Sabtu, 31 Juli 2010

Hasil Pertandingan Emirates Cup | Samaras Selamatkan Muka Celtic


Glasgow Celtic nyaris dipermalukan oleh Lyon di ajang Emirates Cup.Tertinggal 0-2 lebih dulu, The Bhoys akhirnya menyamakan skor dengan gol penyeimbang dicetak Giorgios Samaras.

Celtic berhadapan dengan Lyon di laga pembuka Emirates Cup 2010 di Stadion Emirates, London, Sabtu (31/7/2010). Di partai kedua nanti, Arsenal bakal meladeni AC Milan.

Sempat menjanjikan di awal, Celtic kemudian malah tertinggal dua kali karena gol Michel Bastos dan Harry Novillo. Tapi pasukan Neil Lennon itu mengejar lewat gol Gary Hooper dan akhirnya Samaras menyelamatkan muka Celtic lewat golnya di menit 89.

Celtic sempat memegang kendali permainan di awal pertandingan. Tiga menit laga berjalan, akselerasi James Forrest diakhiri dengan umpan silang yang ditanduk Marc Antoine Fortune, tapi arahnya menyamping.

Lyon akhirnya membuka skor saat laga berusia 27 menit. Eksekusi tendangan bebas Bastos dari jarak 20-an meter dari sisi kiri merobek gawang Celtic dan membuat klub Prancis itu memimpin 1-0.

Lima menit berselang, Lyon kembali mengancam gawang Celtic. Kali ini sepakan Novillo masih belum menemui sasaran karena masih menyamping.

Menit 51, Novillo yang tampil cemerlang nyaris menambah gol Lyon. Namun gol gagal tercipta karena sepakan voli pemain muda Prancis itu menabrak tiang Celtic.

Delapan menit babak kedua berjalan, Lyon menggandakan keunggulan lewat gol Novillo. Dari umpan Alexandre Lacazette, sepakan Novillo menjadikan Les Gones memimpin 2-0.

Saat Lyon menikmati keunggulan tersebut, Celtic membalas. Kali ini umpan terukur Forrest sukses diselesaikan oleh Hooper dengan tendangan voli untuk membuat ketertinggalan Celtic jadi 1-2 saja.

Upaya tak kenal lelah Celtic untuk mengejar gol kedua akhirnya terbayar di menit 89. Dari umpan tendangan bebas Charlie Mulgrew, bola disundul oleh Samaras untuk membuat skor imbang 2-2.

Hingga peluit panjang dibunyikan wasit tanda berakhirnya pertandingan, skor 2-2 ini tidak berubah.



Bursa Transfer Pemain | Barca Lepaskan Marquez


Kebersamaan Rafael Marquez bersama Barcelona harus berakhir sebelum masanya. Kedua belah pihak sepakat memutus kontrak dan Marquez pun bebas untuk pergi ke mana saja.

Kontrak Marquez dengan Barca sebenarnya baru akan kadaluarsa pada tahun 2012, namun pada Sabtu (31/7/2010), kontrak tersebut diakhiri dengan kesepakatan bersama.

"Barcelona dan Rafael Marquez telah sepakat untuk memutus kontrak, dengan persetujuan bersama, yang sebenarnya mengikat kedua belah pihak sampai 30 Juni 2012," demikian pernyataan Barca yang dikutip Reuters.

Sebelum ini, Marquez memang ramai diisukan akan hengkang dari Camp Nou. Pemain berkebangsaan Meksiko itu diminati oleh klub Major League Soccer (MLS), New York Red Bulls.

Bila nantinya benar-benar berlabuh di Red Bulls, Marquez akan bergabung dengan mantan rekan setimnya, Thierry Henry. Sebelumnya, penyerang Prancis itu juga mengakhiri kontraknya dengan Barca sebelum waktunya.

Marquez yang kini berusia 31 tahun adalah pemain serbaguna karena bisa beroperasi sebagai bek tengah, tapi juga sama baiknya melakoni peran sebagai gelandang bertahan.

Bergabung dari AS Monaco tahun 2003, Marquez turut serta dalam menyumbangkan empat titel Liga Spanyol, dua gelar juara Liga Champions dan satu titel Piala Dunia Antarklub.



The Gunners Masih Butuh Bek


Arsenal masih membutuhkan pemain berposisi bek tengah. Manajer Arsene Wenger mengatakan idealnya timnya memiliki empat pemain di posisi tersebut. Siapa pemain yang diincar?

Untuk musim depan, The Gunners tidak lagi diperkuat oleh sejumlah pemain seperti Mikael Silvestre, William Gallas, Sol Campbell, yang dilepas atau Philippe Senderos yang dijual ke Fulham.

Posisi bek tengah cukup vital bagi Arsenal, apalagi bila mengingat catatan di Liga Primer musim lalu di mana tim London Utara itu kebobolan 41 kali. Sebuah angka yang cukup buruk bila mengingat jumlah gol yang bersarang di gawang mereka di lima musim sebelumnya yang rata-rata adalah 35 gol per musimnya.

Wenger pun mengatakan pihaknya tengah mencari bek tengah tambahan guna memperkuat posisi yang kini digawangi Lauren Koscielny, Thomas Vermaelen, dan Johan Djourou. Selain mereka bertiga, Wenger juga memiliki alternatif dengan memasang gelandang Alex Song sebagai centre back.

"Kami masih mencari karena saat ini kami hanya punya tiga bek tengah dan musim lalu kami memiliki lima," lugas manajer asal Prancis itu seperti dikutip dari AFP.

"Saya percaya bahwa kami setidaknya butuh empat bek tengah. Memang kami memiliki sejumlah pemain yang bisa dimainkan di posisi ini, namun secara umum kami memang masih mencari pemain," tambah manajer berjuluk The Professor itu.

Salah satu nama yang dihubungkan dengan tim yang bermarkas di Stadion Emirates itu adalah bek timnas Jerman Per Mertesacker.

"Banyak nama yang kami pertimbangkan dan kami terus analisis. Kami akan menilai dari faktor kemungkinan finansial dan potensi teknik yang dimiliki pemain. Tetapi saya tidak mungkin untuk menyebut satu nama," jelas Wenger menanggapi hal tersebut



Pertandingan Ujicoba Pramusim | MU Dipermalukan Chivas


Manchester United kembali menelan kekalahan dalam rangkaian tur pramusimnya. Menghadapi klub asal Meksiko, Guadalajara Chivas, The Red Devils dipaksa bertekuk lutut dengan skor 2-3.

Dalam pertandingan yang baru berakhir Sabtu (31/7/2010) siang WIB, salah satu gol yang bersarang di gawang MU datang dari Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez. Pesepakbola yang musim panas ini dibeli The Red Devils itu "dipinjamkan" ke kubu Chivas di 45 menit pertama laga dan kembali membela MU di 45 menit kedua.

Gol ke gawang MU yang terjadi dicetak Hernandez di menit delapan itu merupakan gol pembuka yang terjadi dalam laga tersebut. Anak didik Sir Alex Ferguson tak perlu menunggu lama untuk menyamakan kedudukan karena Chris Smalling berhasil membalasnya satu menit berselang.

Namun saat turun minum 'Setan Merah' kembali dalam posisi tertinggal. Skor berubah menjadi 2-1 buat Chivas menyusul gol yang dilesakkan Adolfo Bautista di menit 38.

Klub Liga Inggris pemilik 18 gelar juara Premiership itu makin tertinggal di menit 58. Tandukan Hector Reynoso merobek gawang The Red Devils dan mengubah kedudukan menjadi 3-1.

Hernandez yang menjebol gawang MU di babak pertama justru tak bisa berbuat banyak saat berganti jersey. Di depan sekitar 45.000 penonton yang datang ke laga tersebut, MU pun harus menunggu hingga 10 menit sebelum pertandingan usai untuk bisa mencetak gol keduanya.

Adalah Nani yang mengubah kedudukan di menit 80 melalui aksinya. Tak ada gol tambahan di sisa menit pertandingan untuk kedua kubu. Hingga wasit membunyikan peluit panjang tanda laga berakhir, papan skor tetap menunjuk angka 3-2.

Dalam laga tersebut Fergie kembali mempercayakan banyak pemain mudanya, dia bahkan tak menyertakan beberapa bintang MU, termasuk Wayne Rooney


Bursa Transfer Pemain | Genoa Daratkan Veloso, Lazio Datangkan Garrido


Genoa berhasil mendatangkan pemain kelimanya di bursa transfer musim ini, yakni Miguel Veloso. Sementara itu Lazio mendapatkan bek Javier Garrido.

Diberitakan Football-Italia, Veloso telah menjalani tes medis dan tinggal memasuki tahap penyelesaian soal kepindahannya dari Sporting Lisbon.

