There are ‘no limits’ to what Napoli can achieve this Serie A season, according to manager Walter Mazzarri.
Mazzarri’s side is three points from league-leaders AC Milan, with the latter faltering badly after the Serie A’s winter break.
Napoli have a testing trip to Roma on Saturday, and Mazzarri knows the importance of every game as the season enters its final third.
“We have no limits,” Mazzarri said.
“We will play each match as if it were a final, that is all. The rest is only a media slogan more than for us, we’re not interested. We will only look at the table at the end of the season. If a team never loses at home it means it is even more difficult to face at home.”
Roma sit in seventh on the Serie A table, but will be smarting from a 5-3 thumping at the hands of third-placed Inter Milan last Sunday.
The result ended a five-game undefeated streak for Claudio Ranieri’s men, and Mazzarri is aiming to prolong Roma’s misery for his side’s own benefit.
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“We hope to play a perfect match in order to keep our title hopes alive and it will be a further boost in our confidence,” he said.
“If we play at our best, giving 100 percent as we did in many matches, both in defence and in attack, we know we can give any team a game.”
Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel has been making noises all summer about a potential move away from the club, but going into a fresh campaign, with a tinkered style of play and a new manager at the helm, it’s of paramount importance that the club keep hold of one of their most prized assets.
Alongside Daniel Agger, the Slovakian centre-back formed one of the top flight’s best centre-back partnerships last season. I’ve long since championed Skrtel’s cause as the best natural defender within the Liverpool squad while many have been seduced by the more eye-catching ball-playing stylings of Agger. Skrtel is solid, reliable and first and foremost, he actually relishes defending, which is a hugely underrated quality.
Skrtel hardly sounds as if he’s wholly committed to the club’s cause at the moment, and is staying put more out of contractual obligation than any real desire to: “There exists a number of offers but without the permission of Liverpool nothing can move forward. We have been in talks about a new contract but it has not moved forward. At the moment I am a Liverpool player and what happens in future in football you can never foresee.”
The defender remains a transfer target for Manchester City as they seek to add more depth their title-winning side. It’s somewhat understandable considering that the club recently missed out on Thiago Silva who has just moved to moneybags PSG. While Joleon Lescott has come on in leaps and bounds and his partnership alongside Vincent Kompany was at the heart of their triumph last term, Roberto Mancini is thought to be keen to add a proven Premier League centre-back to their squad, with doubts remaining over Stefan Savic and Kolo Toure having been sold to Bursaspor.
It is worth noting, though, that despite the conjecture, Liverpool have yet to receive any concrete offer for the player and he still has two years left to run on his contract. While it may be spun that he is ‘seeking reassurances about the club’s ambitions’, he is undoubtedly one of the most key and senior players at the club now and he may just want to find out what Brendan Rodgers plans are for the him and the side before they set about discussing a new deal.
He was voted the Player of the Season by the fans last term in a standout campaign. Skrtel has always been a natural defender, but the suspicion remained that he was too keen to dive in early in the tackle, which left him susceptible to getting turned and leaving a big gap behind him. He’s an attacking centre-half that always seemed to play better whenever he had Jamie Carragher alongside him constantly talking in his ear, telling him when to push on and when to hold his position.
It appears to have worked as he’s now the main main marshaling the club’s excellent back four as the club kept 12 clean sheets last term despite enduring a terrible run of form in the aftermath of their Carling Cup triumph.
An often overlooked quality of Skrtel’s, though, is his recovery pace. Under Rodgers he will be asked to perform a tactically aware role, be comfortable in possession and press the opposition high up the pitch, and if this leaves gaps behind the back four, even if they have Pepe Reina returning to a sweeper-like position in goal, Skrtel’s pace at centre-back will be crucial and it’s something that none of Agger, Carragher of Sebastian Coates have in abundance.You really can’t underestimate the importance of balance in a central defensive partnership, with the left-footed Agger complimenting Skrtel excellently. In the nine games that Skrtel played without Agger last season, the side kept just two clean sheets.
Rodgers is eager to keep the defender at Anfield this summer stating after his side’s 1-1 friendly draw against Toronto FC: ” I’ve heard nothing from any other club. Martin has been fantastic and seems happy and contented. He fits into my plans and ideas. I will fight as hard as I can to keep the players that I want here and he is one of them.”
