Soccer News [3]

Subject: Soccer News [3] Mon Sep 21, 2009 11:05 am

Soccer News [3]

Owen: Winner a career highlight

Michael Owen admits his injury-time winner at Old Trafford against Manchester City will go down as one of his career highlights.

Owen struck in the sixth minute of added time yesterday to settle one of the most dramatic Manchester derbies. United triumphed 4-3 in the Premier League match after an extraordinary contest in which they led on three occasions, only for defensive blunders by Ben Foster and Rio Ferdinand to leave the Red Devils relying on Owen's goal.

"It is probably one of the moments I will reflect on as a highlight of my career," said England's fourth highest goalscorer. "To score a goal as dramatic as that in a derby was amazing. You had to see it to believe it. It must have been one of the best televised games of all time."
It is probably one of the moments I will reflect on as a highlight of my career,
Manchester United striker Michael Owen.

That is not to say Owen is getting carried away. The victory might have brought United three precious points and ended City's 100 per cent record, but the former Liverpool star is already looking ahead to Wednesday's Carling Cup encounter with Wolves.

"We don't want our heads in the clouds," he said. "We are at Manchester United. We are expected to win games. We have another game on Wednesday, so we need our feet to be firmly back on the ground."

Even Sir Alex Ferguson might have struggled to get a reality check so quickly. After listening to all the hype surrounding City this summer, Ferguson must have thought the Blues were going to escape with a draw.

Wayne Rooney opened the scoring after less than two minutes - and Darren Fletcher also found the net twice, in almost identikit fashion as he steered home a pair of Ryan Giggs crosses. Yet on each occasion, United's defence conspired to gift City an equaliser.

Ferdinand matched Foster's calamitous first-half mistake in the final minute, the United goalkeeper unable to redeem himself by denying Craig Bellamy. But Owen left the best until last for United, sending Gary Neville into ecstasy and leaving Ferguson in buoyant mood.

"Sometimes you have a noisy neighbour. You cannot do anything about that. They will always be noisy," said the United boss. "You just have to get on with your life, put your television on and turn it up a bit louder. Today the players showed their form. That is the best answer of all, because it could have had six or seven."

Anelka: Chelsea have a great team

Nicolas Anelka has started the new season in style. After sparkling performances in France's 1-1 draws with Romania and Serbia in 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM qualifying, he then hit the only goal in Chelsea's defeat of Porto in their UEFA Champions League opener last week.

"Everyone was talking about Didier (Drogba) being out and us needing players like Nico to step up to the plate, and he did that," said Blues captain John Terry in the wake of Anelka's match-clinching performance against the Portuguese heavyweights.

Those sentiments were echoed by Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, who is perhaps the main reason behind the striker's fine start to the season. "I am very happy for him because he is doing very well now," said the Italian. "Anelka is a great player."

That praise is richly deserved. The much-travelled player has spent most of the last decade criss-crossing Europe in search of stability. After spells in Paris, Madrid, Manchester, Liverpool and Istanbul, a relaxed Anelka finally seems to have found contentment in west London. After putting Porto to the sword, the Frenchman spoke exclusively to FIFA.com, explaining the secret of his and Chelsea's recent success and what the future might hold for France.

FIFA.com: Nicolas, you set up the winner against Stoke City and scored the only goal against Porto a few days later. Things are going well for you right now...
Nicolas Anelka: Yes, they are, which is all the better for me. I've been through periods when things haven't been so good and I've had to be strong mentally. I'm enjoying this right now, though. It's so important to make your presence felt in big games. Porto played well and the last 20 minutes were pretty tough for us because we were tired. The goal was important for me but even more so for the club. It was our first Champions League match, we were at home, and we were up against a direct rival for qualification.

Everyone was worried about the absence of Didier Drogba but you managed to respond with a goal. How did you handle the situation?
It's good that we can win without him but it's even better when he's in the team (smiles). We miss him when he's not around. We miss his physical impact, and things are definitely different without him. I usually play behind him, in midfield almost. But on Tuesday I was up front on my own, not that that's anything new for me as I must have played about 15 games like that last season.

Carlo Ancelotti's two-forward system seems to have given you more freedom.
Yes, that's true. I am playing more freely now. I played with that system at Fenerbahce and it allows me to ask for the ball at my feet and to get up front with Didier at the same time. That's the position I prefer playing in because I can get more involved in the game. The more I get on the ball, the better I feel and the more I can express myself.
Everyone is happy. He's laid back, he talks a lot and he knows exactly what he's doing. He's been there and done it.
Nicolas Anelka on Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti

What has been the biggest change with Ancelotti?
He rotates the squad, which is new at Chelsea. Everyone gets to play a part and everyone is happy, even if they just get to play 20 minutes. We really like him as a coach and as a person too. You can feel that out on the pitch and you really want to work hard for him. He's laid back, he talks a lot and he knows exactly what he's doing. It makes things easier when you've got a coach like that, someone who's calm and who shows you that he's in control. He won the league and the Champions League with Milan. He's been there and done it.