"Saya tidak bisa menunggu untuk memulai petualangan baru. Yang saya ketahui adalah Genoa adalah tim kuat. Saya sudah menyaksikan penampilan mereka di televisi dan saya paham bahwa tim ini memiliki ambisi besar," lugas pemain asal Portugal itu.

Veloso merupakan pemain kelima yang didatangkan I Grifoni di musim panas 2010. Sebelumnya Genoa juga sudah mendatangkan pemain lain asal Portugal yakni kiper Ricardo.

Beralih ke ibukota Italia, Lazio telah merampungkan proses transfer bek kiri Javier Garrido dari Manchester City. Ia bakal mengisi posisi yang ditinggalkan Aleksander Kolarov yang hijrah ke The Citizens.

Selama berseragam 'Manchester biru' Garrido tampil 49 kali dan mencetak dua gol. "Kepergiannya ke Italia diiringi harapan dari seluruh klub ini, agar dia mendapatkan yang terbaik," demikian City dalam pernyataan yang dilansir di situs resminya.


Yamaha U-13 ASEAN Cup | Indonesia II Masuk Final


Perang saudara antara Indonesia I dan Indonesia II tak terhindarkan di babak semifinal Yamaha U-13 ASEAN Cup. Menang 2-0, Indonesia II akhirnya berhak dapat tiket ke final.

Impian mewujudkan all Indonesian final di ajang Yamaha U-13 ASEAN Cup gagal terwujud. Indonesia I yang berhasil menjuarai Grup A setelah meraih dua kemenangan, harus berhadapan dengan Indonesia II, yang harus puas jadi runner up Grup B karena kalah selisih gol dari Thailand.

Di GOR Sumantri Brodjonegoro, Kuningan, Jakarta, Sabtu (31/7/2010), Indonesia II lebih menguasai pertandingan di babak pertama. Itu terbukti dengan dua gol yang tercipta di menit 12 oleh Masruri dan Aji Setiady saat laga berusia 27 menit.

Meskipun mencoba membalas, Indonesia I selalu gagal dalam membangun serangan demi serangan. Hingga turun minum, skor bertahan di angka 2-0.

Dibabak kedua, kedua tim tampak bermain sangat berimbang, meski tempo permainan terlihat mulai menurun. Baik dari Indonesia I maupun Indonesia II saling melakukan serangan, tapi hingga 35 menit pertandingan berlangsung dibabak ini, tak satu pun gol tercipta.

Wasit Ichsan, yang memimpin pertandingan ini, akhirnya meniupkan pluit tanda usainya laga semifinal. Kemenangan 2-0 ini memastikan Indonesia II mengantongi tiket ke final untuk menghadapi pemenang pertandingan antara Thailand vs Malaysia.

"Saya senang kita bisa masuk final, walaupun tim I (Indonesia I) kalah tapi karena sama-sama dari Indonesia, ini kemenangan untuk mereka juga. Kita siap menghadapi final besok," kata Aji, usai pertandingan yang juga mencetakkan gol pada pertandingan ini.



Jumat, 30 Juli 2010

Bursa Transfer Pemain | Madrid Resmi Dapatkan Khedira


Real Madrid kembali berhasil mendapatkan pemain incarannya. Meski sempat terjadi tarik ulur dengan Stuttgart, Los Merengues akhirnya sukses mendatangkan Sami Khedira ke Santiago Bernabeu.

Kabar tercapainya kesepakatan antara Madrid dengan VfB Stuttgart dikonfirmasi langsung oleh klub Jerman berjuluk Die Schwaben itu di situs resminya, Jumat (30/7/2010) sore WIB.

Khedira, yang sebelumnya dikabarkan sudah menyatakan persetujuan untuk bergabung dengan Madrid, kini tinggal melakukan tes medis sebelum menandatangani kontrak kerja.

"Secepatnya setelah pemain internasional Jerman itu melewati tes medis dia akan menandatangani kontrak," demikian ditulis Stuttgart di situs resminya.

Khedira menjadi salah satu rising star di Piala Dunia 2010 lalu. Meski gagal mengantar Der Panzer lolos ke final dan jadi juara, gelandang 23 tahun itu tampil gemilang dan lantas jadi perburuan banyak klub raksasa Eropa.

Dengan kontrak yang tersisa satu tahun di Mercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart sebelumnya menyatakan menolak melepas pesepakbola yang memulai karirnya dari tim junior itu. Namun bujuk rayu yang dilakukan 'Si Putih' ternyata berhasil membujuk Stuttgart melepas pemain muda berbakatnya itu.

"Sami Khedira adalah pemimpin sejati di lapangan dan dia merupakan personifikasi segala hal yang ada di Stuttgart, jadi tak mudah untuk melepasnya pergi. Namun di sisi lain, kami tak bisa menyangkal mimpi Sami untuk memperkuat Madrid. Kami mendoakan sukses besar buatnya dalam menghadapi tantangan di Madrid," sahut direktur olahraga Stuttgart, Fredi Bobic seperti dkutip dari Soccernet.




Bursa Transfer Pemain | Kebijakan Belanja The Citizen Dikritik


Manchester City sudah mengeluarkan dana sangat besar dengan merekrut banyak pemain bintang demi kemajuan di musim mendatang. Eks pemainnya, Dietmar Hamann menilai kebijakan itu tidak efektif.

City menjadi salah satu yang meramaikan bursa musim panas kali ini. Klub asal Manchester itu telah menggaet nama-nama besar macam Jerome Boateng, Yaya Toure, David Silva dan Aleksandr Kolarov dan menghabiskan biaya nyaris 100 juta pound. Belum puas, City bahkan masih memburu beberapa nama pemain besar lainnya.

Kegagalan menembus zona Empat Besar pada musim lalu menjadi salah satu motivasi City belanja jor-joran. Tetapi sepertinya City tidak belajar dari pengalaman.

Musim lalu pun The Citizens sudah cukup menghabiskan banyak biaya untuk membeli Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz, Gareth Barry, Emmanuele Adebayor, Kolo Toure dan Joleon Lescott. Hasilnya? Mereka cuma finis di urutan lima dan 'kalah' dari Tottenham Hotspur yang walau minim pemain bintang tapi lebih konsisten.

Hal itulah yang disoroti oleh Hamann. Pemain yang memperkuat City dari 2006-2009 itu tidak sepakat dengan cara yang ditempuh mantan klubnya itu dalam upaya memperoleh kesuksesan.

"Saya tidak melihat City sebagai kompetitor dalam meraih gelar juara. Mareka butuh membawa kontinuitas di tim dan mempertahankan para pemain yang dimiliki,"nilai Hammann di ESPN.

"Mereka harus memilih para pemain yang akan dibeli dengan cermat. Jika mereka terus berbuat demikian saya tidak yakin mereka bisa bersaing dengan Manchester United atau Chelsea," lanjut pemain asal Jerman ini.

"Mereka merombak 10 dari 15 pemainnya setiap musim dan jika terus seperti ini mereka tidak akan kemana-mana. Anda butuh konsistensi dan kesinambungan di dalam sebuah klub. Saya tidak setuju dengan apa yang mereka lakukan sekarang," pungkas pemain yang kini memperkuat Milton Keynes Dons di League Two tersebut.


Yamaha U-13 ASEAN Cup | Diimbangi Thailand, Indonesia II ke Semifinal

indonesia II
Indonesia II memang hanya bermain imbang 1-1 dengan Thailand di laga keduanya di Grup B. Tapi hasil itu sudah cukup meloloskan mereka ke semifinal.

Dalam laga Yamaha U-13 ASEAN Cup 2010, Jumat (31/7) sore WIB yang dihelat di GOR Sumantri Brodjonegoro, Kuningan, Indonesia hanya membutuhkan satu poin untuk mengamit tiket semifinal sedangkan bagi Thailand kemenangan dibutuhkan di laga pertamanya.

Tuan rumah pun dikejutkan dengan gol cepat Thailand yang dicetak di menit ketujuh melalui skema serangan balik. Pencetaknya adalah Veerapong Khorayak.

Dua puluh menit kemudian tuan rumah menyamakan kedudukan lewat jasa Aji Setiaji memaksimalkan kerjasama tiga rekannya di kotak penalti. Bola pun langsung disontek ke pojok kanan gawang Thailand.

Seusainya kedua tim saling jual beli serangan dan kerap kali terlibat kontak fisik yang berujung adu mulut antar pemain. Namun skor 1-1 tetap bertahan hingga 60 menit laga usai.

Pelatih Indonesia II Rahmat T menyambut hasil seri itu dengan suka cita sebab Thailand adalah tim yang kuat dan kondisi fisiknya masih segar karena belum bertanding.

