andrey Arshavin and Manchester City forward Robinho have both been mentioned as alternatives, as has Valencia players Juan Mata and David Silva, but Fabregas has plenty of support within the Nou Camp and is largely seen as someone who will rejoin them sooner or later.
Arsenal have consistently insisted their skipper is not for sale and the 22-year-old recently said he was 'whole-heartedly committed' to the Gunners, but that hasn't stopped reports that Barca are willing to pay £35m for him.

In that case, Fabregas would be paired with Xavi in central midfielder, with Andres Iniesta played in an advanced role on the left wing, which he has performed before.

The future of Manchester City target Samuel Eto'o is still uncertain, but goalkeeper Victor Valdes -linked to Manchester United - and midfielder Yaya Toure have agreed new contracts.

Bringing in players has been more difficult, though Messi insists they should not concern themselves with the spending spree at Real Madrid that has seen Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Raul Albiol go to the Bernabeu.
'I am with Barcelona and I worry only about my team,' said Messi. 'Kaka has a lot of quality, but he will have to adapt himself. I can also talk about Iniesta. Training with him is the best.

'But both Cristiano and Kaka are fantastic players who will give Madrid a lot of strength. "El Clasico" is going to be unbelievable when it comes time to play, and yes - Barcelona will win again.'

John Mikel Obi commits future to Chelsea by agreeing a new five-year deal

2009-07-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

John Mikel Obi is ready to sign a new five-year contract with Chelsea.

Former Blues boss Jose Mourinho had hoped to take Obi to Inter Milan and was prepared to pay the midfielder £60,000 a week, as revealed in Sportsmail in April.

But the 22-year-old Nigerian, who is thought to be on around £40,000 a week, will see his wages rise to around £70,000 a week when he puts pen to paper at Stamford Bridge in the next few days.

Obi's agent John Shittu said: 'He will sign the deal early this week. Some of the club officials were away but they were expected back last weekend. As soon as everybody is in, we will sign the new contract.

'It is a very good deal for him and would put him on a par with some of the top earners in the club.'

Obi is due to report back for pre-season training next week but is expected to cut short his summer break by a few days to sign the new deal.

Chelsea have already secured Florent Malouda on a new contract and Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Joe Cole and Alex will follow soon.

The Blues have also confirmed they have agreed an £18million deal with CSKA Moscow for Yuri Zhirkov.

Bring me Tevez! Ancelotti demands Chelsea splash the cash to beat Manchester City to Carlos

2009-07-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

Carlo Ancelotti has ordered Chelsea to go all out in their bid to sign Carlos Tevez.

The Argentina striker had been expected to complete his switch to Manchester City this week.

But new Blues boss Ancelotti has told owner Roman Abramovich to raise his offer for the club-less star after admitting a creative player was high on his wish list.
Tevez is available to buy at £25.5million after refusing to sign a long-term deal at champions Manchester United, where he spent the past two seasons.

Chelsea and City have both matched the asking price but Abramovich is unlikely to be able to offer the same astronomical wages available at Eastlands.

Mega-rich City, who have already splashed out £30m on Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry, are believed to have put a five-year deal worth £130,000 per week on the table.
Yet, Ancelotti is refusing to give up hope that Chelsea can lure the former West Ham striker to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are also thought to be looking at Real Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder and haven't completely given up on France star Franck Ribery, but Ancelotti said: 'Ribery is for sure a great player, but Ribery I think stays in Bayern Munich.'
'I think Chelsea is a strong team, a great team, a physical team that plays very well and can be improved with some creative players. And we are looking for these players.

'But you can be creative not only with creative players. You can be creative with creative ideas and a creative organisation. You can change the idea of the team with the same players.

'I would like to have a team that plays well, plays good, creative football and naturally I would like to win. For a coach it is important to win but it is important to build a team with good characteristics, to play well, to play with organisation.'

They have already wrapped up deals for Yuri Zhirkov, Ross Turnbull and Daniel Sturridge, while Milan forward Alexandre Pato remains in their sights.

Ancelotti has ruled out selling skipper John Terry to ambitious City, although he is expected to trim his squad ahead of the new campaign.

Watch Ronaldo's Real Madrid Unveiling Live

2009-07-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

LEEDS, England , July 5 /PRNewswire/ -- bwin.com, the official sponsor of Real Madrid, will be providing live and exclusive online streaming of Cristiano Ronaldo's official unveiling as a Real Madrid player on Monday 6th July.
bwin.com will be the only place where supporters will be able to see the live unveiling of the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year as he completes his world record GBP80m move from Manchester United to the Bernabeu.
Ronaldo, who scored an incredible 117 goals in 242 starts during his time at Old Trafford, become the world's most expensive player, eclipsing the GBP56million Real paid of Brazilian midfielder Kaka earlier this summer.
To view the live and exclusive online stream, visit www.bwin.com at 7:30pm (GMT) on Monday 6th July.
bwin.com is the official sponsor of Real Madrid, AC Milan and FC Bayern Munich.
This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com .

UPDATE: WATCH IT LIVE HERE:http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite?pagename=RealMadrid/Page/iframePromociones&cid=1202774982994&site=RealMadrid&language=en

Newcastle put Martins up for Sale

2009-07-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

Obafemi Martins and Fabricio Coloccini are among the list of names Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley hopes to offload in a bid to slash the club's £65m annual wage bill and make the relegated club more attractive to sell.

Martins is one of the biggest earners at St James' Park and Ashley is desperate to get his £80,000-a-week wages off Newcastle's books as they prepare for life in the Championship.

The Guardian reports the 24-year-old Nigerian striker, who cost the Magpies £10m in 2006, has been linked with Wolfsburg, Sevilla and Lyon but he will reportedly not be offered anymore than £40,000-a-week at any of the three clubs.
Coloccini, 27, another £10m purchase, is on £70,000-a-week but after a disappointing season is unlikely to earn that anywhere else - although Galatasaray have made a £4m bid for the Argentina defender.

Newcastle has attracted interest from Malaysia, the US and the UK but the club remains unsold with concerns about their £65m annual wage a major stumbling block.

Should 'Jay Jay' Okocha Come Back To Super Eagles?

2009-07-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

The sweet science of boxing is very much known for its many stories of comebacks - a former champion, either out of pocket or simply bored and missing the limelight and public adulation, comes out of retirement to fulfil some new expectations.

Football itself has had its own fair share of comebacks, none more notable than that of Cameroon's Roger Milla, who at 38 was called out of retirement by his country's president to go on to score four goals as the Indomitable Lions reached the last eight of the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

The man who made famous the Makosa goal celebration also, at the ripe old age of 42, scored against Russia at the 1994 World Cup in the United States of America, making him the oldest player ever to find the back of the net at this level.

Nigerian football is replete with its own international comebacks - the likes of Christain Chukwu, Rashidi Yekini, Peter Rufai and Ben Iroha all returned to the Eagles fold with various degrees of success.

Austin 'Jay Jay' Okocha has also flirted with retirement from the international scene.

He first announced he will no longer wear the green-white-green shirt after he skippered an experimental Nigerian team which crashed out in the very first round of the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan.

He would then be pressurised to return to the Super Eagles in time for the 2004 Nations Cup in Tunisia, where he emerged as one of the shinning lights of the tournament as Nigeria reached the semi-finals.

He again hung up his international football boots after the 2006 Nations Cup in Egypt, months after he had failed to lead the Eagles to the World Cup finals in Germany as an unfancied Angola beat Nigeria to the punch.

Since his bow, the Eagles have struggled and struggled for creativity in the middle of the park.

Nigeria coach Shuaibu Amodu is not willing to risk it and throw youngster Rabiu Ibrahim in at the deep end, while the likes of Christain Obodo, Kalu Uche, Wilson Oruma and even the now more defensive-minded Mikel have yet to assert themselves as the old-fashioned no.10 or playmaker.

In the team's last three World Cup qualifiers, the Eagles clearly missed a player like Okocha, who could dictate the pace of the game
as well as use his vision and dribbles to create chances for what on paper is one of the most feared strike forces in Africa.

In Maputo in March, strikers Ikechukwu Uche, Osaze Odemwingie, Obafemi Martins and Obinna Nsofor ran around the artificial pitch like some headless chickens, deprived of any service from the midfield.

In the home game against the Kenyans, not known for their midfield play, the Eagles engine-room again struggled so much so that it needed old war horse Nwankwo Kanu to get the Eagles flying again in the second half.

It is now very obvious that Mikel is not the new 'Jay Jay', and if at all he has to line up for Nigeria, it would be as a defensive midfielder, the role he now occupies with Chelsea.

Kalu Uche appeared to have settled in at central midfield in the previous round of the qualifiers, but as the competition has intensified in the final round, it looks like he is a lot happier playing a more offensive role than to carry the whole team as playmaker.

That may well explain why with his Spanish team, Almeria, he is played as a second striker.

'Jay Jay', on the other hand, is one of the top cheer leaders of the Eagles as a member of a Presidential Task Force mandated to ensure Nigeria's flag flies high at South Africa 2010.

In a recent interview, he told me that one of the happiest days of his life was the day he hung up his boots for good. But he also told me he still enjoys the occasional kickabout with friends.

Probably, it would be asking too much of his 35-year-old body to return for the crunch World Cup tie against Tunisia on September 6 in Abuja.

But who says that this crowd pleaser should not again be convinced to come back to star for the Eagles in time for next year's World Cup.

His boots have been too big for any of the younger pretenders to fill.

2009-07-04T09:17:00.001-07:00

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Michael Owen finally joins Manchester United

2009-07-04T05:42:00.000-07:00

Michael Owen completed his shock move to Manchester United last night after being put through one of the most gruelling medical examinations in football history.

Determined to satisfy themselves that the injury-troubled 29-year-old will not spend more time in the treatment room than in training, the English champions sent him for two days of tests.

But after United's medical team gave the green light last night, the deal was confirmed.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said: 'Michael is a world-class forward with a proven goalscoring record at the highest level and that has never been in question.

'Coming to United with the expectations that we have is something Michael will relish.'

Owen said: 'I know there will be people out there saying maybe the manager shouldn't have signed me. But when the first game kicks off I can do my talking on the pitch and I want to start with a bang.

'A lot has been made out of my fitness but I certainly do not think I'm injury-prone. I'm 29 and have played over 500 games at the highest levels for clubs and at international level so I can't have been on the treatment table all the time.

'I had just begun talking to other clubs when out of the blue Sir Alex phoned me and invited me to have breakfast with him, during which he told me that he wanted to sign me.

'I agreed without a moment's thought. This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I intend to seize it with both hands. I want to thank Sir Alex for the faith he has shown in me and I will repay him with my goals and performances.'

It is understood Owen's troublesome knee was examined by a specialist in London on Thursday before he arrived in Manchester yesterday morning for yet more fitness checks.

Owen began the day at the club's state-of-the-art Carrington training complex before moving to a private hospital on the outskirts of the city for a further examination.

Owen has agreed a two-year deal, with an option for another season. If Owen can stay fit and even go close to rediscovering the kind of form that earned him the Ballon d'Or in 2001, he could become a sensational piece of business.
As well as arriving on a free, Owen has accepted a low basic wage that will only rise if he earns the performance-related bonuses.

The striker is desperate to prove his doubters wrong and silence those who think he is more interested in his horse racing stables than football.

He particularly wants to demonstrate to Fabio Capello that he can no longer be omitted from the England squad.

