Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani has committed his immediate future to Serie A club Napoli after signing a one-year contract extension.Cavani, 24, starred in Uruguay’s run to the 2010 World Cup semi-finals in South Africa.
This season he has helped Napoli to third place in Serie A and Champions League qualification, with his performances reportedly attracting interest from several European giants.
But the former Palermo man, who was already contracted to Napoli until 2015, has put an end to speculation that he may leave the Stadio San Paolo in the close season by signing on for a further year.
“Next season I want to fight to bring something more to these unique supporters,” Cavani told Radio Marte.
“We’ll try to fight for the Scudetto again as, with this squad, the hunger for success and this serious project in place, we can go far.”
“My family is very happy in Naples and I want to do well here.”
“I decided to stay at Napoli because of the way this city and its fans have treated me.”
“With my renewal, the club proved it wants to achieve many more great things in future.”
“When a person feels so much affection, he has to repay them and that is why I wanted to extend my contract with Napoli.”
“The love of the Napoli supporters is unique, as the only time I felt such affection was the return to Uruguay after the World Cup.”
Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis was more than happy to strengthen his club’s hold on a player who has scored 26 goals in the league this season.
“We are satisfied and I’m personally happy to have in my team a champion, but especially a good person,” De Laurentiis said.
I think it’s fair to say Manchester United have picked up the buy of the season in Mexican sensation Javier Hernandez. ‘The Little Pea’ has been an instant hit in the Premiership after completing a summer move from his homeland. This is reaffirmed with his twenty goals in all competitions for the Red Devils. Hernandez has notched thirteen Premier Leagues goals in a season where he has only completed ninety minutes on five occasions, making his feat even more laudable. Sir Alex Ferguson’s faith in his young striker has paid dividends and shown what a young player can do at a big club if given the opportunity. Sir Alex has also given me the opportunity to raise an interesting question. I wonder – if Carlos Vela and Giovani dos Santos had been entrusted in the same way at their clubs as Hernandez has at United, might they may have blossomed similarly?
So what are the main reasons why Hernandez’s countrymen haven’t taken off in the Premiership in the same way as he has. Firstly maybe it’s simply the case that Vela and dos Santos aren’t good enough to be first choice at top Premiership clubs? They have both been in England for some time now and neither has made sufficient steps towards becoming a regular first team player. It’s almost as if they are both seen by their managers as players who have potential, but aren’t ready to realise it yet, so the best thing is to ship them out on loan. In dos Santos’ case it could be argued that surely Barcelona wouldn’t let a product of their youth system go if they thought he had the potential to be a top quality player? [ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’right’]
My second rationale could simply be that maybe Vela and dos Santos haven’t been given enough of a chance to show what they can do yet? Giovani has only played ten league games for Spurs since joining them in 2008 and Vela has only played twenty nine league games for Arsenal since 2005, although he did spend the first two years out on loan. If Hernandez had been used as sparingly as his compatriots this season, his talent may still be locked away. It would have been easy for Fergie to stick with the tried and tested Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov combination and maybe if Michael Owen had been fit all year Hernandez wouldn’t have broken through? However, luckily for Man United fans, his goal scoring qualities have been exposed to us. This has meant Chicharito has been able to score some crucial goals that have guided United to within a point of their record breaking nineteenth title.
Both Giovani and Vela are highly rated within the national team set up with Mexico and they are both clearly talented footballers, so why has it not gone to plan for them in North London? After Giovani’s superb performances for Mexico at the World Cup he may well have thought he would have got his chance at the Lane this season. Both players are still young and could still embark on successful club careers, however whether it is in the capital or elsewhere depends whether Arsene Wenger and Harry Redknapp give them their shot. So is it a case of Arsenal and Tottenham not giving their Mexicans enough opportunity to showcase their ability or is it more a question of the two players not being good enough? It’s a question Arsenal and Spurs fans will be best equipped to answer, so what do you think?
FootballFanCast.com WORLD Exclusive, Robbie Savage’s Face in a Baby Scan
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Robin van Persie has taken aim at some of his English team-mates and believes their lifestyle could limit the length of their careers.The Arsenal striker told The Sun he felt a party and drinking culture was more widely embraced by English professionals, and was part of the reason their careers did not last as long as those of their counterparts from the continent.
The Dutchman said footballers must be clear about their priorities in order to succeed at the top level.
“The really top players aren’t fooled by riches or fame because they are fully focused with their football,” the 27-year-old said.
“For me, it’s very important to be having breakfast every morning with my two children and that wouldn’t be possible if you were hanging about in a discotheque all night.”