"Saya puas dan senang dengan hasil ini sebab anak-anak bermanin dengan baik meski kondisi fisik mereka tak seratus persen," ujar Rahmat usai laga.

Rahmat pun optimistis soal peluang timnnya ke final dan siap melawan Vietnam I atau Malaysia di semifinal jika lolos sebagai juara Grup B. Dan akan bertemu Indonesia I jika berstatus runner up grup (dengan catatan Thailand menang lebih dari 4 gol di laga kontra Vietnam II).

"Saya meminta anak-anak jangan menganggap remeh setiap lawan-lawannya dan saya yakin kami bisa ke final jika melakukan itu. Tolong didoakan saja yah," pungkasnya.

Babak semifinal II akan dilangsungkan besok pukul 16.30 WIB.



Yamaha U-13 ASEAN Cup | Indonesia Melaju ke Semifinal


Indonesia I berhasil memenangi laga keduanya di Yamaha U-13 ASEAN Cup 2010 melawan Malaysia dengan skor 2-1. Hasil ini membawa 'Pasukan Garuda 1' melangkah ke babak empat besar.

Dalam laga yang dihelat di lapangan GOR Sumantri Brodjonegoro, Kuningan, Jumat (30/7/2010) sore WIB, Indonesia terlihat memainkan tempo lebih lambat dari laga melawan Vietnam I sebelumnya.

Namun perubahan taktik itu tak mempengaruhi permainan Indonesia yang berhasil unggul lebih dulu di menit ke-16 lewat Arman. Memanfaatkan kemelut di depan gawang, sepakan Arman menembus jala Muhammad Hadzal Hafiz.

Skor 1-0 pun bertahan hingga 30 menit babak pertama usai meski tuan rumah masih mendominasi serangan.

Malaysia sukses memanfaatkan kelengahan barisan pertahanan Indonesia di dua menit laga babak kedua berjalan. Pelanggaran kepada pemain Malaysia di area 16 berbuah penalti yang dieksekusi dengan baik oleh Mohammad Amzul dan merubah skor jadi 1-1.

Akhirnya raihan poin penuh Indonesia diraih di menit ke-57 atau tiga menit jelang laga usai ketika penalti Muhammad Sadam berhasil merobek jala Hafiz.

Kemenangan itu membawa Indonesia I melaju ke babak semifinal dan menunggu runner up Grup B, Sabtu (31/7) besok pukul 15.00 WIB.

"Kami memang sengaja memperlambat tempo untuk menjaga kondisi fisik kami yang drop usai laga pertama. Malaysia kan baru bermain sekarang jadi kondisi mereka lebih segar," tutur pelatih INA I, M. Anugrah, usai laga.

Bagaimana dengan taktik yang akan dipakai di fase selanjutnya?

"Kami menunggu lawannya dulu siapa dan baru bisa menentukan taktiknya. Namun saya optimistis lah kami bisa melaju ke final. Mudah-mudahan," pungkasnya.



Liga Inggris 2010/2011 | Benayoun Ingin Membuktikan Diri


Yossi Benayoun bertekad membuktikan bahwa Chelsea tidak salah telah merekrutnya. Pemain internasional Israel tersebut siap kerja keras demi mempertahankan titel juara.

Benayoun mengakhiri kerjasamanya selama tiga tahun bersama Liverpool. Dia setuju berlabuh di Chelsea dengan biaya transfer lima juta pounsterling.

Chelsea musim lalu menjadi juara akan melakoni musim kompetisi mendatang dengan mempertahankan gelarnya. Kendati persaingan perebutan gelar diyakini akan bertambah sengit tapi Benayoun siap untuk membantu tim barunya itu.

"Ada banyak pemain bagus, pemain-pemain besar, bagi saya ini cuma permulaan dan saya harus bekerja keras dan membuktikan bahwa saya bisa memberikan sesuatu kepada klub ini," tukas eks West Ham dan Maccabi Haifa itu di ESPN Star.

"Satu hal yang bisa saya janjikan adalah saya akan kerja keras dan berbuat yang terbaik dan semoga itu akan cukup bagus (buat tim)."

"Dari sekian tahun saya berada di Inggris, Chelsea selalu menjadi tim yang sulit dilawan dengan para pemain besarnya dan makanya selalu ada persaingan ketat dalam perebutan gelar. Untuk itu saya bangga menjadi bagian dari tim ini," pungkas si gelandang serang.

Pelatih Carlo Ancelotti tidak meragukan kalau Benayoun akan sukses bersama The Blues.

"Yossi punya banyak kualitas di lapangan tengah dan bisa bermain di banyak posisi. Saya suka kondisi ini di lapangan. Dia akan melakukan pekerjaan yang hebat," tutup Carletto.



Kamis, 29 Juli 2010

Bursa Transfer Pemain | 'Rayuan' Metzelder Bikin Raul Pilih Schalke


Raul Gonzalez telah memilih Schalke 04 sebagai tempat meneruskan sisa karirnya sebagai pesepakbola. Untuk itu berterima kasihlah pada Christoph Metzelder yang merekomendasikan Schalke pada Raul.

Usai sudah pengabdian 16 tahun Raul di Madrid, dan kini Pangeran Bernabeu itu telah keluar dari klub yang membesarkan. Kompetisi Bundesliga Jerman berkesempatan untuk dijajal oleh salah satu pesepakbola top Eropa dan dunia itu.

Schalke pun jadi klub baru penyerang usia 33 tahun itu dan ia telah resmi diperkenalkan kepada lebih dari 5.000 fans Schalke di Gelsenkirchen, Kamis (29/7) dinihari WIB tadi. Raul dikontrak selama dua tahun dan akan mengenakan nomor kebesarannya yaitu tujuh.

Lalu atas alasan apa Raul memilih Jerman dan bukannya Inggris yang notabene liganya jauh lebih mentereng? Rupanya untuk hal satu ini The Royal Blues harus menyanjung besar jasa Metzelder dalam "merayu" Raul hingga akhirnya menyebrang ke sana.

Seperti diketahui Metzelder adalah rekan seklub Raul semasa di Madrid selama tiga tahun dari 2007. Kini keduanya kembali bersatu di bawah panji Schalke. Bek asal Jerman itu tak diperpanjang lagi kontraknya oleh El Real dan bergabung dengan klub semasa juniornya itu dengan kontrak tiga tahun.

"Christoph-lah yang menghubungi pertama kali dan mempersilahkan kami mengontak Raul. Tanpa jasanya, Raul mungkin tidak akan bermain di sini," ucap pelatih Schalke, Felix Magath, di ESPN.

Kini tugas Metzelder untuk "mendatangkan" Raul sudah dilakukan dan giliran Magath yang kini harus berburu striker baru untuk mendampingi Spaniard itu di lini depan. Seperti diketahui Schalke telah ditinggal Kevin Kuranyi yang hijrak ke Dynamo Moskow.

"Raul butuh pendamping untuk permainannya. Saya hanya bisa bilang bahwa striker baru ada di daftar teratas buruan kami," tegas Magath.




Bursa Transfer Pemain | Khedira Kian Dekat ke Bernabeu


Jika sebelumnya Sami Khedira sudah menyetujui pinangan Real Madrid kini giliran sang agen yang mengklaim kepindahan gelandang internasional Jerman itu ke Santiago Bernabeu makin dekat.

Khedira jadi properti panas di bursa transfer ini pasca penampilan hebatnya di Piala Dunia 2010. Real Madrid jadi pihak yang paling ngebet mendatangkan pemain usia 23 tahun itu.

Meski jalan untuk mendapat tanda tangannya sempat berliku namun titik terang menuju kata sepakat kini semakin jelas. Khedira sudah menyetujui pinangan El Real dan agennya Jorg Neubauer menyatakan pembicaraan dengan pihak Madrid pun semakin intens.

"Pembicaraan kami dengan Real Madrid berjalan dengan baik sejauh ini. Jika mereka mencapai persetujuan dengan Stuttgart maka transfer akan terlaksana," tutur Neubauer di ESPN.

Ada baiknya memang Stuttgart menjual Khedira musim panas ini karena si pemain sudah menolak perpanjangan kontraknya yang akan habis tahun depan. Direktur Olahraga Die Schwaben yang baru Fredi Bobic pun sepertinya sudah merestui Khedira untuk pergi.



Jadwal Pertandingan Serie A 2010/2011 (II)


Tanah Italia memanas ketika memasuki giornata ke-12. Dalam laga yang berlangsung pertengahan November ini, tersaji dua big match.