A one hundred per cent record in all competitions and top of the league in England. You could not have hoped for a better start to the season...
We finished last season strongly too, and this is just a continuation because it's the same team. Not everything's been perfect though. We had our problems against Porto and Stoke [a 2-1 win in injury time]. Even so, it's always good to win difficult matches, which is something we didn't always do last season when we dropped a lot of points at home. We know we've got a great team but we also know we need to keep working if we want to win the league and the Champions League. It's a long way and it's going to be really tough. We have some big games coming up now. We'll know a little more then.

Let's turn to France now. You earned draws against Romania and Serbia but your chances of qualifying directly for South Africa 2010 have diminished. Was it a good or a bad week?
In terms of the way France played it was a positive week in my opinion. Sure, we didn't win either game and that's a shame but I think we deserved to win both of them. But if we have to go through the play-offs, then that's what we'll do. It's not a problem. The most important thing is getting to the World Cup. It won't be easy because anything can happen in a play-off, but we'll get there. We are confident. We know we have a great team and all we have to do is prove that on the pitch. That's what we've done in our last two matches, and all we need now is a little bit of luck in front of goal.

Watch the Trophy Tour - LIVE

It is a journey that will take the FIFA World Cup

Trophy to 86 countries over 225 days in the run-up to South Africa 2010. It is one that will begin today in Zurich.

Fortunately, FIFA.com will stream the kick-off of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola from 11am CET.

The event will unfold at the Home of FIFA auditorium, where FIFA President Jospeh S. Blatter will be joined by Trophy Tour ambassador Roger Milla and Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent.

So, to check out proceedings - and the hallowed prize recently held aloft by Laurent Blanc, Cafu and Fabio Cannavaro - be sure to tune in to FIFA.com's live stream (shortly before 11am, you will be able to follow a link).

Gerrard: Liverpool must maintain momentum

Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool must keep winning to restore their confidence as they prepare for Tuesday's League Cup third round tie at Leeds United.

The trip to Elland Road might not have registered too high on Rafael Benitez's list of priorities if the season had started as planned for the Reds. But two defeats in their opening three Premier League matches - 2-1 at Tottenham and 3-1 at home to Aston Villa - have put the Anfield club in a different mood altogether.

Benitez's team continue to look shaky at the back despite putting together four successive wins since the defeat to Villa. Liverpool captain Gerrard acknowledges that the early losses landed a blow to the Reds' self-belief and, although Benitez is likely to make some changes against the League One side, who were once bitter top-level rivals, he lacks the squad size to change his line up completely.

The Spaniard has frequently used the competition to blood youngsters and the likes of Nabil El Zhar, David Ngog and Jay Spearing could all feature against Leeds. Benitez is also likely take the chance to give some playing time to Fabio Aurelio as he continues his comeback from injury, and fringe players Philipp Degen, Andriy Voronin, Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Andrea Dossena could also be involved.
We are building confidence slowly and we're certainly playing better now than we were at the beginning of the season when the two defeats were a bit of a blow,
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.

Gerrard admits that the Reds must continue their winning form to re-build their spirit. "We are building confidence slowly and we're certainly playing better now than we were at the beginning of the season when the two defeats were a bit of a blow," he said. "We've recovered and hopefully we can go on a long run of results now."

After expressing a desire to return to his former club Ajax earlier this month, Ryan Babel may also be given a rare start. And even though Fernando Torres earned the plaudits with two goals in the 3-2 victory at West Ham on Saturday, the Spanish striker was quick to praise Babel. The Dutchman sent over a perfect cross for Torres to head the winner and the former Atletico Madrid forward rates Babel highly.

"Everyone knows Ryan is a fantastic player," Torres said. "He played on the right wing and he gave me a fantastic cross which was easy for me to attack the ball and score. It is easy for a striker when the cross is as good as that. He is a player with quality who can do things like this, so without Ryan I couldn't have scored."

This was a Premier League fixture up until Leeds' relegation from the Premier League five years ago and the Yorkshire club have slipped as far as the third tier of English football. But they moved top of League One with a 4-1 win over Gillingham on Saturday and the manager Simon Grayson finally allowed his players to discuss the Liverpool tie for the first time.

He said: "Being top of the league gives us a boost going into Tuesday's game and a platform for the rest of the season. "They had to focus on beating Gillingham because the league is their bread and butter and they showed the right attitude on Saturday. We are playing one of the best teams in the world on Tuesday but we will approach the game with a lot of confidence and belief."

Real go three for three

A Cristiano Ronaldo brace and a late goal glut enabled Real Madrid to make it three wins out of three at the start of the season, although the final scoreline certainly flattered the home side. Visitors Xerez, playing in the top flight for the first time in their history this season, suffered a nightmare start on their trip to the Bernabeu as they fell behind in the first minute to a Ronaldo strike.

However, the Andalusian side recovered remarkably well from that early setback and it was not until the final 15 minutes when Manuel Pellegrini's side finally managed to see off their plucky opponents, as they added four more goals. Ronaldo made it 2-0, before Guti, Karim Benzema and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was making his first competitive appearance since suffering a serious injury last year, also found the back of the net to give the scoreline a one-sided look.