“When I see some of my English colleagues who are out til three in the morning, then I can only conclude that they are invariably finished at 33.”
“I have made another choice and that’s to be doing what I love the most, playing football.”
Van Persie said Arsenal would need to inject some new faces into the current squad as they bid to end a run of six seasons without silverware at the Emirates Stadium.
“Every year it always goes wrong in an identical way and that is frustrating,” he said.
“When you look at results in the last years, then Arsenal shouldn’t be talking about winning the league because too many times things have gone wrong.”
“Sometimes you have to eat the truth and be realistic. But I do believe, with the signing of a number of players, then next season we should be in there competing for prizes.”
Liverpool’s Luis Suarez has stated that he knows he harbours a sizeable bulk of the side’s goalscoring responsibilities in 2011/12, but that he will try to remain calm amid heightened expectations.
The former Ajax forward was signed along with Andy Carroll to replace outgoing Fernando Torres in January, and made a good start to his career on Merseyside with impressive performances and four goals in 2010/11. Despite this, the weight of his £22.8million transfer has not gone unnoticed.
“There are so many people watching you. You feel the pressure of what the club has paid for you, but I tried to live as calmly as I could, not to think about the people watching me,” the 24-year-old told Don Balon.
He also revealed his predecessor gave him some words of wisdom before moving to Chelsea for £50 million.
“He told me to be the same player I always was, not to try to change, that Liverpool were a great team and that they would help me to grow a lot. The truth is that his advice was a great help and he was not wrong, he was exactly right,” the Uruguayan continued.
Suarez is represented by Pere Guardiola, brother of Barcelona coach Pep, and he stated an admiration for the current European champions.
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“Before knowing Pere, I had that dream of having the chance to play for Barcelona. Obviously he is connected to Barcelona through his brother, but these are work issues, totally different to personal ones. If [Pep] Guardiola wants me, he will want me totally independently of who represents me,” he concluded.
The Liverpool frontman is currently in Argentina on international for Uruguay in the Copa America.
New Sunderland signing Sebastian Larsson has revealed that working with Steve Bruce again was the key factor in the Swede’s decision to move to Wearside, amid interest from other clubs.
The Scandinavian was available on a free transfer following Birmingham’s relegation, and despite interest from Newcastle and Arsenal, he was eager to link up with his old Blues boss again.
“The gaffer showed an interest in me quite early, a lot of interest, which is obviously nice. I have worked with him before and it is a big club, a massive club,” he is stated as saying in The Telegraph.
“I wanted to take the next step and I really feel I have done that by coming here. It has a huge fan base, great stadium and facilities and that is what you want when you play football. The club are trying to push forward. There have been quite a few new signings which, hopefully, will make the squad better,” he stated.
The midfielder is one of nine additions to the Black Cats squad in the transfer window, and the 26-year-old is impressed by the outfit’s ambitions of spending money whilst they can.
“That is what they told me before I signed – that they were really going to try and have a go. How far that goes, we will have to wait and see,” he concluded.
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Sunderland open their 2011/12 Premier League campaign against Liverpool at Anfield on August 13th.
A hard fought draw was all that Liverpool could muster in their opening day of the season. It will take time for the new boys to gel and supporters should show the team great patience in Kenny’s new look team before it starts to turn out results.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of blogs that include Liverpool’s transfer pledge; King Kenny to finally deliver, while it is time for supporters to move on from Alonso.
We also look at the best Liverpool articles around the web this week.
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What to expect from Liverpool FC
Caption Competition: Newcastle’s loss is Liverpool’s gain
FOUR Liverpool players whose future lies away from Anfield?
Will this new transfer strategy see other Premier League clubs follow suit?
The perfect way to fast-track Liverpool’s development?
Liverpool’s trump card in Premier League title race
Will King Kenny finally deliver silverware to Anfield?
Time for Liverpool to move on
Liverpool chief’s transfer pledge
Liverpool lining up Dann swoop
A genuine cause for concern at Liverpool?
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Best of WEB
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Reality Check – This is Anfield
How Liverpool Can Win The League Title – Tomkins Times
Player-by-player 2011/12 Preview – This is Anfield
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Fan Focus: Getting The Lowdown On Liverpool From Paul Tomkins – Roker Report
SO WHAT WILL WE BE GETTING FOR £6MILLION? – Live4Liverpool
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Click on Miss Blasi below to see her in all her glory
If there was one concern to take from the 1-1 draw against Sunderland on Saturday, it was the lack of pressing and the deep defensive line which Liverpool adopted, especially in the second half. Although Liverpool struggled to establish themselves on Sunderland in the second period, utilising at times some aimless long passing, a big reason why the Reds lost control of the match was because of the team shape.