Dilansir dari Football-Italia, pekan ke-12 dijadwalkan mentas pada 14 November dengan menyajikan Derby della Madoninna dan Juventus kontra AS Roma. Giornata maut jilid kedua berlangsung pada 3 April 2011

Berikut adalah jadwal Seri A musim 2010/2011
(Giornata 11 s/d Giornata 19)

Giornata 11
10/11/10 dan 20/3/11
Brescia-Juventus
Cagliari-Napoli
Catania-Udinese
Cesena-Lazio
Chievo-Bari
Genoa-Bologna
Lecce-Inter
Milan-Palermo
Parma-Sampdoria
Roma-Fiorentina

Giornata 12
14/11/10 dan 3/4/11
Bari-Parma
Bologna-Brescia
Cagliari-Genoa
Fiorentina-Cesena
Inter-Milan
Juventus-Roma
Lazio-Napoli
Palermo-Catania
Sampdoria-Chievo
Udinese-Lecce

Giornata 13
21/11/10 dan 10/4/11
Brescia-Cagliari
Catania-Bari
Cesena-Palermo
Chievo-Inter
Genoa-Juventus
Lecce-Sampdoria
Milan-Fiorentina
Napoli-Bologna
Parma-Lazio
Roma-Udinese

Giornata 14
28/11/10 dan 17/4/11
Bari-Cesena
Bologna-Chievo
Brescia-Genoa
Cagliari-Lecce
Inter-Parma
Juventus-Fiorentina
Lazio-Catania
Palermo-Roma
Sampdoria-Milan
Udinese-Napoli

Giornata 15
5/12/10 dan 23/4/11
Catania-Juventus
Cesena-Bologna
Chievo-Roma
Fiorentina-Cagliari
Lazio-Inter
Lecce-Genoa
Milan-Brescia
Napoli-Palermo
Parma-Udinese
Sampdoria-Bari

Giornata 16
12/12/10 and 1/5/11
Bologna-Milan
Brescia-Sampdoria
Cagliari-Catania
Genoa-Napoli
Inter-Cesena
Juventus-Lazio
Lecce-Chievo
Palermo-Parma
Roma-Bari
Udinese-Fiorentina

Giornata 17
19/12/10 and 8/5/11
Bari-Palermo
Catania-Brescia
Cesena-Cagliari
Chievo-Juventus
Fiorentina-Inter
Lazio-Udinese
Milan-Roma
Napoli-Lecce
Parma-Bologna
Sampdoria-Genoa

Giornata 18
6/1/11 and 15/5/11
Bologna-Fiorentina
Brescia-Cesena
Cagliari-Milan
Genoa-Lazio
Inter-Napoli
Juventus-Parma
Lecce-Bari
Palermo-Sampdoria
Roma-Catania
Udinese-Chievo

Giornata 19
9/1/11 and 22/5/11
Bari-Bologna
Catania-Inter
Cesena-Genoa
Chievo-Palermo
Fiorentina-Brescia
Lazio-Lecce
Milan-Udinese
Napoli-Juventus
Parma-Cagliari
Sampdoria-Roma



Jadwal Pertandingan Serie A 2010/2011 (I)


Juventus akan mengalami jadwal maut di bulan Oktober. Si Nyonya Tua akan menghadapi duo Milan di bulan kesepuluh ini.

Dilansir dari Football-Italia, Juve melawat ke Giuseppe Meazza di pekan keenam pada 3 Oktober. Bianconeri kembali melawat ke kota Milan pada akhir bulan dengan menghadapi AC Milan. Laga maut jilid II kembali dilakoni Zebra Turin pada Februari dan Maret 2011.

Berikut adalah jadwal Seri A musim 2010/2011
(Giornata 1 s/d Giornata 10)

Giornata 1
29/8/10 dan 16/1/11
Bari-Juventus
Bologna-Inter
Chievo-Catania
Fiorentina-Napoli
Milan-Lecce
Palermo-Cagliari
Parma-Brescia
Roma-Cesena
Sampdoria-Lazio
Udinese-Genoa

Giornata 2
12/9/10 dan 23/1/11
Brescia-Palermo
Cagliari-Roma
Catania-Parma
Cesena-Milan
Genoa-Chievo
Inter-Udinese
Juventus-Sampdoria
Lazio-Bologna
Lecce-Fiorentina
Napoli-Bari

Giornata 3
19/9/10 dan 30/1/11
Bari-Cagliari
Cesena-Lecce
Chievo-Brescia
Fiorentina-Lazio
Milan-Catania
Palermo-Inter
Parma-Genoa
Roma-Bologna
Sampdoria-Napoli
Udinese-Juventus

Giornata 4
22/9/10 dan 2/2/11
Bologna-Udinese
Brescia-Roma
Cagliari-Sampdoria
Catania-Cesena
Genoa-Fiorentina
Inter-Bari
Juventus-Palermo
Lazio-Milan
Lecce-Parma
Napoli-Chievo

Giornata 5
26/9/10 dan 6/2/11
Bari-Brescia
Catania-Bologna
Cesena-Napoli
Chievo-Lazio
Fiorentina-Parma
Juventus-Cagliari
Milan-Genoa
Palermo-Lecce
Roma-Inter
Sampdoria-Udinese

Giornata 6
3/10/10 dan 13/2/11
Bologna-Sampdoria
Chievo-Cagliari
Fiorentina-Palermo
Genoa-Bari
Inter-Juventus
Lazio-Brescia
Lecce-Catania
Napoli-Roma
Parma-Milan
Udinese-Cesena

Giornata 7
17/10/10 dan 20/2/11
Bari-Lazio
Brescia-Udinese
Cagliari-Inter
Catania-Napoli
Cesena-Parma
Juventus-Lecce
Milan-Chievo
Palermo-Bologna
Roma-Genoa
Sampdoria-Fiorentina

Giornata 8
24/10/10 dan 27/2/11
Bologna-Juventus
Chievo-Cesena
Fiorentina-Bari
Genoa-Catania
Inter-Sampdoria
Lazio-Cagliari
Lecce-Brescia
Napoli-Milan
Parma-Roma
Udinese-Palermo

Giornata 9
31/10/10 dan 6/3/11
Bari-Udinese
Brescia-Napoli
Cagliari-Bologna
Catania-Fiorentina
Cesena-Sampdoria
Genoa-Inter
Milan-Juventus
Palermo-Lazio
Parma-Chievo
Roma-Lecce

Giornata 10
7/11/10 dan 13/3/11
Bari-Milan
Bologna-Lecce
Fiorentina-Chievo
Inter-Brescia
Juventus-Cesena
Lazio-Roma
Napoli-Parma
Palermo-Genoa
Sampdoria-Catania
Udinese-Cagliari



Bursa Transfer Pemain | Diisukan Hengkang


Akhir-akhir ini Gennaro Gattuso kerap diberitakan akan hengkang. Belum mau kehilangan pemainnya itu, Massimiliano Allegri mencoba membujuk si 'Badak' untuk bertahan.

Selama era Leonardo, Gattuso tidak banyak menjadi pilihan utama di skuad Milan. Pemain bernomor punggung delapan ini lebih banyak menghabiskan waktunya di bangku cadangan.

Alhasil, Gattuso disebut-sebut tengah menuju keluar San Siro. Rumor kian kencang menyusul adanya dua 'pendekatan' dari dua tim dari luar Italia, Al-Ahli dan Olympiakos.

Akan tetapi, Allegri tampaknya masih ingin mempertahankan Gattuso. Pria berusia 44 tahun ini mencoba membujuk Gattuso dengan kenangan ketika masih sama-sama merumput di Perugia dalam kurun waktu 1995-1997 itu.

"Kenapa kamu malah ingin pergi ketika saya baru saja datang?,"tanyaAllegri di Football-Italia.

"Apakah kamu tidak ingat ketika kita bermain bersama di Perugia? Ayolah, jangan bodoh!"tukas eks manajer Cagliari itu.

Gattuso kini memasuki musim ke-12 bersama Diavolo Rosso. Gelandang bertahan yang selalu bermain ngotot itu sudah tampil sebanyak 407 kali dengan sumbangan sembilan gol.





Rabu, 28 Juli 2010

Asian Cup 2015 Australia

The Football Federation of Australia (FFA) on Thursday formally handed over its bid for the AFC Asian Cup 2015 finals at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur in AFC House.

AFC President Mohammed Bin Hammam received the bid book from FFA Chairman Frank Lowy in the presence of AFC Vice President Zhang Jilong, AFC General Secretary Alex Soosay and FFA CEO Ben Buckle.

Australia is the only candidate to bid for the 16th edition the Asian Cup tournament.

Mr Lowy said “We at the FFA are dedicated, honoured and privileged to make AFC Asian Cup bigger, better and more successful than the previous editions.

“It’s my honour to present the bid book and I can tell you that Australia is excited to host this event at all levels, sporting, government and the general public."


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Senin, 26 Juli 2010

Europe's teen talent shines in France

With the World Cup exposing a number of ageing European teams in need of new blood, a glimpse of the immediate future can be seen at the 2010 UEFA U-19 Championship, taking place in France at the moment.

