The Soccer Blog: Clash

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Tuesday, 29 March 2011

Bale in doubt for Real clash

Tottenham winger Gareth Bale could miss the first leg of his side’s Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid with a hamstring strain.

The 21-year-old sustained the injury on international duty with Wales and went for a scan on Monday to determine the severity of the problem.The scans showed that Bale had suffered a grade one strain, which could keep him out for seven to 10 days, which will rule him out of Saturday’s trip to Wigan and for Tuesday’s visit to Madrid.”Gareth has returned to Spurs Lodge and took part in controlled straight-line running so we could assess him,” a Tottenham statement read.”We sent him for an ultrasound scan examination this afternoon and that has confirmed the presence of a minor grade one hamstring strain.”"Gareth has reported no pain or stiffness after taking part in the running this morning and we shall continue to monitor him and see how he responds to his conditioning programme throughout the week.”A club versus country row occurred over the injury, with Wales claiming that he was injured before he arrived, a suggestion that was refuted by Tottenham’s head of medical services, Wayne Diesel.”He was passed fit to train by the FAW medical team and it was only after 40 minutes of his first training session on Tuesday, which included some high intensity runs, Gareth complained of tightness in his right hamstring and was pulled out of the remainder of the session as a precaution,” Diesel said.”We requested the player be sent immediately for a scan which subsequently revealed the hamstring strain that forced his withdrawal from the squad.”Bale has missed plenty of football in recent times, with a back injury sustained against Newcastle in January restricting his involvement in the second half of the season.He made his first start in two months on March 19 when Tottenham were held to a 0-0 draw by West Ham United.

Mon 28 March, 2011

Saturday, 26 March 2011

Ramsey and Wilshere Set For Clash of Home Nations

By: Sairax | March 26th, 2011
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Here’s a quick round-up of yesterday’s international matches, featuring 2 Gunner captains:

*All matches below were part of UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying

Hungary 0 Netherlands 4: Pretty routine win for the Oranje. RvP played a full 90 minutes and got himself a goal and an assist on Kuyt’s goal. Emerged unscathed.

Luxembourg 0 France 2: Nasri and Sagna played a full 90 minutes. I’m assuming Kos is with his baby mama, but why Clichy wasn’t even on the bench, I haven’t a clue. Not that any of us are complaining because we need him to not get injured as we are pretty thin in the leftback position. Sagna had a decent game from the bits I saw, though the team performance was below par. Nasri got an assist on the first goal when he put a free kick into the box for Mexes to head home. No injuries (though Nasri gave me a bit of a scare when he was down for a couple of minutes!).

Spain 2 Czech Republic 1: Things looked promising when captain Rosicky found Plasil who fired a great shot to put them 1-0 ahead. Unfortunately, David Villa struck twice in the second half to grab all three points off the Czechs. No injuries for Rosicky as far as I know.

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Today you can watch captain Rambo and Jack the Lad face off in Wales v England at 11:00am ET. Ramsey thinks he can be a good leader of the Wales team and he wants to prove to everyone that the manager made the right decision in making him captain. There has been a lot of talk about Ramsey and Wilshere in the lead-up to the match. Of course, we all remember how well Ramsey was doing before his injury and how he managed to work his way into the first team and make an impact. It’s a shame we will never know how far he would have progressed by now had his leg not been broken, but we have to look to the future now, and his still looks very bright. Meanwhile, Jack has firmly established himself in our starting eleven and has shown a maturity in his game far beyond his years. Both look to be future stars for the Arsenal. Here’s a chart from the Daily Mail showing how their stats compare, using Ramsey’s 09/10 season and Wilshere’s 10/11 season:

RambovJack

Looking at other matches today, Arshavin will captain Russia against Armenia, which also kicks off at 11:00am ET. Bendtner looks like he might feature after all in Denmark’s Euro qualifier against Scandinavian rivals, Norway, at 3:00pm ET. Carlos Vela is with the Mexico squad and will be playing Paraguay in a friendly match kicking off at 4:40pm ET. The Arsenal website says that Eboue will be involved in Ivory Coast’s ACN qualifier versus Benin, but I can’t find any more information on that game.