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He is unquestionably one of the best centre-halves in the Premier League at present and has helped form one of the most feared and consistent partnerships, to lose him now would prove a hammer blow. His no-nonsense style will obviously draw admiring glances from Europe’s top bosses and he’s one of the most underrated defenders on the continent and the club must keep hold of him at all costs if Liverpool are to make good on their ambitions.
Tottenham have rejected a spectacular £40 million bid from Chelsea for Luka Modric, with the Stamford Bridge club foiled in a last-ditch effort to sign the playmaker.
The Croatia international has been the subject of transfer speculation throughout the summer, and has expressed his desire to join Spurs’ London rivals. Despite this, Harry Redknapp and chairman Daniel Levy have stood firm in stating that they would not sell their star player.
In a frantic last day of the transfer window, Redknapp has confirmed that the White Hart Lane outfit turned away a huge last gasp bid from Andre Villas-Boas’ side.
“The chairman stood firm over Luka. I think £40million was apparently offered yesterday. Whether that is true or not, it is what I heard,” the Tottenham boss told Sky Sports News.
“It is a big offer to turn down, that’s for sure. I am delighted the little man is still here and hopefully he will have a great season for us.”
Modric will now go on international duty, and has games against Malta and Israel in the next week; his club boss believes he will return to North London ready to turn out for Spurs.
“He has got two international games this week. There’s good competition.
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“Sandro is getting fit, Scott Parker has arrived, Tom Huddlestone. We’ve got good players in the middle of the park so we’re looking forward to it now,” he concluded.
Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola was a proud man after his side equaled the La Liga record of 15 straight victories.
Barca’s 3-0 victory away to Hercules not only avenged their defeat to the Spanish strugglers in September last year, but equalled the league record set by Real Madrid in the 1960-61 season.
Guardiola did not shy away from talking down the achievement that his all-conquering side brought up on Saturday, as they consolidated their seven-point advantage on top of the table, although Jose Mourinho’s Real side scan reduce the gap when they face Osasuna on Sunday.
“It is a tremendous honour to win 15 consecutive league games and equal the record of (Alfredo) di Stefano’s Real Madrid side,” Guardiola said of the team which won the first five European Cups between 1956 and 1960.
“I am sure that some team will beat the record but nobody has managed to do it in 50 years. We are proud. If 50 years have passed, it shows how difficult it is.”
Barcelona will hold the record outright if they can beat Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou next week.
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Guardiola also heaped praise on midfielder Lionel Messi, who scored two goals to seal the match against Hercules.
“He (Messi) has scored 164 goals at the age of 23 and is fourth in Barcelona’s all-time scorer’s list, but if he continues like this he is going to break all the records,” he said.
Tottenham have made an offer for Russia’s Euro 2012 star Alan Dzagoev according to the player’s father.
The attacking midfielder, who currently plays for CSKA Moscow, impressed for Dick Advocaat’s men and scored three goals despite the eastern European powerhouses being eliminated in the group stages.
The latest Russia superstar is thought to be on the radar of a wide range of leading European clubs, and the playmaker’s father has revealed that there is an offer on the table from the north London outfit.
“I don’t know if he will stay at CSKA,” The Daily Mail haves his father Tariel as saying.
“There are offers – from Spurs and other foreign clubs. But I tell him not to hurry. Yuri Zhirkov ran off to Chelsea and sat on the bench,” he concluded.
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Meanwhile Andre Villas Boas is widely expected to be named as Harry Redknapp’s successor in the next week.
Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish is happy with Steven Gerrard’s recovery from injury, but the captain’s return date remains unchanged.The English Premier League outfit revealed on Saturday that Gerrard was suffering from a groin infection and would be out until September.
But despite positive news regarding his recovery, the Anfield club have not changed the date of his expected return.
“Steven won’t be too far away,” Dalglish told reporters at the unveiling of the club’s four new signings – midfielders Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam and goalkeeper Doni.
“The tests that have come back are far better than what was anticipated, so we are delighted by that.”
“We’ve had positive news but the return date the club has stated remains the same.”
Liverpool, 18-time English champions, could only manage a sixth-place finish after a slow start to last season.
Dalglish said he was unsure what would happen this campaign, but he was confident of improving.
“It’s no bad reflection on anything anybody did last year because everybody looks for improvements and that’s all we’re trying to do – improve the football club,” he said.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but we’re certainly happy with the people we’ve got here at the moment.”