After four difficult years at Newcastle he has his heart set on boarding the plane to next summer's World Cup in South Africa.

Ferguson must be impressed by the player's willingness to drop his basic wage from £110,000 a week to nearer £20,000.

He will also see Owen as someone who could prove an effective partner in attack for Wayne Rooney, who has expressed a desire to be given a more central role now that Cristiano Ronaldo has moved to Real Madrid.

Ferguson has looked at other strikers, including Valencia's David Villa, but the striker wants to stay in Spain. In Owen, however, United might have someone just as prolific - for a fraction of the price.

Inter Boss Jose Mourinho Lands In Nigeria For Three Day Visit

2009-07-04T05:33:00.000-07:00

Inter coach Jose Mourinho arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, on Friday for a three day visit as a guest of the Kwara Football Academy (KFA).

According to the BBC, Mourinho will be in the West African country from 3-5 July, seeking to encourage coaches and officials of the project, which is run by the Kwara state government.

The fans turned up to greet the former Chelsea boss and the rest of the delegation, despite the fact that he arrived two hours later than announced.

"It is a great landmark in the history of Nigerian football, as well as the KFA," Nkechi Obi, CEO of Premium Sports Marketing Services told BBC Sport.

"He is here with other coaches and trainers to conduct seminars and coaching clinics for indigenous coaches.

"We are positive that his presence will benefit the talented players in the academy and hopefully attract interest from international clubs throughout the world.

"Football fans, media and everyone involved with football will enjoy photograph and autograph sessions with the 'Special One' on this trip."

The trip, facilitated by DanJan Sports, is widely seen as an opportunity to expose the KFA to the rest of the world.

"The KFA epitomises what a perfect football academy truly is and Gestafute are happy to be associated with them," David Omigie of DanJan Sports explained. "We have seen what the visit of Manchester United and Portsmouth gave to Nigeria as a country in the past.

"The coming of Mourinho and KFA will bring a lot of positive attention to football in the country once again.”

Former Nigeria coach Clemence Westerhof is the director of the Kwara Football Academy, which is in Ilorin, the capital of Nigeria's Kwara State.

Chelsea snub £30million Manchester City bid for John Terry

2009-07-03T05:33:00.000-07:00

Manchester City last night had a £30million bid for England captain John Terry rejected, as Chelsea told them he is not for sale at any price.

Stamford Bridge officials released a statement exclusively to Sportsmail after confirming that a bid had been made in person by City chief executive Garry Cook.
Cook asked to meet Peter Kenyon, the Stamford Bridge chief executive, yesterday to discuss Chelsea's pursuit of talented young striker Daniel Sturridge.
It was something that surprised Chelsea when they had already said they would be happy to let an independent tribunal set the size of the fee for the 19-year-old.

But an even bigger surprise followed when Cook suddenly presented a letter with a formal offer for Terry. Kenyon was understood to be stunned, not least because he had already made it clear to Cook last season that the club captain and the heartbeat of the Chelsea team was not available at any price.

A club statement issued last night said: 'Chelsea Football Club can confirm it has completely rejected an offer from Manchester City for John Terry.

'It was made clear to City, for the second time following another approach last season, that we would not entertain any conversation on the subject. At that time John also reiterated his total commitment to Chelsea. We would like to make clear, and will not do so again, that John is not for sale.'
That Cook offered such a derisory sum further amazed Chelsea. When Bayern Munich are demanding £65m for Franck Ribery and Cristiano Ronaldo has moved to Real Madrid for £80m, and when City are prepared to pay vast sums for players like Robinho and Samuel Eto'o, less than £30million for one of the world's best centre halves seems low.

But City have long had their eye on Terry and Chelsea suspect this amounts to the latest stage in a poker game designed to try to lure exactly the kind of inspirational figure Mark Hughes wants in his team at Eastlands.

When City tabled an offer last season, Terry expressed his loyalty to a club he has served with distinction his entire career.

But the money on offer could yet prove tempting when the richest club in England would be prepared to almost double his current £130,000-aweek wage. Terry is already the highest paid player at Stamford Bridge but City could take him into an elite occupied only by players such as Ronaldo and Kaka at Real Madrid.
City plan to make at least one major impact signing this summer. Not least because they were left so embarrassed over the Kaka debacle when Cook responded to missing out on the Brazilian by launching an astonishing verbal attack on AC Milan. The former Nike executive, relatively new to football at the time, branded the Italian giants 'bottlers'.

Right now Samuel Eto'o is still believed to be within their reach, although they feel they are being used by the striker in his pay dispute with Barcelona. Eto'o, who will cost around £25m, will be available on a free next summer but City have offered a staggering £10m a year, net, in an attempt to lure him to the Barclays Premier League this summer.

A more realistic target is Carlos Tevez, who is expected to join the club early next week - even though others are interested. City will not want to fail in their Tevez bid after missing out on Terry. Cook, whose transfer-market prowess is being monitored by City's backers, is under pressure to close deals.

One observer commented: 'City have a lot of clout in the transfer market because of their backing, but it's important they go about their business in the right manner also.'

Cook and his top team were pleased when Roque Santa Cruz eventually arrived from Blackburn to spearhead the attack, alongside Robinho and - hopefully - Tevez.

Mark Hughes, however, demanded a top centre back. Although City continue to monitor Arsenal's Kolo Toure, Terry was always first choice for Hughes, who sees him as the iron man to lead his team and stabilise a back four that often conceded soft goals last season.

City say they hope to break into the top four this season and moving for a player of Terry's standing would appear to support their claims. They mean business and, although they have failed with this audacious effort, there will be more money flowing from their coffers in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Chelsea's imminent £18m recruit Yuri Zhirkov has been provided with personal armed bodyguards for the first time in a move seen in Moscow as a sign that his deal is agreed.

Zhirkov, 25, is expected to arrive in London on Monday and has a reputation for mixing freely with journalists and fans.

But now security men prevent access to him. 'All we can do now is watch Zhirkov from a distance,' said Sovetski Sport. 'His huge and extremely intimidating bodyguards who followed him everywhere did not let us ask him any questions about negotiations of his move to Chelsea and the date of his flight to London.'

Owen arrives for Manchester United medical ahead of shock free transfer to the champions

2009-07-03T05:27:00.000-07:00

Michael Owen was today undergoing a stringent medical before completing his free transfer to Manchester United.

The former England striker, whose contract with Newcastle expired on Wednesday, is on the brink of a sensational move to United after accepting the terms of a pay-as-you-play one-year deal with the champions.

Talks were understood to have been continuing last night and the 29-year-old, who made his name playing for United's arch-rivals Liverpool, was pictured arriving at the champions' Carrington training complex this morning.
Ferguson believes the 29-year-old is a gamble worth taking if he can stay injury-free and return to the kind of goalscoring form that made him European Footballer of the Year in 2001.
It is believed Owen could be offered as little as £20,000 a week as a basic salary but with massive performance-related bonuses which could take him close to the £110,000 a week he was on at Newcastle United.

It has been a difficult time for Owen. Dropped from the England squad by Fabio Capello and the captain of the woeful Newcastle side who were relegated at the end of last season, he was ridiculed recently when his management company advertised his credentials in a brochure sent to a number of clubs.

There was thought to have been interest from Aston Villa and Everton, while Hull City manager Phil Brown made public his wish to lure Owen to the KC Stadium.

But agent Tony Stephens may have negotiated a dream move that could propel him back into the England squad in time for the World Cup.

The move would be a free transfer as Owen's Newcastle contract expired on Wednesday.
Neither United nor Owen's management company WMG would comment last night, but it is believed he is travelling to Manchester today for a medical, having
already undergone an assessment of his troublesome knee yesterday.

The move failed to impress United fans, particularly after the club said they had received £80million in a single payment from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo and they had been linked to the likes of Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema.

The Republik of Mancunia website, under the heading ‘God No, Not Michael
Owen’, lists 10 reasons why the club
should not sign him.

One fan wrote: ‘Not in a million years. I’d rather bring Bellion back . . . than have Michael “I’m a crocked scouse” Owen.’

But Owen has proved himself an excellent strike partner to Wayne Rooney with England and Ferguson clearly considers him a decent acquisition when the financial risk is so small. The United boss declined to move for Owen when the player left Real Madrid for Newcastle four years ago in a £16million deal.

His medical record will be a worry, however, having gone down with injury or illness 16 times during his time at Newcastle. Within his first four months at St James' Park, Owen pulled a hamstring, strained his groin and broke a metatarsal. Having signed for a club record £16m, he made only 58 Premier League starts.

2009-07-03T05:17:00.001-07:00

Chelsea and Manchester United snub: Franck Ribery admits he wants to sign for Real Madrid

2009-07-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

Franck Ribery has admitted he wants to leave Bayern Munich - but warned Chelsea and Manchester United that he only has eyes for Real Madrid.

Chelsea are determined to make a final push for the France forward, despite his German employers insisting he is not for sale.

And United could reignite their interest after missing out on fellow France forward Karim Benzema, who yesterday agreed to join Real Madrid from Lyon for a fee that could reach £35million.
And now 26-year-old Ribery has tried to force a move to the Bernabeu by going public on his desire to join the New Galacticos.
'It's decided, I want to leave,' he told respected French newspaper L'Equipe. 'It will be to Real or nothing.'

Ribery also said that he would, 'wait and see how things go. Then I would quickly like to have a discussion with the Bayern management'.
Reports in Spain, meanwhile, say Madrid's next target is Valencia attacking midfielder David Silva, who could join for £21.5million.

Madrid newspaper Marca claims an agreement to sign Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa from Liverpool is imminent and that 23-year-old Silva - also a target for Liverpool - is next.
Silva's capture would take Madrid's summer outlay above the £200m mark - twice the amount it would cost to buy Newcastle United - even before fees for Alonso and Arbeloa are taken into account.

Bayern have suggested the fee for Ribery could be £60m, but his desire to leave could drive down the price.

The former Marseille player will turn down any offer to extend his current contract which is worth £115,000 a week and runs until 2011, meaning next summer his value would depreciate significantly.

But both Bayern and Ribery are aware there are few superstars left for United to recruit - Valencia's David Villa is set to join Barcelona - and an offer of around £50m plus £150,000 a week is likely to secure his signature.

It would also represent good business for Bayern who signed Ribery for a club record £18m from Marseille two years ago.
However, Bayern are still insisting publicly that there will be no deal. Bayern general manager said: 'Franck wants to go to Real? For us, it changes absolutely nothing. Life is not always a fairy-tale.

'Real did not gave us a concrete proposal. Real's directors have wanted to come to Munich and we have told them they would do better to save on a few tickets. We do not need their money and we keep Franck against all odds.'

The Bundesliga club's new boss Louis van Gaal said: 'I want to lead the world's best players and Ribery is part of that.'

Real Madrid Get Benzema

2009-07-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

Karim Benzema is poised to become the latest big-name arrival at Real Madrid after Lyon accepted a bid from the Spanish side for the highly-rated France international.

Benzema: Not staying at Lyon after all...

The 21-year-old is set to join Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo in signing a six-year contract at the Bernabeu after his French employers agreed to a 35m euro (£29.7m) approach from Madrid, who with this deal will see their summer spending spree pass the 200m euro mark.

The fee could yet rise to 41m euros (£34.8m) dependent on performance clauses.

A statement posted on Madrid's official website this evening confirmed the deal, saying: ''Real Madrid C.F. and Olympique Lyonnais have reached an agreement for the transfer of Karim Benzema, contingent upon the player's medical examination and the signing of his contracts.