Reigning champions Ukraine, who hosted the 2009 edition, failed to qualify, but hosts France have stormed into the last four, trouncing the Netherlands 4-1 and Austria 5-0. Joining them from group A are England, who beat Austria 3-2, drew 1-1 with France and lost 0-1 to the Dutch.

Although the French are the tournament's highest scorers, top of the points charts are surprise, surprise, Spain, the only unbeaten team. The Spanish U19s defeated Croatia and Portugal 2-1 before a comfortable 3-0 dismissal of Italy.

Top of the goal charts with three strikes are Liverpool's Spanish prodigy Daniel Pacheco and Croatian midfielder Zvonko Pamic, who plays for Freiburg in Germany.

UEFA U-19 Semi-Finals Tue 27th July

SPAIN v ENGLAND
Saint-Lo 1600

FRANCE v CROATIA Caen 1900

Final Fri 30th July

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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J. League Results July 25

Sunday 25 July

Kawasaki Frontale 1 Kyoto Sanga 0
Shonan Bellmare 1 FC Tokyo 3
Vissel Kobe 3 Omiya Ardija 1

Saturday 24 July

Urawa Reds 0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1
Jubilo Iwata 2 Kashima Antlers 3
Cerezo Osaka 3 Montedio Yamagata 0
Vegalta Sendai 2 Albirex Niigata 3
Yokohama F Marinos 1 Gamba Osaka 0
Nagoya Grampus 3 Shimizu S-Pulse 3

J.League Table

Kashima Antlers P 14 Pts 30
Shimizu S-Pulse P 14 Pts 27
Nagoya Grampus P 14 Pts 26
Kawasaki Frontale P 14 Pts 24
Cerezo Osaka P 14 Pts 23
Hiroshima P 14 Pts 22

Leading Scorers

Josh Kennedy, Nagoya Grampus 9
Shoki Hirai, Gamba Osaka 8
Edmilson, Urawa Reds 7
Renatinho, Kawasaki Frontale 7
Kazuma Watanabe, Yokohama F Marinos 7
Ryoichi Maeda, Jubilo Iwata 7
Shinji Kagawa, Cerezo Osaka 7
Marcio Richardes, Albirex Niigata 7


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Minggu, 25 Juli 2010

Bursa Transfer Pemain | Saran Untuk Torres


Kenny Dalglish ikut angkat bicara soal situasi Fernando Torres yang masih belum ada kepastian. Legenda Liverpool itu berharap El Nino bertahan di Anfield.

Tanda tanya masih menaungi nasib Torres meski sebelumnya manajer Roy Hodgson mengatakan bahwa Torres, bersama Steven Gerrard tidak dijual.

"Sayang sekali karena saya tidak bisa melakukan hal lebih jauh lagi. Kini semua terserah klub dan bukan pada saya," ujar Hodgson seperti dikutip dari News of The World.

Salah satu hal yang mungkin bisa membuat eks Atletico Madrid itu berpisah dengan The Reds adalah tidak tampilnya klub asal kota pelabuhan itu di Liga Champions musim 2010/2011. Bahkan Si Merah harus tampil di kualifikasi Europa League.

Seperti diberitakan BBC, mantan legenda Liverpool Kenny Dalglish ikut angkat bicara soal "kasus" Torres ini.

"Saya berharap Torres tetap tinggal. Hanya dia yang tahu apa yang akan dilakukannya. Namun fakta bahwa Stevie (Steven Gerrard) tetap bertahan dan perekrutan pemain seperti Joe Cole, Milan Jovanovic, Jonjo Shelvey, dan Danny Wilson merupakan langkah untuk memajukan klub ini untuk masa sekarang mau pun masa yang akan datang," ujar pilar The Anfield Gank era 1980-an itu.

"Memang sayang Torres tengah cedera. Tapi dia merupakan pemain yang fantastis dan dia menghadirkan kegembiraan bagi klub dan kota ini," lugas eks manajer Liverpool tahun 1985-1991 itu.

Dalglish pun optimistis bahwa di musim baru yang segera dimulai, Liverpool bisa menebus kegagalannya di season 2009/2010. Meski diakui tak akan mudah, namun Dalglish yakin bahwa Gerrard dkk. bisa kembali ke Liga Champions.

"Memang untuk saat ini masih sulit karena para pemain baru saja pulang dari Piala Dunia dan ketika para pemain dari sebuah tim tidak langsung segera berkumpul, itu bakal menghadirkan kesulitan. Namun pembelian Joe Cole dan pernyataan Steven Gerrard untuk bertahan merupakan suntikan semangat bagi semua. Roy akan segera menggunakan 'kekuasaaannya' di sini," pungkasnya.



Football in Sun & Shadow - a look back at the 2010 World Cup

South Africa 2010 was being billed as a disaster ever since the Rainbow Nation romped home unopposed in the bidding war.

The country's high crime rate, political turmoil and level of HIV infection had given journalists a rich seam to of scare stories to mine, reviving a primal Western fear of darkest Africa as the World Cup boldy trod where no one had gone before.

As it transpired, Sepp Blatter's baby was delivered peacefully, with nothing more heinous than the high-decibel blast of plastic horns to assault the eardrums of fans across the world. Crime was an issue for the locals with their electric fences, multiple doors and roaming security staff, but it was soon obvious there was little risk of any visiting fans becoming another statistic.

The FIFA President was as disgusted by the ugly card-fest of a final as anyone, but will have slept soundly in the knowledge nothing seriously went wrong during his tournament.
Those of us who travelled to South Africa came away disappointed in the transport situation, which left us stuck for hours in traffic jams on inadequate roads, but fans could not complain about the cost of living in the Rainbow Nation, having shelled out an arm and a leg for the initial flight of course.

Frank Lampard's wrongly annulled strike against Germany followed by an offside Argentina goal on 'Technology Sunday' ensures that the TV replays debate is back on the agenda, and will never go away until something more advanced than the human eye is allowed to participate in decision making.

Talking of England, a milestone has surely been reached with no fans being arrested during the course of a World Cup for public order offences, apart from the dolt who briefly entered the dressing room in Cape Town. The team might have backfired once more, but the home of football happily failed to hit the headlines for hooliganism.

The Three Lions looked a more spent force than ever on the field, utterly eclipsed by a rampant young German team whose simple counter-attacking strategy wiped out Argentina as well before the Spanish passmasters reminded them who is still top dog.

The winners rarely wowed the crowds like they had at Euro 2008, showed a depressing tendency to surround the referee in order to get opponents booked and were not averse to the odd dive or two on their way to the trophy. And in bagging their first World Cup, Spain also took the prize as the lowest-scoring winners in the competition's history.

Yet la furia roja's final win was a huge relief to neutrals worldwide after the Netherlands, yes the Netherlands, had tried to foul their way to the Cup with the most unpleasant display seen in a final since Argentina in 1990. They gave the world an x-rated moment courtesy of Nigel De Jong's karate kick and to further blot their copybook, some Dutch players berated the referee when he had actually done them favours in not expelling De Jong and Mark Van Bommel, who after verbally abusing Howard Webb at the end, sealed his display of bad losing by not shaking hands with the Spaniards.

With Holland no longer the home of cultured football, Spain carry the torch, ironically a seed which may have been sown by Johann Cruyff at Barcelona in the 1970s.
Ghana apart, there were no heroic campaigns to get excited about. The Black Stars won the sympathy vote as the final African competitor and their heartbreakingly self-inflicted exit was the stuff of Greek tragedy, but it seemed too little too late for the underdogs, who had mostly been wiped out in the first round. Japan & South Korea both showed Eastern promise before succumbing to South American power, which briefly looked like overwhelming the competition, and Uruguay can be proud of going furthest from that continent.

The football was not as negative and defensive as some recent tournaments have been, but rarely caught fire with no unforgettable contests. There were some fine goals however, and a number of long-range peaches, perhaps a result of the controversial Jabulani, the latest official World Cup ball to annoy those who have to play with it.

While Uruguay's advance to the semi-finals may mean the death of 4-4-2 has been prematurely announced, 2010 will go down as the year in tactics of 4-2-3-1 and twin defensive midfielders. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira for the Germans exemplified this, while De Jong and Van Bommel guarded Holland's approaches like two of the three heads of Cerberus.

While formations mutate, it seems nothing revolutionary can happen again in World Cup tactics and it was telling that the inheritors of Total Football finally opted to play a disruptive game instead of taking attacking ideas to the opposition. Even that most isolated of nations, North Korea, showed discipline and organisation in their narrow 2-1 loss to Brazil, a world away from their all-out attacking style in 1966, although it all fell apart for them again against Portugal.