“Quality is more important than depth, but if you’ve got a bit of depth as well it’s always helpful.”
Scot Adam, who was linked with a move to Liverpool from Blackpool during January, finally joined the club in July.
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He said he wanted to move on from the losing relegation battle he was a part of at Bloomfield Road.
“I think the performances I put in from January until the end of the season showed that I was 110 percent behind the club. I wanted to help keep Blackpool in the league and it was disappointing we couldn’t do that,” Adam said.
“But I’m just delighted to be here now as a Liverpool player. It’s time to move on and look to the future.”
Congolese side TP Mazembe have continued their stellar season with a penalty shootout victory over FUS Rabat in the African Super Cup final.
Mazembe achieved global recognition in December when they became the first African side to qualify for the FIFA World Club Cup final, where they eventually lost 3-0 to Italian champions Inter Milan.
Lamine N’Diaye’s side were not to be denied on this occasion though, although they did need penalties to overcome Rabat in the Super Cup final, which is contested by the winners of the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederations Cup.
Neither side could find a goal in regulation time or the 30 minutes of extra time at the Stade Frederic Kibassa Maliba in Lumumbashi, meaning the trophy would be decided on penalties.
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Even then there was little separating the sides, with Mazembe eventually triumphing 9-8 after a marathon shoot-out in front of a vocal home crowd.
And so the summer transfer window rolls around again and with it bringing a storm of uncertainty over Liverpool. They have their new manager but the club are being relentlessly linked to a vast quantity of players as they look to improve upon last season’s dismal showing. But having spent two years away from the club on loan, will Alberto Aquilani finally get his chance to win over the Anfield faithful?
Often seen as a replacement for Xabi Alonso by Liverpool fans when he signed in 2009 they were disappointed that he could not fill the boots of the Spaniard. Yet they are not similar players. Alonso is known for sitting deep and spraying the ball across the park while Aquilani is at his best in a more advanced role with less defensive duties. A series of injuries during his first year at Liverpool also irked the supporters; they were not seeing a return on the money spent.
He was thus sent out on loan to Juventus the following season. Aquilani enjoyed a decent spell with the Turin club achieving a pass success average of 82.2 per cent whilst also contributing two goals and five assists. But with a new manager coming in at the end of his spell in Antonio Conte no place in the squad was seen for him in the long term following the acquisition of Andrea Pirlo.
Pirlo’s transfer led to Milan taking Aquilani on loan the next season. He had a similarly productive season, finishing with a pass completion percentage higher than that of Pirlo’s at 87.1%. However, Aquilani only started 14 games and made nine substitute appearances while the Juventus player started 37 matches. He also accumulated an average of 42.5 passes per game, under half of players such as Pirlo or Barcelona’s Xavi but Aquilani does not claim to be a midfield lynchpin as the aforementioned duo.
When playing for Massimo Allegri’s side Aquilani often formed part of a midfield three in a 4-3-1-2 which saw a great deal of rotation. He managed to accumulate six assists from this position, more than any other player who operated there for Milan. This certainly shows that he is still capable of making a telling contribution to a team that is challenging for domestic honours.
He may have only scored one goal during his time at the San Siro but his stats suggest he would be at home in a team conducted by Brendan Rodgers. Having built a reputation as a manager who encourages his team to play a high quality passing game, Aquilani could well be in his element. With Steven Gerrard now unable to burst forward from midfield the Italian would have a license to play further forward, suiting his style of play.
Reports are that he could terminate his contract in order to move to Milan but having spent £17million to acquire his services from Roma it would be awful business for Liverpool to let him go for free. With Jordan Henderson struggling to make an impact in the Anfield midfield there are certainly positions open for contention. Aquilani would help provide some decent competition whilst also possibly offering something himself.
Some may argue that he will find less time on the ball in the English game than he did in Serie A. But with Rodgers’ at the helm the team they will seek to hold onto possession as much as possible, creating their own time on the ball to pull open the space and create opportunities. Surely then, Liverpool would not allow one of the top 20 passers from Serie A last season slip away?
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All statistics supplied by www.whoscored.com
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Those who read my articles regularly won’t be surprised to hear that I don’t have a problem with fans booing their own team, and yesterday is no exception.
For the most obvious part, it’s freedom of expression; we pay stupidly high ticket prices that goes into the pockets of overpaid and underachieving players and greedy shareholders. If we take the time and effort to go and support these millionaires, we can also let them know how we feel if they’re not trying hard enough.