It was not the best of performances by Madrid, but a brilliant end to the game and the perfect start means they join arch-rivals Barcelona on nine points at the top of the standings. Xerez must have feared the worst as they found themselves trailing following the opening attack of the game, with Ronaldo doing the damage.

The world's most expensive player showed great power and pace to create a shooting opportunity for himself on the edge of the box and he took advantage by drilling a low shot past Renan Brito at his near post. That was Ronaldo's fifth goal in four competitive appearances this season following his £80m move from Manchester United, and many would have expected it to be have been the spark for a goal-laden Madrid masterclass. And that certainly looked on the cards as the home side nearly doubled their lead five minutes later, only for the Xerez goal to somehow survive unscathed as Ronaldo, Raul and Kaka all went close one after another.

Renan did superbly to first deny Ronaldo and then Raul from the follow-up before Kaka put his effort wide. However, the anticipated avalanche of goals failed to materialise before the break and, aside from a Sergio Ramos header that was pushed over by Renan, Madrid failed to seriously threaten the visitors in the remainder of the period. And it might easily have been 1-1 going into the break if Emilio Viqueira's tenth-minute free-kick had been about a foot lower, with his 25-yard effort clipping the top of post before going over.

Still in it
There was no significant improvement from the home side at the start of the second period either, and Xerez gave their hosts another scare in the 51st minute when Giancarlo Maldonado was handed a shooting chance on the edge of the box. He could not get enough power on his effort to seriously test Iker Casillas though, and Madrid could breathe again.

Pellegrini's side were still struggling to find any fluidity to their game, and with the expensively-assembled superstars creating little in the way of chances, the home fans were starting to get increasingly frustrated. However, any concerns or fears the Madridistas may have had about Xerez possibly getting back on level terms were emphatically crushed as the Whites went from 1-0 to 4-0 in the space of just six minutes.

Ronaldo was the man to spark the goal glut as he climbed highest to glance home Esteban Granero's corner in the 75th minute. Substitute Guti made it 3-0 three minutes later as he smashed the ball home from ten yards out after Karim Benzema had made a mess of his own shooting chance. Benzema would still get his name on the scoresheet, though, as he slammed home a left-footed shot into the far top corner, as Xerez's valiant defence finally started to wilt.

Madrid were not finished and there remained time for Van Nistelrooy - who received a standing ovation after coming on as a late substitute - to slot home his side's fifth to seal a big, if not wholly convincing, victory.

Ranieri heaps praise on Totti
a Roma coach Claudio Ranieri was full of praise for captain Francesco Totti after his match-winning display against Fiorentina yesterday.

Totti struck twice and then provided the assist for Daniele De Rossi to make it 3-0 by half-time. Fiorentina striker Alberto Gilardino reduced the deficit in the second half but Roma held on for victory.

"Totti is unpredictable," said Ranieri. "He is the symbol of Roma and has played a great match tonight. He scored twice but also provided an assist."

Ranieri expects more of the same from his side in the games to come. "I want to see my team continue to fight like they are doing," said Ranieri. "If you play like this, with so much will, determination and quick decision making, it will be difficult for our rivals. But we need to give continuity to our results."

Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli was very disappointed after his team's lacklustre performance. The setback was the first of the season for La Viola in Serie A. "It's been an ugly night for us," said Prandelli. "We never really got into the game.

"When you play a lot of games, at times players can't react to games like this. From the first minutes we saw an aggressive Roma side that wanted the win." Roma travel to Sicily to meet Palermo on Wednesday while Fiorentina host joint-league leaders Sampdoria in midweek.

Hughes backs City to learn from derby loss

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes insists his side will shrug off the derby defeat and grow stronger as a consequence.

Hughes was furious that over five minutes of added time was played at Old Trafford, allowing Michael Owen to seal a dramatic 4-3 victory for Manchester United. City had clawed their way back into the match three times with Gareth Barry and Craig Bellamy twice on target, only to finish with nothing.

Hughes said: "We will be stronger after the events of this game, not weaker. We have come a long way in a short space of time. There will be setbacks like this but there is no denying we have the means and resources to be better and that is what we will be.
We will be stronger after the events of this game, not weaker. We have come a long way in a short space of time,
Manchester City manager Mark Hughes.

"I believe we are developing as each game goes by. We've got lessons to learn from this match but we will take them on board very quickly. We are going to be around for a long time. We know we can have an excellent season. That's what we aim to do and maybe get into a position to challenge."

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson thought it was the greatest ever derby but Hughes countered: "It does not feel like that. From a neutral's point of view and United's they probably believe that. We just feel aggrieved. They did seem quite excitable at the end of the game. It reminded me of Sir Alex and Brian Kidd in years gone by. I saw Gary Neville running around like a lunatic. It showed how much it meant to them.

"That is something we will take out the game. We knew we could compete against United and we did that. It is a game we can take many positives out of. Craig Bellamy scored two goals that will probably never be bettered in his career. To be on losing side very difficult for him and the team to take."

The News from FIFA.
By trooke.10