''The 21-year-old striker will sign a six-year contract with Real Madrid.''

Benzema will become Florentino Perez's fourth signing since returning to the Madrid presidency a month ago, following the arrivals of Kaka, Ronaldo and Raul Albiol.

Madrid and Manchester United had been vying for the services of Benzema but a deal appeared unlikely with Lyon continuing to insist before today that the player would remain at the Stade Gerland for at least one more season.

However, Les Gones announced the deal on their official website on Wednesday afternoon.

The statement on olweb.fr read: ''A few days ago Karim Benzema informed the club president Jean Michel Aulas of his desire to move to the Madrid club, which had always been his favourite club after Lyon, earlier than he had foreseen.

''The player wanted to seize the opportunity which Real Madrid offered him to be one of the major elements in their new ambitious project based around the greatest players of the world.

''Lyon accepted Karim Benzema's decision and negotiated the conditions of a transfer which satisfies all the different parties. The club wishes Karim the greatest success with Real Madrid.''

The France forward came through the ranks at Lyon and burst onto the scene in the 2007-08 season with 31 goals in 51 games, a streak that saw him named Ligue 1 player of the year as well as top the league's scoring charts.

The last campaign was less impressive for both club and player, as Lyon ended the season without the Ligue 1 title for the first time in eight years, but Benzema nevertheless scored 23 goals in all competitions - an average of a goal every other game.

Adebayor fights with a nigerian fan at the Lagos Airport

2009-02-23T16:23:00.000-08:00

Striker Emmanuel Adebayor had a furious four-letter word bust-up with an Arsenal fan at Lagos airport who accused him of not pulling his weight for the club.

Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas admits he was flattered by reports Inter Milan were interested in signing him during the January transfer window, but insists he is committed to Spurs, according to today's national papers.

Manchester United target Karim Benzema says he would rather move to Spain from Lyon than the Premier League.

Striker Robin van Persie says he will only sign a new contract at Arsenal if they can match his desire to win silverware.

Report: Arsenal Line-Up Real Madrid's Huntelaar To Replace Barcelona-Bound Emmanuel Adebayor

2009-02-19T15:52:00.000-08:00

According to a report in the British tabloid The Daily Star, Spanish giants Barcelona are preparing an end-of-season offer for Arsenal forward Emmanuel Adebayor.

The 6ft 3in forward, who found the back of the net 30 times in all competitions for the Gunners last season, is wanted by La Blaugrana as both Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry could leave in the summer.

It is thought that Los Cules have also identified Arsenal's Robin van Persie as a possible arrival, but while manager Arsene Wenger would be prepared to sell Adebayor for around €22.7 million, he is eager to keep hold of the Dutch forward.

Apparently, Wenger already has a potential replacement in mind in the form of Real Madrid's Dutch international striker, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

The 25-year-old only moved to the Bernabeu from Ajax in the January transfer window, for €20m, but it is claimed Los Blancos are already prepared to let him go in the summer, possibly for around €17m.

African Debate: CAF Bungles Awards Yet Again

2009-02-19T15:51:00.001-08:00

How credible is the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Player of the Year Award?

Not very credible, and unless something drastic is done about this, it will soon become a scandal.

Before CAF took over this award in 1992, it was organised by France Football Magazine. Football Football began the awards in 1970 and over time, winners were mainly from Francophone countries or playing in the French league.

Nigeria's Austin 'Jay-Jay' Okocha was twice denied the award by CAF, in 1998 and 2004.

At the 1998 World Cup in France, Okocha caught the eye so much that Paris Saint-Germain promptly forked out a then record-breaking $17 million to prise the stylish midfielder from Fenerbahce in Turkey. Yet Morocco's Mustapha Hadji was preferred by CAF as the Player of the Year for 1998.

And in 2004, Okocha led an average Nigerian team to reach the last four at the Nations Cup in Tunisia, even scoring three goals to emerge as one of the tournament's leading scorers. Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o would later be preferred as Africa's Player of the Year.

In 2007, CAF gifted the gong to a surprised Frederic Kanoute of Mali.

Didier Drogba was far and away the stand-out player that year but his "undoing" was that he elected to stay back with his national team at the then ongoing Nations Cup, rather than break camp and fly out to pick up his prize in neighbouring Togo.

The truth was that the awards ceremony in Togo was ill-timed and once again showed how easily CAF can be manipulated by powerful sponsors, even beyond reason.

The 2007 award was a farce, and it went a long way in further reducing the value of what is supposed to be the continent's most prestigious individual accolade.

Following on the heels of this was the installation of Togo's Emmanuel Adebayor as Africa's top player for 2008.

No one doubts the talent of Adebayor or what he achieved at English club Arsenal last year. Yet, Arsenal did not win anything in the year under review and Togo failed to qualify for the 2008 Nations Cup.

Mohamed Aboutrika, on the other hand, played a pivotal role as Egypt won a record sixth Nations cup in Ghana. He scored four goals including the championship winner.

Aboutrika followed up on this months later by inspiring Al Ahly to land an unprecedented sixth CAF Champions League trophy.

The football in the English Premier League is on a higher level than what we have in Egypt or even the CAF Champions League, but it must also be argued that Adebayor netted 30 goals in 49 games playing alongside top-class players like Cesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini and Alexander Hleb.

By endorsing Adebayor's nomination, CAF has again acknowledged that football on the continent is many light years behind that in Europe. It was more a case of anything foreign, better than what we may ever have here.

To CAF's credit, they did what they could not dare do in 2007 - publish a detailed breakdown of how the voting went for the 2008 Player of the Year Award.

But even then, it is rather worrying that only 37 of the 53 national team coaches (less than 70%) thought it important to respond to this poll. Would the 16 other coaches not have made a difference in the final outcome?

Had CAF been offering these member-nations monetary grants, they would have been oversubscribed by these same countries.

CAF must therefore re-design its voting format to be more representative, as it is with the FIFA awards, where both national team coaches and their captains as well as representatives of FIFpro are involved in the voting.

If the Cairo-based association insist on bungling this award, it can only mean that organisers of rival such awards may soon be having the last laugh, because the CAF award will soon be a bad joke for football.

Drogba Hails Eto'o And Barcelona Improvements

2009-02-19T15:49:00.000-08:00

Chelsea's Didier Drogba believes that Samuel Eto'o has matured in recent seasons, while revealing his admiration for the current Barcelona side that remind him of the team that won the Champions League three years ago.

The Chelsea forward was asked for his thoughts on Barcelona and their Cameroonian star Eto'o, who has yet to commit himself to a new contract at Camp Nou.

Last summer Drogba was one name put forward to replace Eto'o when it appeared that Pep Guardiola was preparing to sell the former Mallorca star and replace him.

"He has grown up with his behaviour. Two or three years ago he would have reacted badly to what happened last summer," Drogba told Sportsweek.

"Now he is much calmer. He is more mature."

Drogba has been impressed with Barcelona as well as Eto'o and thinks that they have a team that are reminiscent of the side that tasted European glory in 2006.

"The team is, quite frankly, impressive. The great players that they have are playing as a team and they are very effective," he continued.

"They remind me of the Barça side that won the Champions League in the Stade de France.

"[Lionel] Messi has replaced Ronaldinho and at present he is one of the best forwards in Europe, if not the best."

Former Everton Star Daniel Amokachi Leads Nigeria Coaching Shake-Up

2009-02-19T15:45:00.000-08:00

In a planned massive re-organisation of coaches by Nigeria, former World Cup star Daniel Amokachi has been pencilled in to lead the country's team to the FIFA World Youth Championships in Egypt. Former Enyimba coach, Kadiri Ikhana, may be drafted to the Under-17 team.

The technical committee of the NFF (Nigeria Football Federation), headed by Taiwo Ogunjobi, has recommended that the Super Eagles assistant coach, Amokachi, replace under-fire Ladan Bosso as coach of the country's youth team.

Olympic team coach Samson Siasia was the NFF's prime target to replace Bosso, who has come under-fire from both the public and press after the Flying Eagles finished third at the African Youth Championship in Rwanda.
The NFF's search light has since settled on Amokachi. However, the former Everton man could only take the job on the understanding that he, along with other Eagles assistant coaches Fatai Amoo and Aloy Agu, takes charge of the Flying Eagles when the full international squad are not busy.
"I have not heard anything about this," Amokachi said.
The FIFA World Youth Championship will be staged by Egypt and will last from September 25 to October 16.

Many observers believe Bosso is not the right man to lead the Junior Eagles to the tournament and are advocating a fresh start for the team.

In the same vein, Kadiri Ikhana is being considered to take over the national Under-17 team, the Golden Eaglets. There are fears that the herculean task of grooming a formidable unit may be too overwhelming for the current coach, Henry Nwosu.

Nigeria are set to host the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in October.

The recommendations of the technical committee will soon be deliberated upon by the board of the NFF.

Eto’o Wants More Pay From Barcelona

2009-02-13T08:28:00.000-08:00

As Samuel Eto’o’s reaches the tail-end of his current contract with Barcelona, rumours about his future have began circulating frantically.

A whole host of clubs big and small, from Inter to Chelsea to PSG and Marseille, have all expressed their interest to snap up the Cameroonian, while Barca themselves are weighing up their options whether to extend his stay or head for a fresh direction in the form of David Villa or Karim Benzema.

As for Eto’o himself, he is desperate to remain at the Camp Nou, but he also wants his Catalan employers to make him one of the best paid players in the world. His current term runs out on June 30, 2010 and he wants the club to consider him an indispensable player, alongside Lionel Messi, and grant him a huge pay rise.

Although the Blaugrana have never made exact figures of player wages available to the public, a study from a Portuguese website, www.futebolfinance.com believes that Eto’o is asking for around €7.5 million net per season, compared to Messi, who is the third best paid footballer in the world behind only Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kaka with an estimated annual salary of €8.4 million.

Meanwhile, AS believes that the Barca boardroom are in fact trying to speed up negotiations to tie down Eto’o. The club want his future sorted before the start of next season, so as not to distract the striker’s focus on the football pitch and also to prevent any potential suitors from enticing him with bigger offers.

It is also understood that president, Joan Laporta is eager to use the possible success of securing Eto’o’s long-term future as a means of winning votes ahead of the club’s presidential elections in the spring of 2010.

Five Great International Soccer Rivalries

2009-02-13T08:24:00.000-08:00

The Top Five FIFA Rivalries (in no particular order)

Argentina v. Brazil

Easily two of the best footballing nations in the world, and two of the biggest countries in South America, this pair have been providing riveting battling since as long as anyone can remember with classic matches seemingly happening every year.

Between them, they have seven world cups, with Brazil leading the way with five. The talent levels are off the charts as many of the world’s top footballers come from this region, so it’s not a surprise that the teams are successful.

The first match between the two sides took place almost 100 years ago, back in 1914 and they have played a total of 93 matches against each other. The gap in the record is barely visible given that Brazil have won 35 of the matches, while Argentina have 34, the rest being ties.

Most recently, the two teams battled in the Olympics at the semifinal stage, a match that Argentina won handily and went on to win the gold medal, beating Nigeria in the final.

Key matches: 2008 Olympics Semi-Final (3-0 Argentina), 2004 Copa America Final (Brazil won on PKs), 1990 World Cup round of 16 (1-0 Argentina)

England v. Germany

Two countries with quite a significant political history, England and Germany have always been heated rivals on the football pitch. Their earliest and most significant encounter came in the final of the 1966 World Cup, a match that was won by England but still is regarded as controversial.