Sure, a pre-season friendly match in itself does not matter or count towards anything, even if it would be nice to get a bit of a show at the Emirates for fans who often don’t get to go to the bigger games during the season. My point is, I think it would be naive to say the boos yesterday were a knee-jerk reaction to one bad performance.
I wasn’t at the game, and I don’t know for sure if I would have joined in the booing had I been there, but if I had, I would be booing the management for clearly not fixing the team’s problems from last season and many seasons before.
Wenger said very early in the summer that we needed to improve defensively, and that he would be signing a tall and strong centre-back to aid this issue. We’re in August now, less than two weeks away from the start of the season, and we still haven’t signed this player. Instead we’ve sold a left-back, signed three teenagers, and brought in a striker. The saddest thing is, it’s totally predictable.
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Fans booed at the last home game of the season at home to Aston Villa, as another home defeat meant another promising season had gone down the toilet. We can’t see into the future, but it looks likely from our lack of activity in the transfer market that we’re heading for another Groundhog Day season, so why wait until the end to signal our discontent?
Hopefully getting angry now will pressure Wenger into spending some money before it’s too late. Myles Palmer seems confident that we’ll be signing three players this week, but considering it seems to take us a whole month just to sign one player, I’d be very surprised if that happened.
Anyway, don’t be worried about being called a bad fan because you care about the performance of the club more than the feelings of a few individuals who aren’t doing your club proud. They need to know it’s not good enough.
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Article courtesy of Mark Brus from the excellent Arsenal Mania
Tottenham’s midfielder Niko Kranjcar must be feeling pretty confused at the moment. His manager Harry Redknapp obviously rates him; he bought him from his old cub Portsmouth. Yet, despite public cries that the Croat is very much part of his long-term plans, Redknapp insists on bringing in others and forcing Kranjcar further down the pecking order. So is it time for Kranjcar to turn his back on Spurs?
We all know it’s a squad game. Tottenham have to plan for a potential fixture pile-up due to a combination of Champions League football, an ambitious pursuit of Premier League glory and rearranged games due to the ‘big freeze’. But Kranjcar’s case is different to any other of the squad players at White Hart Lane, or anywhere else for that matter. How can his manager justify only including him in six fixtures all season, but still insisting the player has a ‘big part to play this season’? No one can doubt his ability at 26, he has plenty to offer. But if getting in ahead of the likes of Gareth Bale, Rafael van der Vaart or Luka Modric wasn’t hard enough, Kranjcar now has to compete with the latest White Hart Lane recruit – Steven Pienaar.
So what is it about him that the rest of us can’t see? He generally does well when called upon, and we never hear about him brawling with team-mates on the training ground or getting into trouble on nights out. I’d be tempted to side with the midfielder and assume he hasn’t exactly been treated brilliantly by his manager. If you plan to sign someone like Pienaar, why deny Kranjcar the chance to go the other way? Everton bid £3 million, if reports are to believed.
And what about the proposed move to Werder Bremen? Redknapp didn’t exactly stand in his way, but talking to the press, he did his utmost to make us all believe he didn’t want to lose such a talented player. My response would be to play him a little more!
True, Kranjcar has been unlucky with injuries. When he first joined Tottenham, he was heavily involved in first-team action. But if this tells us anything, it’s that he is considered good enough by the Spurs management. With this in mind, signing Pienaar is a bit of a mystery to me.
Kranjcar has every right to feel hard done by. Maybe his problem is that he isn’t the modern day prima-donna who will start throwing his incredibly flash and expensive toys and of his brand new pram because he isn’t getting his own way. Is he becoming a victim of professionalism? We can only speculate. But if another player like van der Vaart for example wasn’t getting much playing time, it would be interesting to see how he’d react if his club turned down a bid from another club.
What’s worrying for the Croatian himself, is that his national team manager Slaven Bilic has now come out and said he needs to be playing football. He could quite easily be playing the same standard of football elsewhere but as it stands, Tottenham seem to be stifling his progress.
Niko Kranjcar is too good to be a squad player at a club like Spurs. At 26, time is on his side, yet you get the feeling his next move is a big one. Kranjcar owes nothing to Spurs and if he were to come out and demand a transfer like so many other of the Premier League’s ‘stars’ then I personally wouldn’t blame him in the slightest. Time to go, Niko.
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