No single theme hung over the tournament as heavily as penalty shoot-outs did in 1990 or player fatigue did in 2002, but only because the refereeing injustices did not affect the outcome of big games. Had Andres Iniesta strayed offside before receiving Cesc Fabregas' assist before scoring, or the Dutch seen a goal like Lampard's wrongly disallowed, the video issue would be burning like wildfire. As it transpires, some concession to technology, perhaps via the fourth official on goal-line decisions, seems likely sooner rather than later, certainly before the next World Cup.

FIFA are beginning to accept they are too remote in the eyes of the world, which perhaps prompted them to splash their logo over substitutes' bibs and TV replays in South Africa. They must be seen to be sensitive to public grievances over refereeing and technology, ticketing and other matters, so their tentative u-turn on video replays is cautiously propitious.

A global organisation of such magnitude demands more accountability and transparency.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Bursa Transfer Pemain | Menanti 'Efek Domino' Raul


Bila jadi pindah ke Schalke 04, maka Raul Gonzales juga bisa menentukan nasib empat pemain depan lain yang ada di klub berbeda. Siapa saja mereka?

Kabar bahwa Raul bakal meninggalkan Santiago Bernabeu berhembus cukup santer. Bahkan pelatih Schalke Felix Magath mengatakan bahwa kepindahan maskot Real Madrid itu ke Veltins Arena sudah tinggal tunggu waktu saja.

Hijrahnya sang "Pangeran Bernabeu" itu ke Jerman bisa menimbulkan efek domino. Ada empat pemain dari klub berbeda yang bakal terkena 'efek domino' Raul.

Seeperti diberitakan Marca dilansir dari Football-Italia, entrenador Madrid Jose Mourinho mengincar tiga nama yakni Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich), Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen), atau Carvalho Amauri (Juventus) untuk mengisi posisi yang ditinggalkan Raul.

Bila Amauri yang dipilih oleh The Special One, maka efek domino akan berimbas kepada Edin Dzeko. Memang sebelumnya Wolfsburg sudah memagari Dzeko. Namun dengan penjualan Amauri, Juve tentu memiliki dana lebih banyak untuk ditawarkan kepada Die Woelfe guna meminang ujung tombak asal Bosnia itu.


Bagaimana akhir dari kisah ini?




Bursa Transfer Pemain | Madrid Lepas Anak Didiknya


Setelah hampir lima belas tahun memakai seragam El Real, Jose Maria Gutierrez Hernandez alias Guti akhirnya harus berpisah dengan klub tempat ia belajar sepakbola hingga mengorbitkannya menjadi pemain sepakbola profesional. Lalu kemana pemain berkebangsaan Spanyol itu berlabuh?

Minggu (25/7/2010) malam WIB, Guti menggelar jumpa pers untuk mengumumkan perpisahannya bersama Real Madrid. Selanjutnya Guti gencar diberitakan bakal berlabuh di Besiktas (Turki). Tetapi soal masa depan, Guti belum mau bicara banyak.

"Ini bukan keputusan yang mudah. Tapi saya mendapatkan penawaran yang bagus dari Besiktas, tapi saya belum memutuskan apa-apa. Soal masa depan, saya akan memutuskan yang terbaik bagi saya," ujar Guti diberitakan Reuters.

"Yang saya ketahui, ketika saya pergi keluarga besar Real Madrid tetap mencintai saya. Itu yang terpenting," lanjutnya.

Real Madrid melepas salah satu pemain binaannya itu dengan rasa sedih sekaligus bangga. "Jose Maria Gutierrez 'Guti' merupakan salah satu pemain yang paling dihormati di sejarah Real Madrid," demikian tulis Los Galacticos dalam situs resminya.

Guti mulai bergabung dengan tim yunior Madrid pada tahun 1984. Ia masuk ke tim utama Los Merengues pada tahun 1995.

Selama 15 tahun menjadi pemain inti, Guti telah memenangi lima gelar liga, empat gelar Piala Super Spanyol, tiga Liga Champions, satu Piala Super Eropa, dan dua Piala Interkontinental.

Untuk "Si Putih", pemain kelahiran 31 Oktober 1976 itu sudah tampil 542 kali dan mempersembahkan 77 gol.

"Guti memainkan peran penting dalam sejarah Real Madrid. Kualitasnya yang luar biasa telah mendatangkan banyak gelar bagi tim. Pemain tengah itu merupakan satu dari sepuluh pemain yang memiliki catatan penampilan terbanyak di sepanjang sejarah klub. Ia juga mendapatkan kehormatan yaitu menjadi pencetak gol ke-5.000 untuk Madrid," demikian keterangan yang dikutip dari realmadrid.com.


Nagoya vs Shimizu lives up to all the hype

Vegemite is a common sight on the shelves at Japanese speciality store Kaldi Coffee Farm, and there was another slice of Australia on display in downtown Nagoya overnight.

Socceroos striker Josh Kennedy ran out against another lanky Australian in the form of Eddy Bosnar, but their was little to separate their respective sides as Nagoya Grampus drew 3-3 with Shimizu S-Pulse at Mizuho Stadium.

The draw maintains the status quo in the J. League, with Shimizu remaining second and Nagoya third behind current league leaders Kashima Antlers.

Copyright © Mike Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com

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Kamis, 22 Juli 2010

Transfer Mill Starts To Grind In South Korea

In between football seasons comes the silly season - a time when clubs are looking for new players and vice-versa. The internet bulges with stories of interest, denials, refusals, offers, medical tests, breakdowns and then, sometimes, a picture of a beaming player wearing a new club shirt.

The World Cup comes around every four years to add extra impetus. The global stage acts as a month-long advertisement for players. In Korea’s case it lasted almost three weeks but it was enough to set a few wheels in motion.

Potentially the biggest transfer of a South Korean player this summer is that of Park Chu-young. The striker, who turned 25 last week, already plies his trade in Europe and has been with AS Monaco since August 2008. His solid performances in France were noticed in bigger leagues and then his impressive displays in South Africa, have, according to reports, persuaded English Premier League clubs to check their bank balances to find the $10 million or so that would be necessary to buy him.

Monaco doesn’t want to sell but that doesn’t always matter in the modern transfer market. The Ligue One team played an exhibition against Incheon United on July 11 after which coach Guy Lacombe was quizzed by local journalists about the future of the former FC Seoul star. The boss said the usual stuff about that ‘Park is a Monaco player’ but admitted that ‘never’ was not a common word in the lexicon of football.

The English media took notice of such remarks and so did, according to reports, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Aston Villa and Fulham. It is an impressive list and while such reports should often be served with a pinch of salt, there is a gathering of momentum that suggests that Park will be on his way north before the end of the summer. It will be a move welcomed by a Korean media that likes to see its stars in England, the most popular league in the world.

Those journalists would probably choose Liverpool, 18-time English and five-time European champions, as the preferred destination. With Park Ji-sung at Manchester United, another Park at United’s great rival just up the road would add an interesting extra sub-plot ahead of the new season.

New Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson, who hardly selected Seol Ki-hyeon in his time at Fulham, has asked the club’s loyal fans that if they have to read transfer reports, not to read too much into them."We are looking to add to and improve the squad, but I prefer not to talk or say what we are doing until we have something concrete to announce,” he told the club’s website. "We are being linked with players left, right and centre and it amuses me that we are sometimes linked with players we haven't even heard of.”

The well-travelled Hodgson has certainly heard of Park as it has been claimed in England and Korea that he tried to buy the star for former club Fulham in April 2009 only for the player to choose to stay by the Mediterranean rather than move to the London club with a stadium on the banks of the River Thames. Liverpool, as one of the biggest clubs in Europe, would be a different proposition despite the fact the club is in debt and seeking new owners.

Before the World Cup not many had heard of Cho Yong-hyung but the Jeju United defender played in all four games in South Africa and could be about to move direct from the K-League to the Premier League, something just two players, Lee’s Chung-young and Dong-gook, have done before.

The agent of the softly-spoken star has been happy to publicly declare interest. "Aston Villa and a few other European clubs have shown interest," said Yoon Ki-yeon. "I can confirm that he is on their transfer list and I expect the official deal will be made after the World Cup."

Some moves had been completed already. Cha Du-ri lined up in South Africa along with Ki Sung-yong and now the son of Korean legend Cha Bum-keun will be joining Ki in Glasgow at the home of Celtic.

The fun is only just beginning and will only intensify as mid-August and the start of the European season approaches.

Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com

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Garry Cook, 10/07/2009 - "People have come to realise that you don't go from 0 to 100mph in no time at all. We don't want to be held to ransom, and have very clear directives."

Roberto Mancini, 21/07/2010 - "The problem is that when clubs know that it is Manchester City they are dealing with the prices go up. This is not good and it is not right."