An extra time goal by England has often been debated whether it actually went in, with the people on the German side citing the Russian lineman’s prejudice given the fact Germany had knocked out the USSR in the previous round.

Besides the classic final in 1966 the teams have met 26 other times with Germany winning 12 times, the same amount that England has won. There have been three ties in the series.

Key matches: 1966 World Cup Final (4-2 England), 1990 World Cup semi-final (Germany won on PKs), 2001 friendly match (5-1 England)

France v. Italy

The two teams in blue have always been fierce rivals, given their shared border and passionate football cultures. Italy currently holds a distinctive edge in the rivalry, having won 18 of the 36 matches between the two sides. France has won 10, while the other eight matches have obviously ended in draws.

Meeting in two of the last three World Cup knockout rounds, the rivalry has certainly been stoked in recent years. Both matches went to penalty kicks, with France taking the 1998 quarterfinal en route to a World Cup title, while Italy won in the 2006 final.

The 2006 World Cup Final will forever be remember as the match that the talismanic French captain Zindeine Zidane headbutted Italy defender Marco Materazzi, which resulted in Zidane receiving a red card, with less than five minutes remaining before penalty kicks.

Key matches: 1998 World Cup Quarterfinal (France won on PKs), 2006 World Cup Final (Italy won on PKs), 1938 World Cup Quarter Final (3-1 Italy)

Portugal v. Spain

Similar to the U.S.-Mexico and Brazil-Argentina, these two countries share a very distinct border. In fact, Spain is the only country Portugal touches, so the animosity is obviously going to be there.

The teams first met in 1921 with Spain winning the contest 3-1. After that first match, Spain didn't lose for 15 straight matches against Portugal, over 25 years. The Selecção das Quinas finally tasted victory in 1941 defeating Spain 4-1.

One of the most lop-sided matches came during the 25 year unbeaten run by Spain, when they defeated Portugal by a score of 9-0.

The most recent competitive match came in Euro 2004 when Portugal effectively knocked Spain out of the tournament with a 1-0 win in the last match of the group stage.

Key matches: 2004 Euro group stage (1-0 Portugal), 1934 World Cup qualifier (9-0 Spain)

Ghana v. Nigeria

Two of the most successful African teams in history share the biggest rivalry on the continent. One of the tamer of the rivalries as far as the fan support goes, these two teams are linked together more because of their overall success in football, and not the animosity between them.

The rivalry is also a relatively new one, having been born in 1954, which makes it still an adolescent compared to the other duos on the list. Despite its age, the teams have played meaningful matches against each other, particularly in the African Cup of Nations.

There was also a stretch from 1994 until 2002 (six matches) when Nigeria didn’t allow Ghana to score a goal against them.

Key matches: 2008 African Cup of Nations Quarter Final (2-1 Ghana), 1984 African Cup of Nations group stage (2-1 Nigeria), 2001 World Cup qualifying (3-0 Nigeria)

Nigeria Hold Jamaica To A Draw

2009-02-11T21:27:00.001-08:00

It was the third draw between the two teams in six matches.

The Super Eagles capped Tunisia-based striker Michael Eneramo late in a game which produced few chances between both teams.

The main talking point of this encounter was the sending off in the 44th minute of Jermaine Johnson of Jamaica and Nigeria's Taye Taiwo after both players were involved in an altercation.

After a tentative start, mostly due to the bitterly cold weather in London, the Reggae Boys of Jamaica gradually warmed up to take control of the game but could not get behind the Nigerian defense.

Nigeria's best chance of the first half fell to Russia-based Osaze Odemwingie in the 28th minute when his glancing header missed target narrowly.

Otherwise, it was a largely disappointing shift for the Eagles as they struggled to put together passes among themselves, and relied more on their individual skills to get around.

Jamaica came closest to taking the lead on 50 minutes when Norway-based striker Luton Shelton exploited slack defending by Danny Shittu but his final effort let him down.

In the 56th minute, Uche's shot off a right-wing cross by Nsofor was scrambled away by the Jamaica goalkeeper. And moments later Shittu's goal-bound header was tipped away by the Jamaica goalkeeper.

Getafe striker Uche produced a downward header from a cross by substitute Onyekachi Apam only to be denied again by Sawyer.

In the end though, the draw was a fair outcome for both teams.

Nigeria Line-up:
Austin Ejide - Chidi Odiah, Taye Taiwo, Joseph Yobo, Danny Shittu - Seyi Olofinjana, Nwankwo Kanu (Onyekachi Apam 46), Obinna Nsofor, Mikel Obi - Ikechukwu Uche (Michael Eneramo 85), Osaze Odemwingie (Kalu Uche 75)

Adebayor Named African Player Of The Year

2009-02-11T21:25:00.000-08:00

Togo international Emmanuel Adebayor was Tuesday night named CAF African Player of the Year for 2008 at an elaborate awards ceremony in Lagos.

Adebayor beat Mohamed Aboutrika of Egypt and Ghana’s Michael Essien to win the prestigious award, which involved voting by the national team coaches of CAF’s member-nations.

“This is a special night for me. I dedicate this award to my mum, without her, I would be nothing. My father is no more but where ever he is, he will be proud of me,” said Adebayor, who was accompanied by his mother.

Adebayor took away a crystal trophy and a cash prize of $20,000.

This is the first time that a Togolese will be voted as Africa’s best player.

The Arsenal star's exploits of the past year were mainly with his English Premier League club. In the absence of France international Thierry Henry, who moved to Spanish club Barcelona, the Togo star stepped up to finish the season with an impressive tally of 30 goals.

The striker also inspired Togo to reach the final qualifying round for the 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations.

The awards night was graced by many dignitaries including FIFA president Joseph Blatter and CAF president Issa Hayatou.

Ahly’s Aboutrika got a consolation prize as the Inter-Club Player of the Year.

Several other Egyptians won various award categories. Egypt coach, Hassan Shehata was Africa’s Coach of the Year, and the team he led to successfully defend the Nations Cup in Accra last year were picked as the best national team on the continent.

Ahly were crowned Club of the Year ahead of Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien, who defended the CAF Confederation Cup, and beaten CAF Champions League finalists, Cotonsport from Cameroon.

Salomon Kalou of Ivory Coast and Chelsea was the CAF Young Player of the Year ahead of Cameroon’s Stephane Mbia and Nigerian forward Victor Obinna Nsofor.

The list of award winners:

CAF Player of the Year

Emmanuel Adebayor - Togo/Arsenal

CAF Young Player

Salomon Kalou - Ivory Coast/Chelsea

CAF Female Player

Alice Matlou - South Africa

National Team of the Year

Egypt

Coach of the Year

Hassan Shehata - Egypt

Best Club

Ahly - Egypt

Inter-Club Player of the Year

Mohamed Aboutrika - Al Ahly

African Legend

Christian Chukwu - Nigeria

Chelsea Sack Scolari

2009-02-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

After a series of underwhelming and unsatisfactory performances and results, Chelsea have been quick to ensure the rut does not continue by relieving Brazilian boss Luiz Felipe Scolari of his managerial responsibilities.

Chelsea's numerous weaknesses all over the park: from their static movement from defending set-pieces, to their midfield's inability to accelerate with the ball, to the forward line spurning the chances in front of goal, have been exposed and the club have won just seven points from a possible 15 in 2009.

Assistant manager Ray Wilkins - who was appointed to the role in September - will temporarily take control of first team affairs while the club search for a more permanent recruit.

A statement on the club's official website read: "Luiz Felipe Scolari has been dismissed as manager of Chelsea Football Club today (Monday) with immediate effect.

"The board would like to record our gratitude for his time as manager. Unfortunately the results and performances of the team appeared to be deteriorating at a key time in the season.

It continued: "In order to maintain a challenge for the trophies we are still competing for we felt the only option was to make the change now.

"The search for a new manager has already started and we hope to have someone in place as soon as possible.

"While that continues Assistant Coach Ray Wilkins will take charge of the team on a temporary basis," the statement concluded.
Sky Sports are speculating that Guus Hiddink - of the Russian national team - and Avram Grant, who guided the club to the League Cup final, the Champions League final, and second place in the Premier League, are understood to be forerunning candidates, possibly together, with the former as Director of Football and the latter as head coach.

Mikel charged with drink-driving

2009-02-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

The 21-year-old was stopped by police at 5.30am on Saturday, after being seen driving his Range Rover "erratically" near his club's ground in London's Fulham Road.

Later the same day, Chelsea beat Ipswich 3-1 in the fourth round - although Mikel was not part of the squad.

The Nigerian midfielder has since been charged and will appear in court on April 3.

He faces a year's driving ban or a jail term if the offence is deemed exceptionally serious.

A Chelsea spokesman told The Sun: "We are aware (Mikel) was arrested and charged. We want to establish the facts before we comment."

Blackburn Snap Up The "Egyptian Beckham"

2009-02-03T07:57:00.000-08:00

It was reported just days ago that Blackburn Rovers were interested in signing the Egyptian international Ahmed Al-Muhammadi, from the Engineering for the Petroleum and Process Industries (ENPPI) in the Egyptian Premier League.

The British tabloid, the Daily Mirror, reported that the English outfit were prepared to offer around £1.5 million to acquire the player’s services, which would not be a bad investment, considering the fact that he is known as his country’s very own David Beckham.

According to the latest reports coming from Sportsmediaset, the Riversiders have taken the next step however, as they have made an offer to the player in person.

The details of the offer are yet to be officially released, however the 21-year-old winger has confirmed that he is ready to accept the offer made by the English club, which would thus allow him to follow in the footsteps of those such as Amr Zaki and Mido, who currently play for Wigan in the same competition.

The Beckham of Egypt has managed to make 20 appearances for the Egyptian national team over time, and as a result, he may prove to be the key to avoiding relegation for the club that finished in seventh place last term.

Jamaica Coach Expects Super Show Against Nigeria

2009-01-30T08:26:00.000-08:00

"Nigeria is one of the World's top teams so it will be a competitive match for us," said the former England and Liverpool star of the game that will be played at Millwall FC's Stadium.

"We are now stronger than we have been for some time as a national team. We have quality players that we will blend together with the right balance, spirit and mentality, but of course we also need the right tactics.

"I would say to fans from across the country, come and enjoy the game and expect a good performance!"

Nigeria have named a strong squad for the encounter, which they will use to prepare for their World Cup qualifying game against Mozambique in March.

Jamaica's Reggae Boys have, within 14 months, leapt to 66th place in the Fifa world rankings.

They won the Caribbean Championship last month and for this game, they have called up several English Premier League players including Marlon King of Hull City, Ricardo Gardner from Bolton and Ricardo Fuller of Stoke City.

Manchester City Want Didier Drogba

2009-01-27T08:20:00.000-08:00

According to The Sun, mega-rich Manchester City are preparing a £15 million swoop for Chelsea's unsettled forward, Didier Drogba.

The Sky Blues are in need of an out-and-out striker, as the likes of Jo, Benjani and the injured Valeri Bojinov have failed to make much of an impression at Eastlands.

City boss Mark Hughes has long wanted Roque Santa Cruz to lead the line, but Blackburn Rovers continue to jack up the price on the Paraguayan hitman.

Thus, 'Sparky' has begun scouting out other potential targets, and it is thought his new favorite currently resides on the fringes at Stamford Bridge.