Certainly a lack of control of the ball in the second half was a main contributory factor in the Reds not pushing on from their first half display, but what was strikingly evident was how deep the Reds back line was playing at times. It was not only the backline which withdrew deeper though, the Reds midfield also began to stand off Sunderland which inevitably meant less possession and less opportunities for the Reds to attack further up the pitch.
No pressure on the ball allowed Sunderland back into the game, and when Larsson scored, Liverpool failed to grab back the initiative. Instead they continued to play pretty deep. This defensive line led to some of the problems Liverpool had in the attacking half of the pitch in the second period.
Rather than having the ball in more advanced areas, the Reds more often than not had the ball in the back four, and with the Reds not pushing up in midfield, there were very few options for the backline to pick out. It all began to go a bit ragged as the second half went on with the Reds resorting to long ball tactics, trying to pick out an increasingly isolated Andy Carroll . This inevitably led to the ball being given away which became part of a vicious cycle where the back four gave possession away, leading the backline to go deeper and deeper.
So what may have led to such a deep backline and to a lack of pressing in midfield? Would this have been a planned tactic by Dalglish and Clarke? Although there were times under Dalglish last season where the Reds didn’t press the ball very well (e.g v Tottenham), in most matches it was noticeable that there was marked return to higher pressing than there was under previous manager Roy Hodgson. Against teams such as Manchester United and Manchester City, this was very evident indeed.
Against Sunderland however, there was one big difference: personnel. The Reds team is still gelling together, and in the second half especially, the lack of communication was evident as the Reds gave the ball away a lot more. The Reds looked good with possession in the first half and had a lot more of it, but still they did look unconvincing off the ball. In the second half, with less possession, this meant more problems and it is clear that the likes of Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson are not used to pressing as much without the ball.
Again, I must reiterate, this is only one match and things will take time to get right, and I hope that on the training ground this week, Kenny Dalglish and Steve Clarke take measures to address this lack of pressing, which led to the backline moving deeper and deeper.
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Read more of David Tully’s articles at Live4Liverpool
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has spoken of his happiness at his side’s 1-0 win over Swansea on Saturday, stating it was vital for the Gunners to get their first win of the season.
After just one point from their first three games, and the 8-2 humiliation against Manchester United in their last outing, The Gunners were under pressure to get a win against the newly promoted team.
An Andrey Arshavin goal five minutes before half-time gave the London side a 1-0 victory, but the home team were helped by a mistake Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm.
Despite this, the French trainer was pleased with the victory.
“It was vital for us to win the game. I think we started quite well and slowly the nerves took over. We played handbrake-ish, restrictive in the second half,” Wenger told Sky Sports.
“It’s not often that we pass the ball back to the goalkeeper from halfway. We just wanted to get over the line. We didn’t manage the second goal and any mistake and then you don’t win the game – a game that we absolutely had to win.
“Swansea make it difficult for you because they keep the ball well and are quick on the flanks,” he continued.
In a new look Arsenal team, Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta made their first appearances for their new club, and their boss was happy with the manner of the performances.
“Mertesacker was calm and composed – he leads the line well but needs to adapt to the pace of the game. Arteta played well overall, especially in the first half. You could see that he will bring us some technical security,” he praised.
Russia international Arshavin has had a dip in form of late, but Wenger has backed the goalscorer to get back to his best.
“Arshavin has a very good spirit. He had lost confidence and has a good attitude in training – people sometimes think he doesn’t care. That’s not true at all, he cares very much and he had just lost confidence – you could see he was himself again,” he concluded.
Arsenal will now face a tough test in midweek as their Champions League campaign starts on Tuesday with a trip to Germany to take on Bundesliga holders Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.
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The House of Commons has set a date for the debate surrounding confidential documents relating to the Hillsborough stadium disaster. An online petition has passed the 100,000 signatures mark, requiring the motion to be automatically added to the agenda for October 17th. Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, who was the club’s player-manager at the time of the disaster, has signed the petition, along with former boss Rafael Benitez, who told the Daily Mail he had “signed the petition already and have been supporting that decision”.