Welcome to the real world Roberto. Basic economics says that if it is common knowledge that you have a bottomless wallet potential vendors will attempt to exploit that fact to the full.

It was exactly the same last year when City relentlessly pursued Joleon Lescott (who they eventually paid stupid money for) and Roque Santa Cruz (ditto) and John Terry (who saw sense and stayed put). And don't forget the £100m Kaka episode - they did not learn from the Robinho disaster and still don't realise how close they came to an even bigger one with Kaka.

And they are at it again - another £100m frittered on what appear to be gambles & unneeded players. More money splashed around with more greedy sharks circling the City pleasure boat.

Jerome Boateng is a 21 year old defender who doesn't know his best position. David Silva is a size zero waif-like winger who is not suited to the rigours of the Premiership. I hope somebody has told Silva he doesn't get a winter break. Yaya Toure is yet another defensive midfielder in an area of the pitch where Gareth Barry, Nigel de Jong, Vincent Kompany & Patrick Viera already operate. Toure is not needed, not that good, and rumoured to be on around £200k a week.

Reportedly on the blue radar are Aleksandar Kolarov, a left back who will presumably displace Wayne Bridge, James Milner, the most overrated & expensive utility man in the world, and Mario Balotelli, the wild child of Milan who has triggered this "ransom" whinge.

Even when Mancini was quizzed about USA star Landon Donovan he replied “He is a good player. It could be possible.” Now call me Captain Sensible but surely saying something like "absolutely no chance, we don't need him." might be a better way of getting the price down should there be any substance to Mancini's comment?

City have made the bed that they will have to lie in for the duration of their Sheiky Love In. John Terry was not for sale. Neither was Lescott. Or Santa Cruz for that matter. This fact did not put City off in the warped belief that every player has his price. It is no surprise that they are being held to ransom as they once again employ the scatter gun approach of linking themselves with every player possible.

The problem is that the price of anybody half decent is vastly inflated so every other club is sitting waiting for City to close their wallet. Then they can all go out and see who is left or grab a bargain from the host of rejects that Mancini deems surplus to requirements at Eastlands.

BruiseLee

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Minggu, 18 Juli 2010

J. League Results July 18 2010

Sunday 18 July

Kyoto Sanga 0 Shonan Bellmare
1 Gamba Osaka 3 Urawa Reds 2
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3 Yokohama F Marinos 0

Saturday 17 July

Omiya Ardija 0 Nagoya Grampus 1
FC Tokyo 2 Vissel Kobe 2
Shimizu S-Pulse 0 Jubilo Iwata 0
Montedio Yamagata 3 Vegalta Sendai 1
Kashima Antlers 2 Kawasaki Frontale 1
Albirex Niigata 1 Cerezo Osaka 1

J.League Table

Kashima Antlers P 13 Pts 27
Shimizu S-Pulse P 13 Pts 26
Nagoya Grampus P 13 Pts 25
Kawasaki Frontale P 13 Pts 21
Cerezo Osaka P 13 Pts 20
Urawa Reds P 13 Pts 20

Leading Scorers

Josh Kennedy, Nagoya Grampus 9
Shoki Hirai, Gamba Osaka 8
Edmilson, Urawa Reds 7
Renatinho, Kawasaki Frontale 7
Kazuma Watanabe, Yokohama F Marinos 7
Ryoichi Maeda, Jubilo Iwata 7
Shinji Kagawa, Cerezo Osaka 7


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World Cup 2010 Review

It took less than an hour of South Africa 2010 for South African hopes to be sent soaring as the man with the Motown ditty name, Siphiwe Tshabalala, blasted a crisply volleyed strike into the Mexican goal, cranking the vuvuzelas up to eleven. Ooh Tshabalala, Tshabalala ding dong. Played out to the soundtrack of a broken fridge the greatest show on earth was finally on the road but it was a false dawn for the hosts.

The joy lasted just 25 minutes before Rafael Marquez became the first to spoil the fun with a leveller that ultimately led to South Africa becoming the first hosts ever not to make the Last 16. Diego Forlan completed the party-pooping with two fine goals in a 3-0 win that propelled Uruguay to group winners and on to an eventual fourth place finish.

South Africa’s only consolation was beating an imploding France team in the final group game to condemn Les Blues to bottom place and home in shame, but a victory over a side coached by a walking dead man and chock full of incredible sulks is nothing to blow your horn about.

South Africa’s failure was mirrored by Nigeria, Algeria, Cameroon & Ivory Coast and so African attention switched to Ghana. The Black Stars carried the hopes of a continent on a glorious run to the quarter finals which ended in heartbreak against Uruguay as Luis Suarez’s ‘hand of the devil’ hammered the final nail into the Ghanaian coffin with a 120th minute handball that earned him a dismissal and Ghana the penalty chance to make history. Asamoah Gyan’s ballooned miss and subsequent success in a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat provided this tournament’s Stuart ‘Psycho’ Pearce moment. African hopes withered and died but the vuvuzelas lived on, albeit with the pitch side microphones turned down.

Here’s a good quiz question – which was the only unbeaten team at South Africa 2010? Answer – New Zealand as I’m sure you already knew, you clever clogs. Three draws in the group stage saw the All Whites finish above an abysmal Italian side that went the same way as those moody Frenchies. Paraguay & Slovakia were the beneficiaries; both made it out of the group only to be sent packing by the two eventual finalists.

Spain did for Paraguay in the quarter finals en route to lifting the trophy on the back of four successive 1-0 wins, ensuring they became the lowest scoring champions ever with eight goals, five of them scored by David Villa who shared the golden boot with Germany’s Thomas Meuller and, very dubiously, Wesley Sneijder of Holland. Spain also became the first team to lift the trophy after losing their first game; to Switzerland, unsurprisingly 0-1.

Netherlands did not lose a game until the final where a late extra time Iniesta goal was all they deserved for attempting to clog their way to the trophy. Heavy footed spoiling tactics were an affront to the sublime total football attitude of their forebears but even then Arjen Robben had two gilt edged chances to win it. It was an inglorious end to a glorious run that featured wins over Slovakia, Brazil & Uruguay.

Brazil were generally disappointing with an unconvincing 2-1 victory over North Korea setting the tone in their opening game. They still managed to top a tricky group that included Ivory Coast & Portugal, and they saw off Chile easily enough in round two, but the Dutch were too strong in the quarter finals and Brazil were dispatched in a red mist of ill-discipline and acrimony.

Portugal racked up the biggest score of the tournament when they beat North Korea 7-0 but Cristiano Ronaldo failed to fire consistently and joined the growing ranks of underperforming super stars. Finishing second to Brazil ensured they met Spain to become the first of La Roja’s 1-0 victims.

For many an observer, Brazil had looked the most balanced team going into the finals. By the end of the first round of games it was Argentina who had snatched that title; and this for a team who were being guided by a madman.

Interlude: Diego Maradona is a madman; fact not opinion. His use of over 100 players in qualifying was topped when he selected 30 year old Ariel Garce for his final 23 man squad. Garce is a journeyman defender of 4 caps (3 friendlies in 2003 & a 4th recently against Haiti) who was taken because Maradona had a dream that Argentina won the World Cup and the only face he could remember was Garce’s. This story even beats Raymond Domenech’s cosmic selection strategy.

Maradona prowled the touchline in beard and suit and looked like he might bring himself on for Messi at any moment. In the end Messi ran out of steam, Maradona ran out of players to try and Argentina were walloped by those pesky Germans in the quarter finals.

Which brings us neatly to the only two football ‘super powers’ yet to be mentioned. The first, Germany, did as they always do – they brought their A-game to the finals and came third, scoring four goals in three separate matches and only being outdone by Puyol’s thumping header in the semi finals. They were very close to being world champions yet again with a team built on youth, ethics and teamwork.

The second, England, are a ‘super power’ in their own minds but actually couldn’t be further away from a second world title after a disastrous campaign in which their talisman left his heart at home, the coach lost his sanity, the defence lost each other, and the country finally realised they are simply not good enough. It’s like proud parents discovering that the apple of their eye has been placed in the remedial class at school. It was all topped off with an embarrassing Last 16 tonking by Germany and the most unbelievable non-decision in a World Cup game since the last unbelievable non-decision...which ironically involved England and a certain Argentine hand.

There were some players who made a name for themselves in South Africa (Thomas Mueller, Robert Vittek, Keisuke Honda, Mesut Ă–zil, Asamoah Gyan, Landon Donovan), some who enhanced an already growing reputation (Diego Forlan, Wesley Sneijder), and several superstars who simply crashed & burned (Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres, Kaka). There was also one, Miroslav Klose, who was cruelly denied by injury the chance to become the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer.