Drogba has fallen out of favor at Chelsea this season, as a combination of off-field drama and Nicolas Anelka's red-hot form have seen him relegated to second choice in the club's one-striker system.

Indeed, following a meek display in the Blues' recent defeat to Manchester United, the Ivorian was banished to the reserves and missed out on the FA Cup replay with Southend United.

He was also excluded from the squad for last weekend's narrow win over Stoke City, with youngsters Miroslav Stoch and Franco di Santo filling the bench instead.

There has been considerable speculation as to where the 30-year-old's future lies, with former club Olympique Marseille touted as a likely destination, but Luiz Felipe Scolari has dismissed those rumors.

However, the Chelsea manager could be tempted by the possibility of a swap deal involving Robinho, with Drogba replacing Anelka in the supposed four-man trade reported yesterday involving Florent Malouda, Salomon Kalou and Alex.

It remains to be seen whether Robinho is eligible to move this month, but it is nonetheless highly unlikely that City would swap him for a player who, on paper, seems an ideal strike-partner for the samba star.

Fifteen Nigerian Footballers Killed In Bus Crash

2009-01-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

Fifteen players of Nigerian professional league club, FC Jimeta of Adamawa, died in a road accident around Akwanga, northcentral Nigeria, on Sunday morning.

"The team were on their way to Abuja for a professional league match," explained Mohamed Sanusi, head of competition of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

"Their bus was involved in an accident and 11 players died on the spot while four others died in hospital. Two other players are on danger list."

The team bus hit a road block, somersaulted before plunging into a ditch.

The team were billed to play a league game Sunday against Prisons FC of Abuja.

In December, 18 female players were killed when their team bus was also involved in an accident.

FIFA Begins Inspection Visit In Nigeria

2009-01-25T04:52:00.000-08:00

The first stop-over by Warner's team on Friday was to the country's commercial capital Lagos. They will continue their inspection Monday in the capital city of Abuja. The other cities to be visited by Fifa officials include Kaduna, Kano, Calabar, Warri, Bauchi and Enugu.

This will be Fifa's third visit to Nigeria in respect to the Under-17 Championship. In earlier visits, Fifa officials have urged the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the tournament to upgrade existing facilities and infrastructure.

Nigeria will play host to the Fifa competition after the government rescinded an earlier decision to withdraw as hosts because they could not afford to do so. However, the budget to stage the event was drastically slashed with Fifa also assuring the government it will assist by footing some of the expenses.

The country's Vice-President, Goodluck Jonathan, is personally supervising the organisation of the championship.

Arsene Wenger 'Hopeful' Of Bringing Arshavin To Arsenal

2009-01-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

Arsene Wenger has intimated that the attempt to bring Andrei Arshavin to North London is moving forward, but negotiations are at a delicate stage despite the Frenchman's optimism

When quizzed as to where the Gunners were on their quest to sign the Russian, Wenger responded: "Nowhere. That means we are not close to signing anybody.

"We know what we want to do, but we are not close to signing anybody today because I would tell you [if we were]. But I have no basic news."

The Frenchman also maintained a dignified front when questioned further as to the details of the offer made by Arsenal to Zenit St Petersburg for the Russian.

"Again, we are in negotiation - yes. But we want to respect our principles," he asserted.

Regarding whether Arsenal had returned to Zenit with an improved bid for Arshavin, Wenger was poker-faced. "Nothing to disclose on that front," was his stony response.

But as to whether he remained optimisitic that a deal could be done in the next few days, Wenger was upbeat.

"I'm very hopeful; days, yes," he continued, "because the transfer market closes on January 31 and I haven't crossed halfway so it will be days."

As for the recent frenzy surrounding the transfer window and the hysteria surrounding Kaka's possible move to the Premier League, Wenger remained aloof, claiming that what happened "on a football pitch" was of far more importance to him.

He also attempted to pull the focus away from acquiring new players, insisting that working with the players already at the club and improving them was key.

"We can improve with the players we have," he stated.

Gourcuff Is Heir To The Throne

2009-01-14T15:13:00.000-08:00

He's never going to shake the tag now.

For the last couple years, French playmaker Yoann Gourcuff has been likened to Zinedine Zidane. Despite failing to break into the aging AC Milan squad, the youngster has a similar grace on the ball and the vision to keep attacks flowing seemlessly.

Now on loan at Bourdoux, Gourcuff is coming into his own. Some high quality matches, including in the Champions' League earned him a French national team callup, where he excelled. Now, he's busy scoring the goals that will be highlight fodder for years to come.

Against Paris Saint-Germain, he scored one of those goals. Picking up the ball ouside the 18, he roulettes around one player, shimmies around the next, and curls the ball off the outside of his right foot to score. It's dazzling and over all too quickly.

One day, your kids will debate who the next Yoann Gourcuff is.

Want proof? Watch below:

Muntari: Manchester United Are Scared Of Inter

2009-01-08T23:05:00.000-08:00

Inter midfielder Sulley Alley Muntari has followed in coach Jose Mourinho's footsteps by continuing the mind games ahead of their Champions League battle with Manchester United.

The Nerazzurri travel to Old Trafford on February 24 and the plan is to come away with a good aggregate lead from the two-legged tie. Mourinho has already fired the first warning shots and Muntari is not low on ammunition either.

"We are also very strong and they [United] are scared of us. We are not a team who are easy to beat and we have learned from our mistakes in the first phase. I am sure we will play two great games," Muntari told La Gazzetta Dello Sport.

The former Portsmouth man joined Inter in the summer after their move for Chelsea's Frank Lampard failed. Muntari insists he was prepared to be second choice had the Englishman joined the Nerazzurri.

"When I was in England, Mourinho called me and he told me that Lampard was first choice. I told him I was ready and I went there," added Muntari. "I like everything about Mourinho. He knows how to manage his players and every training session is different.

"He just has to look at you in the dressing room and you are motivated, he doesn't even need to speak to get the message across."

Ten African Players To Watch In 2009

2009-01-08T22:58:00.000-08:00

10. Mustapha Jarju 'Toubabo' (RAEC Mons & Gambia)

A versatile player, who is comfortable either in midfield or as a striker. He has previously captained his country's Under-17 side and has now been strutting his stuff in Belgium for the past three seasons, first with Lierse before he joined up with Mons. He has thus far scored five goals this term after playing mostly as a striker and was very much part of the Gambian Scorpions, who came within a whisker of advancing to the final round of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

9. Faty Papy (Trabsonspor & Burundi)

Turkish club Trabzonspor got themselves a huge bargain when they signed 18-year-old Burundi international midfielder Faty Papy in December. Papy, who has won six caps for his native country since his debut against Seychelles in June, featured for Inter Star of Bujumbura before his move overseas.

8. McDonald Mariga ( FC Parma & Kenya)

At 21, this highly rated central midfielder has, within a short time, moved from modest Swedish side Helsingborgs to the Italian top flight with FC Parma, who snapped him up for a fee close to two million Euros after he impressed on an intial loan deal. He was capped at full international level in 2006 and has now been linked with a transfer to Serie A giants AC Milan as well as Napoli.

7. Clifford Mulenga ( Wits & Zambia)

Arguably the player with the most exciting left foot in the South African Premier Soccer League, he caught the eye of many with some superb displays for his country at the 2007 Fifa World Youth Championship in Canada. It was a performance that fetched him the Caf Young Player Award in 2007. However, he can sometimes be something of a character, like when he publicly slammed Zambia coach, Herve Renard, for leaving him out of a recent World Cup tie. He has since made up with the French coach.

6. Bernard Parker (Thanda Royal Zulu & South Africa)

Such is the huge promise this young Thanda Royal Zulu skipper holds that his South African club have admitted he will be lost to Europe sooner rather than later.Last season, he played in all of his club's matches while this term, he has cracked home nine goals in the league.But the highlight of his career are his goals for Bafana - four in nine matches since he was first capped in 2007.

5. Moussa Maazou (Lokeren & Niger)

The year 2008 will certainly pass as a landmark year for this 20-year-old former Sahel Sc striker. He was capped at senior level by his country against Uganda in May and since his move to Belgium same year, he has painted the Jupilar league with goals. He has thus far netted 10 goals in 16 appearances for Lokeren.

4. Macauley Chrisantus (Hamburg & Nigeria)

He is your typical centre-forward - strong on the ball, full of running and a player who knows where the goal is. He proved that at both the 2007 African Junior Championship in Togo and months later at the Fifa Under-17 World Cup, where his seven goals helped Nigeria to a third championship win. German Bundesliga outfit Hamburg gave him a professional contract in August when he turned 18 and has made the bench for several league games this season already.

3. Daniel Opare (Real Madrid & Ghana)

A super talent at right fullback, he could not have dreamt of a bigger platform to showcase his ball skills than Spanish champions Real Madrid after he emerged as the best defender at the Fifa Under-17 World Cup in Korea in September 2007. Blessed with great pace and precise crosses, the former Ashanti Gold midfielder is on the fringes of the Ghana Black Stars and was only dropped from his country's squad to the 2008 Nations Cup on account of an ankle injury. Injury has again ruled him out of the African Youth Championship this month, but pundits say this player in the mould of Brazil World Cup star Cafu is on his way to becoming a Galacticos.

2. Rabiu Ibrahim (Sporting Clube & Nigeria)

He has already been compared to the great Austin 'Jay Jay' Okocha because of his ball skills and vision in central midfield. He was the first from an exciting generation of young players to move overseas after helping Nigeria win the Fifa U-17 World Cup in Korea two years ago. Nigeria coach Shuaibu Amodu is known for relying on the old guard, but now looks set to draft this youngster, 18 only in March, to add some creative juice in the Super Eagles midfield.

1.Yao Kouassi 'Gervinho' ( Le Mans & Ivory Coast)

A product of the famed Asec Academy that produced the likes of the Toure brothers, Kolo and Yaya, Didier Zokora, Aruna Didane, Kouassi is an exciting striker who shone like a million stars as Ivory Coast reached the last eight at the football tournament of the Beijing Olympics in the summer with him as skipper. He scores his fair share of goals but above all, his dribbling runs and ball skills have helped create openings from which his teammates have profited. Little wonder a man like Arsene Wenger with eye for young talent is reportedly keeping a close watch on a player good enough to carry a Brazilian nickname.

TV

2009-01-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

Arsenal Step Up Chase For Barcelona’s Toure

2008-12-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger is desperately searching for a central midfielder in the January transfer window after learning that influential captain Cesc Fabregas will be out of action for up to four months with a serious knee injury.

Barcelona-based daily, Sport believes that the Gunners are about to raid the Catalans again, although they are not looking for someone from their cantera (youth system) this time around.

Ivory Coast midfielder Toure Yaya has been strongly linked with Arsenal and Juventus over the past few months and it appears that the London-based outfit are finally preparing to make their move as they seek a replacement for Fabregas.

It is reported that the Blaugrana have set a price of around €8.5 million for the 25-year-old defensive midfielder, who is equally adept at attacking.

Wenger have also been keeping a close eye on Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso, Villarreal’s Marcos Senna and Udinese’s Gokhan Inler.

Top Ten African Players Of 2008

2008-12-27T08:25:00.000-08:00

10. Jon Mikel Obi (Nigeria & Chelsea)

The young midfielder showed some battling qualities many thought he did not have at the Nations Cup, where the Super Eagles barely made it to the last eight. Many predicted that he would not have a future at Chelsea following the shock departure of Jose Mourinho, but Avram Grant kept faith with him and this season Luiz Felipe Scolari has given him even more responsibilities, which he has relished in the absence of the injured Michael Essien.