In other news this morning, Joey Barton’s ‘free’ transfer to QPR has sparked controversy after rumours began of massive payments to agents; Sir Alex Ferguson has dubbed striker Wayne Rooney the ‘white Pele’; Swiss side FC Sion step up their legal campaign to stay in the Europa League; and
Hillsborough files set to be debated in House of Commons – Daily Mail
FC Sion seek Platini’s arrest after UEFA re-instate Celtic – Daily Mail
FA asked to probe Barton agent fees – The Sun
Ferguson: Rooney is the white Pele – The Sun
City’s Champions’ League winners the key for Mancini – Daily Mirror
Rice: I missed having Arsene on the bench – Daily Mirror
Villas-Boas ‘forgives’ Torres following outstanding performance – The Sun
Blackburn fans planning massive anti-Kean march this weekend – Daily Mirror
Defoe: Adebayor the perfect partner – The Independent
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Woodgate will miss long Europa League trips to guard against injury – Daily Mail
Carson Yeung’s arrest leaves Birmingham unsure of finances – The Guardian
DJ Campbell backs Barton to succeed at Loftus Road – The Guardian
So, it’s derby week. Everyone loves derby week. What self-respecting City fan doesn’t want to read endless articles by ex-United players (and current ones too) telling us how you can’t buy history or class or how the match doesn’t matter to them, and on and on and on, all merely a warm up until Alex Fergurson starts his legendary mind games.
Align this with Paul Scholes’s autobiography being out and I expect we won’t be able to shut up the notoriously shy and private family man in the lead up to Sunday. Oh Paul, how I yearn to hear your views on City’s emergence, it really will complete my week. Not that it’s all one-sided of course.
So we are treated to five days of tiresome, banal interviews with ex-players, ex-managers, or current players talking PR-fed nonsense and endless clichés like it being another game at the end of the day and the lads are over the moon at the thought of winning and sick as a parrot with the thought of defeat and so on. Sky Sports News will wheel out some fancy new graphics with accompanying bombastic music and the charade is complete.
It started on Wednesday with a laughable Daily Mail article, by that notoriously shy “Sportsmail Reporter” who is too modest to put his name to the endless guff he, or they produce. The article claimed that Anders Lindegaard had claimed that the Manchester derby was not that important – a complete lie, he said nothing of the sort, simply pointing out the obvious- that it won’t decide anything at this stage of the season. Sadly Nigel de Jong was soon being quoted saying City were the top dogs now – I didn’t open the article, he probably said nothing of the sort, merely mentioning the league table. Inevitably one of the old guard had to have a word or two, and it was Ryan Giggs who broke ranks first, making some laughable comments about Mario Balotelli:
“He is a little strange….. god knows how many fines he has received in England! No one except ManchesterCity fans really like him. ..”
If only he could cheat on his wife or girlfriend with a succession of women like most footballers do, and stop embarrassing himself by getting the odd parking ticket instead (which was a made-up story anyway). And if Giggs had the remotest idea of what football fans in this country think, he might be aware that Mr Balotelli seems rather popular with many opposition fans, due to being two pepperonis short of a pizza.
It has always been thus. Before the derby that fell close to the 50th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster, Paul Scholes had plenty to say, as fears rose that the minute’s silence may be disrupted:
“There is always that few who might cause problems. It would reflect badly on their club but that’s not stopped them over the years.”
Rick Boardman of the band Delphic said in a recent interview, talking about City fans before a derby:
“They care more about us losing than winning games themselves – I just don’t get that. It could all change but I’ve got confidence in our club. And whatever happens, we’ll always have the history. “
Today we see Mario Balotelli proclaiming the Manchester derby will soon be the biggest in the world, Chris Smalling discussing Aguero, Micah Richards claiming United are frightened of City and various other fascinating insights (such as some tactical advice for City on Sunday from Robbie Savage – cheers Robbie).
The media don’t help. After all, Sky Sports News will hype up anything. If the intensity of a Norwich v Ipswich match can be compared to the last days of Rome, then a Manchester derby is perfect fodder for them, especially if it falls into one of their Grand Slam Sundays, Super Sundays, Magnificent Mondays, Showdown Showcase Specials or World War Wednesdays.(I may have made a couple of them up). What’s more, as the internet has taken over the world, papers have more room to fill, with as much news available as they’ve always had.
Of course it’s not all bad – derby week can offer the odd nugget of gold, such as positive in-depth interviews with managers and players (there are ones with Balotelli, Young and Mancini this week), but please spare us Lou Macari’s views on City’s money. Every man has his breaking point.
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But the last word should go to the The Daily Telegraph’s pointless feature about Wayne Rooney’s bicycle-kick goal against City last season. Fans and players commented on WHERE THEY WERE at that historic moment, but the go-to man must be David Prosperi, the vice-president of Aon Global PR.
“Not only was the Aon logo extremely visible throughout the multiple global TV replays and photo images when it happened, but years from now, when the goal against Manchester City is shown time and again as perhaps one of the greatest of all time, you will still see the Aon name. That one image epitomised the value of Aon’s relationship with Manchester United.”