Ultimately the best team won and Paul the Octopus predicted it but South Africa 2010 will probably not be remembered for the football or Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s semi final goal, it will mostly be remembered for one thing – those bloody vuvuzelas.

BruiseLee

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Kamis, 15 Juli 2010

World Cup 2010 Memorabilia

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa is over but make sure you have something in hand to remember a great tournament.

What better than a Cotapaxi World Cup pen?

Cotapaxi plastic pens are made of the finest ABS and Poly Carbonate Plastics.

Each Cotapaxi World Cup pen comes equipped with their patented gel refill that has a stainless steel point and a Tungsten Carbide Ball which allows for the smoothest writing on the planet.

World Cup Pens

Cotapaxi cares about our planet and that is why every Cotapexi Pen is covered by our free refills for life program.

Buy these World Cup 2010 souvenir pens

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Rabu, 14 Juli 2010

From clogs of war to winsome whiners

The mystique surrounding the Netherlands took a severe battering in Soweto.

Eight yellow and one red card for two bookable offences were the proof the Dutch did not play the Beautiful Game at the World Cup Final.

Nigel de Jong's karate kick on Xabi Alonso will live long in the memory, as will the cheek of Mark Van Bommel in berating the match officials after a game in which he was lucky to even participate let alone stay on the field, following persistently rough challenges in both the semi-final and final.

Spain were no angels with five bookings themselves, but kept it cleaner than the Dutch, whose ugly approach brought back memories of Argentina in the final of Italia '90, having decided pre-game they could not beat their opponents with superior football.

This was not the brilliant orange of qualification but a rotten apple of a team in the end, taking the greatest stage of all to spoil and disrupt instead of triumph and entertain. Holland left its talent on the drawing board in favour of its studs and Nelson Mandela and the 17 heads of state in attendance must have been as repelled as the rest of the billion or so watchers worldwide.

That the Dutch chose the beast over beauty was a de facto betrayal of their heritage, a legacy the Spanish had cherished since Johann Cruyff's days at the Camp Nou and polished into a finished article called tiki-taka, which has now conquered the world. The Netherlands used to be special in so many eyes, a small nation over-achieving at football thanks to a religious commitment to honing skill and intelligence in players and a tactical enlightenment which flowered most wondrously in their 'total football' of the 1970s. Ajax has been a beacon to the soccer world in its player development and it is a feather in their cap if their fans really do boo a 4-0 win achieved without panache.

All the respect built up over the years was shattered, perhaps irreparably, in Soweto, and the world may start to look elsewhere in future for the torch-bearers of the Intelligent Game, starting with the Dutch's vanquishers, Spain.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Fifa World Rankings July 14 2010

Fifa's World Rankings were announced today. World Cup winners Spain are in top spot followed by The Netherlands, Brazil and Germany.

England are in 7th place, while Argentina are in 5th.

Egypt is the highest African team in 9th. The USA is up one spot to 13th.


1 Spain
2 Netherlands
3 Brazil
4 Germany
5 Argentina
6 Uruguay
7 England
8 Portugal
9 Egypt
10 Chile
11 Italy
12 Greece
13 USA
13 Serbia
15 Croatia
16 Paraguay
17 Russia
18 Switzerland
19 Slovenia
20 Australia

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Selasa, 13 Juli 2010

Espana World Cup 'Souvenir Scores' posters to support UNICEF





A must buy for all Espana football fans - the Espana World Cup 'Souvenir Scores' as featured here.

Trebleseven Design has designed 16 new 'Souvenir Scores' poster designs with World Cup results / scores included etc. The last 8 teams have their own unique colour poster and scores highlighted of how they progressed to reach the later stages - making it a great 'memento' if you are a fan of Spain / Netherlands or even the Quarter finalists ( Ghana / Paraguay etc) and I've even designed an England version!

To raise as much money as possible for UNICEF - I want to encourage people to buy en mass so will be offering the posters in 2 ways -

1) High Res A3 vector based PDF files priced at a bargain £1 per poster pdf or only £5 for all 16 poster pdfs - these will be emailed + can then be printed up by the buyer to A2 / A1 etc

2) High Quality Giclée print - email david@trebleseven.com for details

Poster artwork pdfs and prints can be ordered through my website www.trebleseven.com

2010 World Cup Final Wrapped Up

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup having reached a conclusion, Ben Shires and the Wrapped Up team are back for one final flurry of World Cup wrap up action.

In this episode... we see how a World Cup game might look in the year 3244 PLUS Diego Maradona demonstrates how to awaken the Maradona within YOU! If you like this, join us on Facebook




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Senin, 12 Juli 2010

Back To The Bread And Butter (Or Kimchi And Rice)

Football never stops. The World Cup has just finished but a full program of K-League returns this weekend after the summer break. Much has happened since May 9 when the 15 teams were last in action not least the fact that the national team reached the second round in South Africa for the first time ever in a World Cup held overseas.

There is always a ‘World Cup effect’ to be felt domestically after the quadrennial competition comes to an end. The beautiful game has been unavoidable for the past few weeks and the success of the national team will give a boost to attendances around the country. How much and for how long, well, those are the questions currently being asked by a number of journalists. As always, we will just have to wait and see.

Unfortunately for local fans, many of the stars who shone in South Africa are already back in Europe and not too many K-Leaguers who took the pitch in the Port Elizabeth, Durban and Johannesburg will be in action in Gwangju, Ulsan and Incheon over the coming weeks. The ones that did return may have their ranks thinned further as the Taeguk Warriors’ good performances on the global stage caught the eye of European clubs.

Defender Cho Yong-hyong has already been linked with a move to English Premier League team Aston Villa and with the European transfer season about to reach full throttle in the next few weeks, more rumors, reports, links and even moves are sure to happen.

Other World Cup related K-League action is the fact that a number of teams have had their coach linked to the vacant national team position after Huh Jung-moo stepped down on July 2. There have still been a couple of coaching changes already.

The biggest story is that of Cha Bum-kun. South Korea’s 1998 World Cup boss left Suwon Bluewings on June 6 after six years in charge of the two time Asian champion. The first part of the season was a terrible one for the club’s many fans who are accustomed to tasting, or at least getting a whiff of it. After eight defeats in eleven games, Suwon is bottom of the standings.

His replacement is an interesting one. Suwon is a team accustomed to big name players and coaches but the club appointed Yoon Sung-hyo. The former Suwon player and assistant coach has enjoyed some success coaching Soongsil University but will find life at the Big Bird a little different. In years to come, the club’s appointment will either be seen as a stroke of genius or symbolic of a lack of ambition. His first K-League match comes against fellow strugglers Daegu FC on Sunday.

Incheon United is also in the midst of change. Serbian boss Ilja Petkovic quit in June as his wife was reportedly ill and they wanted to return home. Soon after though, reports came through that Serbia’s 2006 World Cup coach seemingly had his geography a little confused as he ended up in Qatar, a land renowned for lucrative coaching contracts, to take over Al Ahli. Assistant manager Kim Bong-kil will take charge of the team until the end of the season.

Ulsan Horangi starts the second part of the season in top spot and face third-placed Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in the biggest game of the weekend. Ulsan boss Kim Ho-gon has shown tentative interest in the vacant national team coaching job while his Seongnam counterpart Shin Tae-yong has ruled himself out of the running. By the time the two meet, the decision will be made and there could be a part of Kim hoping that he will not be sat on the UIsan bench on Sunday.

The Tigers may be in first place but it is tight at the top with just three points separating first and fifth and six between the leaders and Busan in eighth. Jeju United is a surprise second with Seongnam ,Seoul and Gyeongnam all close behind. There is still more than half of the season to go however and much football to be played.

Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com


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Minggu, 11 Juli 2010

Spain win World Cup


Spain have won the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa thanks to a 116th-minute winner from midfielder Andres Iniesta.

The Barcelona star converted a pass from substitute Cesc Fabregas with just four minutes of extra-time remaining, after the two sides failed to break the deadlock in normal time.

Dutch players in training
The Dutch were confident of victory before the game, however Spain's win continued the remarkable soothsaying run of Paul the Octopus, who before the match predicted that Vicente Del Bosque's team would come up trumps.

Football fans were no doubt relieved that the Oberhausen-based oracle was not turned into octopus paella after Germany's narrow semi-final defeat to the Spaniards, as the eight-legged marine oddity once again picked the winner.

Spain are now the current European and World champions - and deservedly so - following an outstanding 2010 World Cup campaign.

Copyright © Mike Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com

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World Cup 2010 Semi Finals Wrapped Up

Ben Shires and the Wrapped Up team are back to wrap up the round in which four teams became two - the 2010 FIFA World Cup semi finals. There's a trippy recreation of the Van Bronckhorst goal with commentary from a couple of Dutch stoners, PLUS we see why nobody would refuse an offer from Fabio Capello...

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