9. Mohamed Zidan (Egypt & Hamburger SV/Borussia Dortmund)

He was unsettled at German Bundesliga outfit Hamburg last season, but his switch to Borussia Dortmund has seen him prove his class. He has already matched his three-goal tally for Humburg last season at Dortmund in just seven games. He was outstanding in his Nations Cup debut in Ghana, showing what a clinical and classy finisher he is, with two superbly struck goals in Egypt's opening group game against mighty Cameroon.

8. Frederic Kanoute (Mali & Sevilla)

He was named Africa's top star for 2007 by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Lome, Togo - only because Drogba failed to attend the awards, being just next door in Ghana with Ivory Coast participating in the Nations Cup. Mali partly owe Kanoute their comeback after they failed miserably in the qualifers for the 2006 World Cup and so did not feature at the 2006 Nations Cup in Egypt.

7. Sulley Muntari (Ghana & Portsmouth/Inter)

The Ghana midfielder is back the familiar terrain of Italy, after leaving Udinese for a season at Portsmouth, where he won an FA Cup winners' medal. He has settled down at star-studded Inter without too much trouble. Earlier in the year, he played a major part for his country, too, as Nations Cup hosts Ghana went as far as the semi-finals, despite losing the inspirational Stephen Appiah through injury before the competition had even begun.

6. Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast/Chelsea)

Injuries and controversies made sure that the big man failed to match his performance of the 2006/07 season, when he was far and away the best African player. He has yet to reach his high standards again but when he does, it will be to the benefit of both club and country. Still, performed well for Chelsea and proved an asset whenever he was in the team.

5. Michael Essien (Ghana & Chelsea)

The former Lyon midfielder came into his own last season at Stamford Bridge, as Chelsea reached their first-ever UEFA Champions League final. He was also the heart and soul of an average Ghana Black Stars side that exceeded many expectations to reach the last four of the Nations Cup they hosted in February.

4. Amr Zaki (Egypt & Zamalek/Wigan Athletic)

Egyptian players are not known to be great travellers, but this Zamalek centre-forward has already made a success of his second shot at glory in Europe with some cracking goals for modest Wigan in the English Premier League. It is little wonder that he has now been linked with some of Europe's top guns by the time his loan deal at Wigan runs out, though Steve Bruce is understandably eager to keep the goal machine at the JJB Stadium.

However, it was his five-star showing at the Nations Cup that really got the world to take notice. He scored thrice as well as taught an Ivorian back-four complete with Arsenal's Kolo Toure a football lesson in the semi-finals of the tournament. Egypt went on to claim their second Nations Cup in a row.

3. Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo & Arsenal)

Filled the goal-scoring void left by French legend Therry Henry at Arsenal last season by scoring 30 goals in all competitions. However, the Gunners failed to land any piece of silverware. He has also kept Togo in the reckoning for a second World Cup finals appearance after putting four goals past Swaziland.

2. Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon & Barcelona)

Barcelona did not win anything last term and even wanted to make the Cameroonian star one of the scapegoats for this, but the three-time African Player of the Year has since proved he still knows his way to goal, with an incredible 14 goals in La liga already. Last season he was hampered by injury and even came close to leaving Camp Nou this summer.

At the Nations Cup in Ghana, he put to rest the all-time scoring record of 14 goals set by Ivorian striker Laurent Pokou by scoring a total of 16 and counting.

1. Mohamed Aboutrika (Egypt & Al Ahly)

He was the continent's best player in 2008. He may still be playing his club football in Africa, but no one can doubt the quality of this attacking midfielder, who has made it a habit to score the important goals - whether for his club Al Ahly or the Egyptian national team.

He scored the goal that won the Pharaohs the Nations Cup in Accra for an unprecedented sixth time and has been the heart of an average Ahly team, as they also won an unprecedented sixth Champions trophy. Besides these accomplishments, this 30-year-old has shown great consistency at the top since 2005.

Scolari: Drogba & Anelka Aren't Gelling

2008-12-26T13:22:00.000-08:00

Fitting Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba into the same Chelsea team was always going to be problematic. The two strikers both like to be the main man up front, with both preferring to operate as an out-and-out striker rather than in a supporting role or wide on the flanks. In addition, neither player particularly likes being benched.

Their styles as forwards do not necessarily complement each other either, and both Avram Grant and his successor as Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari have struggled to integrate them into the same line-up. Now Scolari has revealed that he has experimented using both strikers as a partnership, but has enjoyed limited success.

"It has been good sometimes but not good at other times," said Scolari, reflecting on the time spent in training on working on the partnership.

"It's 50-50. But this period has been better for the group. They are trying more than before to understand what positions I want them to be in. It has improved and evolved more in the last 15 days."

Anelka is reportedly keen to play in a 4-4-2 with Drogba, but Scolari doesn't feel that much has been gained from the training experiment, other than a slight increase in the flexibility of the side.

"They know more now. They have more confidence than before if they change (the formation) during the game," the Brazilian continued, before adding that more strikers does not necessarily mean more goals, and a lack of goals is often the coach's rather than the players' fault.

"Sometimes you put five players up front but the ball does not arrive there. If they make mistakes, it's my mistake because I give the orders. It's the same with left backs and right backs when they go forward, try to dribble and try to shoot," the Brazilian continued.

Time on the pitch as a partnership has been limited for Anelka and Drogba, amounting to little more than a handful of second-half minutes in five games. With Drogba's season so far shortened by injury and suspension, Anelka has gone about his business and become the Premier League's top goalscorer, netting 14 times in 17 appearances.

Drogba, meanwhile, is yet to score a league goal this season, and is regularly linked with moves away from Stamford Bridge, with the names of Inter Milan and Jose Mourinho cropping up regularly in the rumour mill..

"I am Mad"

2008-12-21T18:11:00.001-08:00

Emmanuel Adebayor was sent off during Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Sunday for a second bookable offense, after raising his elbow and foot against the Reds' defender Alvaro Arbeloa.

The Spaniard fell, according to the Arsenal striker, as is someone had "put a knife in him", and Adebayor was clearly furious with both the Liverpool player and the referee after the game.

"The defender threw himself on the floor as if I put a knife in him. I hope when the referee goes home and watches it on the TV, he will see it was a foul but I didn’t deserve a card," the Togolese said.

"Of course I’m annoyed. I cannot say he cheated but what he did wasn’t fair play at all.

"It was a mistake by the ref. He said it was for the leg but if I don’t put my body in there I would never score a goal in this league."

His manager, Arsene Wenger, was in complete agreement with the player's views, and felt that referee Howard Webb had cost his team two valuable points.

"It was a very soft sending off," said the Arsenal boss.

"Today we had the ‘Be a Gooner, Be a Giver’ charity appeal — you cannot say the referee was a Gooner today but he was a giver because he gave us yellow cards we did not deserve.

"Every week I sit in front of you when we play away from home and you say ‘People get in your faces and you cannot cope with it’. Have you seen anybody sent off?

"Do you want me to show you our players and the damage done to them after the game? It’s a joke."

Meanwhile, Arsenal also have a massive injury worry over skipper Cesc Fabregas, who suffered medial ligament damage after tangling with Xabi Alonso during the game.

Mourinho: Inter's Adriano/Drogba Switch With Chelsea Won't Happen

2008-12-20T00:15:00.000-08:00

Speculation has been rife regarding a potential January swap deal which would take Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and Inter forward Adriano in opposite directions.

The pair are unsettled at their respective clubs and some feel they would both benefit from the switch. Drogba would, of course, hook up with mentor Jose Mourinho in Italy, while Adriano has been unsettled this season and a fresh start could be needed.

However, former Blues boss Mourinho has rubbished the reports.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, the Portuguese tactician said: "That is not true - it is merely speculation. No way - zero percent.

"At this moment, Adriano has nothing in his hands. We think he will be here on January 2 to work with us.

"Maybe he is not happy at living in an atmosphere that doesn't suit him, but he is a top player and I cannot open my door for him to go unless I have somebody to replace him."

Refusing to rule out an eventual move for Ivorian ace Drogba, who is working his way back into the Stamford Bridge fold after an injury-hit season, the 'Special One' added: "One day, if Didier has a clear situation [with Chelsea] - a club I love - and he is on his way out, then the door will be open for him.

"Everybody knows that he is one of my men and it won't matter which club I am managing."

Nigerian Striker Shot Dead

2008-12-19T07:20:00.000-08:00

Club spokesman Cajetan Nkwopara said in a statement that 18-year-old Kelechi Arima was shot dead on Saturday around the Owerri city centre, hours after Heartland beat Gateway FC 1-0 to climb to the top of the league.

"The motive behind this senseless murder is not yet known," said Nkwopara.

Heartland climbed to the top of the league with the home win over Gateway courtesy of a 39th minute goal by Ghanaian striker Azeez Ansah.

Heartland have thus recorded 27 points from 14 matches, two more than second-placed Bayelsa United, whose match away at Nasarawa United was abandoned.

Warri Wolves are third on the table on 24 points even though their away game against Enyimba was postponed.

There were home wins at the weekend for Sunshine Stars, Enugu Rangers and Ocean Boys.

Africans In Europe - Nigerian Stars Banging the Goals Again

2008-12-18T22:58:00.000-08:00

SPAIN

Samuel Eto'o starred in El Clasico, scoring the opening goal as Barcelona beat rivals Real Madrid 2-0. The Cameroonian's goal atoned for his penalty miss earlier in the game.

Barcelona are now eight points clear of second-placed Valencia with 38 points from 15 games.

Nigeria striker Ikechukwu Uche was also on target for his club Getafe in their 4-1 trouncing of Mallorca. It was his third goal of the season.

Morocco's Nabil Baha found the back of the net for Malaga in their 2-0 home win over Numancia. Malaga are the 10th on the table with 21 points from 15 matches.

ENGLAND

Newcastle United striker Obafemi Martins grabbed one of the goals as Newcastle beat Portsmouth 3-0 at Fratton Park.

The Nigeria international though appeared to have hurt his groin while scoring his club's second goal.

The victory took Newcastle further away from the drop zone.

Togo superstar Emmanuel Adebayor was on target for the second week runnning as Arsenal pulled a 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough. It was his seventh goal in the Premier League.

Arsenal are fifth in the standings with 30 points from 17 matches.

GERMANY

Nigerian striker Manasseh Ishiaku came on as a late substitute to net the winner for Cologne in their 2-1 win over Bochum. It was his first goal of the season after a long injury lay-off. Promoted Cologne are placed 11th in the 18-club Bundesliga.

Egypt's Mohamed Zidan opened scoring for Borussia Dortmund as they beat Borussia Mochengladbach 2-1.

FRANCE

Benin star Stephane Sessegnon hit a double for Paris Saint-Germain in their away win at Auxerre. It was the club's 10th win of the season, same number of victories they had achieved all through last season when they barely escaped relegation.

Underachieving PSG are now fourth in the standings with 32 points from 18 games.

Senegal's 21-year-old winger Issiar Dia netted one of the goals as his club AS Nancy beat Grenoble 2-0 at home as

Algerian midfielder Djemal Belmadi scored Valenciennes' second goal in a 3-1 victory over struggling Monaco.

Lorient continued their surge to the top rank with a 3-1 win on the road against Le Havre. Yazid Mansouri from Algeria got their go-ahead goal after 40 minutes.

NETHERLANDS

French-Algerian Karim Soltani scored for Ado Den Haag in a 1-1 draw with Roda while Dutch-Moroccan Rachid Bouaouzan ensured Nijmegen beat Willem II Tilburg 2-1 by scoring one of his team's goals.

DR Congo-born Swiss international Blaise Nkufo scored in FC Twente's 4-1 victory away at FC Groningen.

BELGIUM

Joachim Mununga from DR Congo scored for the second week running as Mechelen beat Germinal Beerschot 2-1. However, Mechelen had to play the last minutes of the game without their Ghanaian midfielder Abdul-Yakinu Iddi, who was given a straight red card late in the game.

Gambia's Mustapha Jarju Toubabo of RAEC Mons scored against AFC Tubize in a 2-1 loss while Senegal's Cheikhou Kouyate was on the mark for KV Kortrijk in a 1-1 draw with KAA Gent.

TURKEY

Cameroonian Herve Tum grabbed a brace as Sivasspor beat Hacettepe SK 2-1.

Mikel Can't Risk Chelsea Job For Nigeria

2008-12-18T22:52:00.000-08:00

Amodu excused Mikel from Nigeria's last two engagements - a World Cup qualifying match against Sierra Leone in Abuja and a friendly last month in Colombia.

"I have explained to the team (why I left him out) and they understand. I told them it could well be their turn next time. Remember we are not paying these players. If the clubs who are paying them so much money need them, we cannot afford to be selfish and put their jobs on the line. It's give and take," Amodu said in an interview published in FourFourTwo Nigeria Magazine.

"I was not in desperate need of him for those matches but when I am, I will be the first to put my foot down."

Amodu has met twice with Chelsea manager Luis Felipe Scolari and he admitted that they differ on Mikel's best position, whether as a defensive or attacking midfielder.

"Scolari feels he should play in front of the defence particularly in the absence of Michael Essien. I also played him in that position in the friendly match against Austria," Amodu said.

"Scolari admitted that he often has to shout at him to stay back in defence and not go forward.

"I want to believe that with the Eagles his best position is as an offensive midfielder even though he has the potentials to also play defensively."

He added: "The more positions he can play, the better for all of us.

"The problem will be how the player will quickly adjust when he plays for Chelsea and when he plays for Nigeria. That is the big challenge for both Scolari and myself."

Samir Nasri Makes Arsenal Return

2008-12-18T11:30:00.000-08:00

Arsenal could close the gap on league leaders Liverpool to just five points should they claim a win when 'Pool visit north London on Sunday.

So far though this season the Gunners have had to battle with numerous injuries to key personnel, but now they are slowly getting their pivotal players back.

Eduardo da Silva, for instance, made a comeback this week in a reserve game, but was taken off at half-time after pulling his hamstring. The Crozilian forward is now expected to be back at the turn of the year.

Nearing Full Fitness

Summer signing Samir Nasri, who made an instant impact on his debut by scoring a goal after three minutes against West Bromwich Albion on the opening day of the season, will likely make the squad for the Liverpool game, while Ivorian centre back Kolo Toure is a near-certainty to miss it.

"There is a 95 per cent chance that Nasri will be available against Liverpool and a five per cent chance that Kolo Toure will come back," manager Arsene Wenger told Arsenal TV Online on Thursday.

"We also have a problem with Nicklas Bendtner, who picked up a knee injury in training. But we don’t know 100 per cent on that."

Chiellini To Sign For Arsenal?

2008-12-17T20:51:00.001-08:00

Juventus could find it hard to hold onto Giorgio Chiellini in the summer as Arsenal are keen on the defender's services.

Reports in England and Italy have been rife with speculation, and Sportmediaset claims the Gunners are keeping a close eye on the Italian international.

Chiellini's consistency and age - he is just 24-years-old - have gone down well with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and a move at the end of the season could take off.

Although the north London side have laid eyes on the stopper, they may be disappointed as it was only on Monday that his brother Claudio Chiellini exclusively told Goal.com that no move is planned.

"Giorgio signed a renewal in July with Juventus and, even though I am not his agent, I can tell you that there is a difference between talking about a deal and actually doing one," Chiellini said.

"I think that a departure is just pure fantasy."

The former Fiorentina man has been outstanding for the Bianconeri, but it's unlikely Juve will consider selling him given their Scudetto and Champions League ambitions this season.

Eduardo Finally Returns From Injury

2008-12-17T20:24:00.000-08:00

Eduardo hit the post on his return to action for Arsenal reserves last night.

The Brazilian-born Croatia striker played 45 minutes in a 2-0 win over Portsmouth reserves at Underhill in his first competitive match since his horrific leg and ankle injuries in February.

He headed one chance over the bar and then saw his shot tipped on to the post by Pompey keeper Asmir Begovic before going off at the break.

Eduardo said: "At the moment I am better and I feel very happy.

"I came off at half time because I felt something in my hamstring but I think it will be all right in two weeks.

"The situation with my injury is very hard for me but I have to forget everything bad in my life."

The Gunners won with goals from Mark Randall and Kieran Gibbs.

Arsene Wenger Remains Optimistic

2008-12-15T08:03:00.000-08:00

"We believe that champions are people who go on when everybody else stops," Wenger said. "That's the way we can show it. Nobody believes in us but we can show we still believe and keep going. I believe at the moment my team needs encouragement more than anything."

Arsenal's display, particularly in the first half, was some way above the dismal midweek performance against Porto in the Champions League, which was hardly surprising with the likes of strikers Adebayor and Robin van Persie, captain Fabregas and first-choice full-backs Bacary Sagna and Clichy restored to the starting line-up. But still it was not the dominant Arsenal of old.

Van Persie was only inches away from giving the visitors an early lead after a fabulous one-touch passing move, the Dutchman seeing his shot go just past the left-hand upright.

Adebayor then unselfishly slid in Abou Diaby on the left-side of the penalty area, the midfielder moving the ball back on to his right foot and forcing Ross Turnbull to parry at his near post.

Arsenal took the lead from the ensuing corner. Robert Huth was attracted to the ball and when he missed his header it left Adebayor unmarked and with the simplest of tasks to head past Turnbull from six yards.

Tuncay saw a tame shot gathered by Manuel Almunia, before creating the home side's equaliser just before the half-hour. The Turkey international pounced on Clichy's charged-down clearance on the right and fizzed over a first-time cross. Aliadiere threw himself at the ball and his diving header was past Almunia almost before he even had chance to move.

Boro should have had a penalty when Clichy felled Johnson, though Van Persie missed an excellent chance to put the visitors ahead again six minutes before the break. Adebayor's cross was slightly behind the Dutchman, who tried a back-heeled effort from eight yards out that failed to trouble Turnbull.

The second half was much tighter, with the ineffective Stewart Downing forcing one save from Almunia and van Persie scuffing a shot across the face of goal for Arsenal.

Turnbull beat away a near-post shot from Gunners substitute Nicklas Bendtner two minutes from time to earn his side the draw.

Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Arsenal

2008-12-13T07:54:00.000-08:00

Former Gunner Jeremie Aliadiere delivered another blow to Arsene Wenger's flickering Premier League title hopes by denying Arsenal three precious points in a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.

Aliadiere pounced with a fine glancing header in the 29th minute to cancel out Emmanuel Adebayor's 17th-minute opener and ultimately ensure Gareth Southgate's men a well-deserved share of the spoils.

Stewart Downing was denied a second-half winner by a fine save from Manuel Almunia but the Gunners also had their chances through Robin van Persie and substitute Nicklas Bendtner.

And at the final whistle there was little doubt which side was happier with the point with Wenger facing up to the prospect that his side would be even further adrift of the division's top three by the weekend's end.

Wenger had brought back his big guns after the dismal midweek Champions League loss in Porto with Emmanuel Eboue dropped to the bench - although he was given a cheer by Gunners fans when he warmed up on the touchline.

Boro, whose own form this season has been almost as topsy-turvy as their visitors, bristled with commitment and forced a succession of early corners, Adebayor heading one of them inches over his own bar.

And from another Boro set-piece, the ball eventually fell to Adam Johnson on the right side of the Gunners box but the midfielder blazed his shot high into the visiting fans behind the goal.

Almunia also had to race to the edge of his box to snatch a long ball away from Tuncay Sanli before Arsenal forced their first chance in the 11th minute, Abou Diaby setting up Van Persie who bobbled a low shot inches wide.

Wenger's men were slowly coming to life, largely thanks to the persistence of Adebayor who saw a goal-bound effort blocked by Robert Huth in the box before Ross Turnbull parried an effort from Abou Diaby.

But from the resulting 17th-minute corner the Gunners grabbed the lead when Adebayor stooped to meet captain Cesc Fabregas' set-piece in front of goal and sent a low header past Turnbull.

Tuncay tried a low long-range effort in the 25th minute that was easily gathered by Almunia down to his left while at the other end Diaby's effort from another Fabregas corner was gathered by Turnbull.

But French striker Aliadiere drew the home side level in the 29th minute with a superb glancing header from Tuncay's driven cross from the right which gave Almunia no chance.

Boro had a strong penalty appeal turned down in the 35th minute when McMahon claimed he had been tripped by Gael Clichy just inside the Boro box but referee Peter Walton waved play on.

Van Persie missed a golden chance to put his side back in front in the 38th minute when he mis-kicked completely in front of goal after Adebayor had crossed low from the right.

There was plenty more spirit coming from Southgate's men after the break as they continued to press without quite fashioning clear-cut chances, with the excellent Tuncay at the centre of everything.

And Boro came close to grabbing the lead on the hour when Stewart Downing out-paced Bacary Sagna chasing an Arca ball down the left before rifling a left-foot shot which struck Almunia's arm and went out for a corner.

Just when the Gunners were starting to look worryingly lightweight again, they had a fine chance of their own when Diaby sent through Van Persie who saw his left-foot shot slide across the face of goal from a tight angle.

Diaby sent in a long-range drive which was gathered by Turnbull much to the exasperation of Wenger, who was living every moment of a match his side needed to win on the edge of his technical area.

As the action began to tighten, Boro continued to hold the upper hand and Wenger sought to freshen things up in the 81st minute with the introduction of Nicklas Bendtner in place of Diaby.

And Bendtner almost made a big impression in the 86th minute when he sprang the Boro offside trap and hit a shot from the right side of the box which was well blocked by Turnbull in goal.

Southgate satisfiedMiddlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate was delighted to take ''a really good point'' from the 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal but lamented the decision not to award his side a first-half penalty.''We've played really well with a patched together back four and they were fantastic, the four of them. Their contribution was outstanding,'' Southgate told Sky Sports 1.''We created some good chances, Stewart Downing had a really good chance and I'm really pleased, the lads have given everything and it was a really good point for us.''Boro had a strong penalty appeal turned down in the 35th minute when Tony McMahon claimed he had been tripped by Gael Clichy just inside the Boro box but referee Peter Walton waved play on.Asked if he thought it was a penalty, Southgate said: ''Yes. We're not getting those decisions at the moment because we had one given against us at the other end against Hull last week. ''Hopefully it will turn for us.''Injury-plagued Boro defender Robert Huth, who was excellent for most of the game, admitted he was probably at fault for Adebayor's goal.''I think so, I just got dragged too far and it was probably bad positioning by myself,'' he told Sky Sports 1.The defender added: ''We had a plan from the start. It got a bit shattered when we went 1-0 down but we kept going, you could see Arsenal were struggling a bit and it was a great goal to get to 1-1.''

FOR VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS, CHECK OUT THE VIDEO BAR ABOVE.

Middlesbrough Vs Arsenal Preview

2008-12-13T04:17:00.000-08:00

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is facing up to a defensive crisis as he prepares for Arsenal's visit to the Riverside Stadium.

David Wheater is suspended after his sending-off at Hull last weekend, while Justin Hoyte and Andrew Taylor are both doubts with knee injuries.

Robert Huth (foot) and Chris Riggott (hamstring) have returned to training, but Tony McMahon, Seb Hines, Matthew Bates and Rhys Williams could come into contention if they are not ready.

Midfielder Gary O'Neil and striker Mido (both hamstring) will miss out once again, but Mohamed Shawky could be involved for the first time since he suffered a thigh injury in October.

Middlesbrough midfielder Julio Arca has warned his team-mates not to be taken in by talk of a crisis at Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger and his men have found themselves in the firing line throughout a difficult season with results at times not living up to expectations, and the controversy surrounding former captain William Gallas and midfielder Emmanuel Eboue making for unwelcome headlines.

However, the Gunners have emerged from the Champions League group stage to take their place among the Continent's elite once again, and remain a member of the top-four club.

Arca is hopeful of a repeat this time around, but has dismissed rumours of their demise.

He said: "You are always criticised when things are not going well, especially the big teams, because there are so many expectations on them to win cups and do well in every competition they play.

"I still believe Arsenal are one of the best teams. They play good football, pretty football and it's good what they are doing, giving a chance to young players to show how good they could be.

"In a year's time, probably those young players are going to cost millions.

"I know Arsenal fans expect them to win trophies, but it's good that the manager gives opportunities to the young players to play massive games, as they have been doing.''

That is a view shared by manager Gareth Southgate as he attempts to extend Boro's impressive record of having lost only once to Arsenal in their last six league meetings.

He said: "The one thing that's staggering is to hear people questioning Arsene Wenger's position because for me, he and Sir Alex [Ferguson] are the two managers you look up to as a young manager.

"Playing Arsenal just reminds you of the way they play, the style in which he wants to play, the way in which he has built that football club - which has always been a great club - in his own philosophies. He is a fantastic manager.''

Wenger will arrive at the Riverside Stadium having fielded his youngsters in Wednesday night's 2-0 defeat in Porto to meet a Boro side which slipped to a 2-1 league reverse at Hull in a late flurry.

That left Southgate's men just four points above the relegation zone, but equally, as many shy of seventh.

Arsenal expect to have captain Cesc Fabregas (knee) back along with several other first-team players.

Full-back Gael Clichy (hamstring), Robin van Persie (thigh) and the rested Emmanuel Adebayor also missed the midweek Champions League trip to Porto but should be available again, along with defender Bacary Sagna if he shakes off a virus in time.

Defender Kolo Toure (calf) and midfielder Samir Nasri (ankle) remain sidelined, along with Eduardo (leg) and long-term absentee Tomas Rosicky (hamstring).

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger maintains the strength in depth of the Barclays Premier League this season will ensure no-one runs away with the title.

The Gunners head to Middlesbrough some eight points adrift of leaders Liverpool, but boosted by the recent victory over rivals Chelsea.

Rafael Benitez is, though, not getting carried away with the Reds' lofty position - and declared it would need the other big four to "mess up their season'' to ensure a smooth path towards the title come May.

Arsenal have yet to lose to any of the teams above them, and host Liverpool next Sunday.

However, they have been beaten by the likes of Hull, Fulham, Stoke and Manchester City, as well as fifth-placed Aston Villa.

Wenger insists the increased competition among the rest of England's elite clubs proves no encounter can be considered an easy ride any more.

He told Arsenal TV Online: "The level of demands are higher from everywhere.

"People always want top, top quality with top results, but on the other hand you have better teams in the Premier League than ever and that is why it is difficult for everybody.

"You cannot have on one side the best Premier League in the world and on the other side have teams just to turn up and think you will win the game. You will have surprises."

Fc Porto Vs Arsenal Report

2008-12-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

Below-par Arsenal slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Porto to leave themselves with a tougher path towards Champions League glory.

With his side already qualified for the last 16 and with several key men - like captain Cesc Fabregas and striker Robin van Persie - carrying injuries, manager Arsene Wenger felt confident enough to take a calculated gamble with his team selection against a well-organised Portuguese outfit, who had never lost here to an English side a European tie.

However, the move back-fired as the much-changed Gunners never really got going and were undone by goals either side of the break by Bruno Alves and Lisandro Lopez.

Arsenal will now be drawn against one of the group winners next Friday - which include Juventus, Bayern Munich and Barcelona - and so must play the second leg away from home.

While the road to the Champions League final in Rome is certainly not blocked for the Gunners, the path has now become somewhat more treacherous after Wenger's 700th game in charge of Arsenal ended in his 129th defeat (he's also registered 406 wins and 165 draws since joining the club in September 1996).

Emmanuel Eboue had been jeered off when he was replaced toward the end of last week's Premier League game against Wigan following some poor touches.

However, the 25-year-old, playing at right-back, was given a warm welcome by the small travelling band of some 1,500 or so Arsenal fans at the Estadio do Dragao, which was far from full.

It was a bright start by the Gunners.

After five minutes, Mexican teenager Carlos Vela drew a foul out on the left. Denilson sent in a deep free-kick, which Diaby headed over.

At the other end, Eboue was penalised for running across Hulk as the striker charged towards the Arsenal penalty area.

The free-kick, some 25 yards out, just to the left of the arc, was taken by Bruno Alves and Almunia had to get down to his right to make a smart save.

With both teams already assured of a place in the last 16, there was something of a low key feel about the match as the quarter-hour marked approached.

The first real chance opened up for the visitors on 25 minutes when Nicklas Bendtner - this week in bright green boots - fed Aaron Ramsey on the right edge of the Porto box.

The young Welshman turned his marker and fired in a low, angled shot, which Helton did well to push around the far post.

Almunia came to Arsenal's rescue when he blocked Lucho Gonzalez's close-range effort and William Gallas hacked the loose ball clear.

Space opened up again in front of the Arsenal box on 33 minutes, this time Raul Meireles drilled a 20-yard strike just wide.

It was no surprise when the home side took the lead six minutes before the break.

A corner from the left was floated into the Arsenal box, and Bruno Alves arrived in front of Abou Diaby at the far post to head past Almunia.

Arsenal, who only needed a point to secure top spot, stepped up a gear as they tried to get back on level terms before half-time.

However, their delivery into the danger area was poor as the Porto defence stood firm.

The visitors were soon further behind in the 54th minute.

Arsenal gave possession away in midfield, with Fernando picking up the ball and feeding it through to Lisandro at the edge of the box.

The striker made no mistake, smashing his shot into the top right corner.

Arsenal again looked to make an immediate response, with Ramsey's neat turn and shot testing Helton.

Wenger made a double change on 59 minutes, when youngster Kieran Gibbs replaced Diaby and 16-year-old Jack Wilshere for Ramsey.

It would have been all over for the Gunners had Cristian Rodriguez not pulled his angled shot wide when played in on the overlap down the left.

As it was, there remained hope of a comeback and slowly Arsenal mounted some pressure.

However, Rodriguez almost got clear of Eboue as they raced towards the Arsenal goal, but the defender did enough to pressurise the striker into a shot off target.

Lucho dragged his close-range shot wide as the Gunners were exposed at the back once more.

Arsenal were awarded a free-kick just outside the box, but Bendtner's low shot beat the wall, the Porto keeper collected it comfortably - which just about summed up a lacklustre display from the Gunners.

Preview: Fc Porto VS Arsenal

2008-12-10T09:08:00.000-08:00

Arsenal welcome back William Gallas and Abou Diaby for the Champions League trip to Porto - but will rest captain Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.

As the Gunners have already qualified - and with one eye on Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash at Middlesbrough - full-backs Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy, strikers Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie and centre-half Kolo Toure are also staying in London.

Youngsters Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs, Gavin Hoyte, Mark Randall, Fran Merida, Jack Wilshere and Jay Simpson all make the travelling squad, which also includes midfielder Emmanuel Eboue - who was jeered off in Saturday's home game against Wigan.

Arsene Wenger will give Emmanuel Eboue the chance to silence the Arsenal boo-boys.

The Ivory Coast midfielder suffered the ignominy of being replaced minutes from the end of the 1-0 win over Wigan on Saturday following a run of poor touches which had the crowd on his back.

Eboue had just returned from a six-week spell on the sidelines and was only brought on to replace Samir Nasri during the first half.

Wenger admitted he removed the 25-year-old from the firing line because he feared another lapse in concentration could lead to his team conceding a costly late goal.

However, he sees no reason why Eboue should not be able to produce a performance in the Estadio do Dragao, where avoiding defeat would see Arsenal - who have already qualified for the last 16 - through as group winners.

"Emmanuel Eboue will start,'' Wenger confirmed. "He is completely in the right frame of mind.

"Of course he was disappointed for a few days but football is magic because you have the next game and in that you have the opportunity to show how good you are.''

Wenger was also quick to remind Gunners fans of how fortunate they were to be watching such an exciting young team, one which deserved their full support during the game.

"You can understand everything when you are in football. However, you want your fans to be behind the team for 90 minutes,'' he said.

"After the game, everyone is entitled to have an opinion. We accept any opinion at the club and are open to everyone's opinion.

"But no matter what happens you still want your fans to be behind the team during the 90 minutes.

"I believe they [the fans] have been swayed by the scepticism from the media which has affected their belief, which can have consequences on the team.

"I believe they are lucky to have an extremely young team with a magnificent talent who can do extremely well.

"These players want to do well, they have the potential to do well, and they can fight against the scepticism.

"There is only one way for the fans to help that. You want your fans to be behind the team because they deserve it.''

Wenger, who will reach another milestone when he takes charge of his 700th game in charge of the Gunners, insists his side will not be over-confident against Porto.

"We know when we travel in the Champions League they are always difficult games,'' he said.

"Maybe Porto will play with a bit less pressure because they are already qualified - and that can sometimes make them more dangerous. We will be completely focused and prepared to be at our best.''

Porto boss Jesualdo Ferreira maintains there will be "no vendetta'' when Arsenal come to Estadio do Dragao to decide who finishes top of Champions League Group G.

The Gunners romped to a 4-0 victory over the Portuguese side at Emirates Stadium in September - a result which actually flattered the visitors such was the dominance of Wenger's men.

Nevertheless, following away wins over both Dynamo Kiev and Fenerbahce, Porto - who won the Champions League in 2003/2004 under Jose Mourinho - have, like Arsenal, now already made sure of their place in the last 16.

Porto have never lost to an English side at home in Europe and Ferreira maintains, with the pressure off, nothing other than three points will be at stake.

"There will be no vendetta against Arsenal. Porto will be just playing with great responsibility,'' Ferreira said.

"It is very important to progress in this competition. It is what every player and coach wants.

"The game will be just to decide who is first or second, nothing else.

"Both teams will come here relaxed because they are already qualified, and so it should be a great game to watch.

"It is in our philosophy to win every game and we will play to do that.''

History would favour the draw, which would send Arsenal through as group winners, given six of Porto's 10 previous home contests against English opposition have finished all-square.

Go Gunners!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-09T22:38:00.000-08:00