You all have a nice day while I go chill with the Arsenal WAGs. Peace.

wags

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Some Related Stories:Midseason Review, Part III: AwardsArsenal Do Well in Internationals (No Injuries!)Arsenal Need To Find A Way To Get Past DefeatInternationals (Who’s Injured Now?)News Round Up: Who’s In for Chelsea; International Call Ups

Category: Aaron Ramsey, Andrey Arshavin, Arsenal News, Bacary Sagna, Carlos Vela, Emmanuel Eboue, Gael Clichy, Internationals, Jack Wilshere, Laurent Koscielny, Nicklas Bendtner, Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri, Tomas Rosicky

Tags: Aaron Ramsey, Andrey Arshavin, Arsenal News, bacary sagna, Carlos Vela, Emmanuel Eboue, Gael Clichy, Internationals, Jack Wilshere, Laurent Koscielny, Nicklas Bendtner, Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri, Tomas Rosicky
Tweet « Gunners Play Today in Euro Qualifiers; RvP Has Some Things To Say | Home | Fred Jacobcan someone put which gunners are those arsenal wags from left to rightSairaxClichy, RvP, Vermaelen, ArshavinFelegyGood for you Verms, good for you.....Fred Jacobi think the one in the brown is theo's girl?blog comments powered by Disqus

Harry Redknapp, England manager? (Awful writing) Is It Too Early to Get Excited About Sturridge? Denmark 1 - 2 England (Via Hamlet) more news...

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Wednesday, 23 March 2011

Dutch recall Ruud for Hungary clash

The Netherlands will have their toughest test yet in Euro 2012 qualifying, when they travel to Hungary on Friday.

The Dutch have impressed in the first major campaign since the World Cup final in South Africa last year, allowing just two goals in four games while scoring 12 to go top of Group E.They will tackle Hungary at the Puskas Ferenc Stadion in Budapest, with the hosts also in superb form which has taken them to second place in the group.Both countries have won their respective friendlies since the last qualifying games – the Dutch beating Turkey (1-0) and Austria, and Hungary beating Lithuania (2-0) and Azerbaijan (2-0) – meaning one side will drop their winning run on Friday.Veteran Ruud van Nistelrooy has been recalled to Bert van Marwijk’s squad, to cover for injured stars Arjen Robben, Theo Janssen and Klaas Jan Huntelaar.Attila Tokoli has been called up to the Hungary squad, with manager Sandor Egervari hopeful he can cover for the loss of Mainz forward Adam Szalai.Palermo star Josip Ilicic is confident Slovenia can cause an upset against Italy in their Group C top-of-the-table clash on Friday.”My intention is to come back to Palermo as a winner and with a grin from ear to ear,” Ilicic said.Slovenia manager Matjaz Kek said he was spurred on by the quality of their opposition ahead of the match, with the chance of going equal top on points with the Azzurri on the cards.”These challenges really motivate teams, so bring on Italy,” Kek said.”We know that we are hosting a side that has won the World Cup four times and I?d call them a football super-power in terms of tradition and world-class players.”Norway will be without goalkeeper Jon Knudsen and Stoke striker John Carew for their crucial Group H meeting with Denmark on Saturday.Crystal Palace’s Steffen Iversen is back in the squad replacing Rosenborg BK forward Morten Moldskred.Brondby IF goalkeeper Stephan Andersen and FC Midtjylland midfielder Jakob Poulsen return to the Denmark squad after long-term injuries. Danish coach Morten Olsen is bidding for at least a point in Oslo.”They have a way of playing that makes it hard for any opponents, but they also have some weaknesses we can try and exploit,” Olsen said.In other fixtures on Friday, Austria host Belgium (Group A), Serbia welcome Northern Ireland (Group C), Luxembourg play off against France (Group D) and reigning European champions Spain take on the Czech Republic.On Saturday, Armenia and Russia go head to head in a top-of-the-table clash (Group B), Wales take on England in a battle of the British nations (Group G), Bulgaria welcome Switzerland (Group G), Georgia play host to Croatia (Group F), Cyprus take on Iceland (Group H), Israel and Latvia do battle (Group F), Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania will play off (Group D), Albania host Belarus (Group D), football powerhouse Germany host minnow Kazakhstan in what looks to be a mismatch (Group A), Andorra take on Slovakia (Group B), Malta host Greece (Group F) and Ireland Republic will clash with Macedonia (Group B).

Wed 23 March, 2011

Dutch recall Ruud for Hungary clash

The Netherlands will have their toughest test yet in Euro 2012 qualifying, when they travel to Hungary on Friday.

Wed 23 March, 2011

Monday, 21 March 2011

Europa League clash hurt City: Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti believes the fact that Manchester City played on Thursday handed his Chelsea side the advantage in Sunday’s 2-0 home win.

David Luiz’s header and an excellent individual effort from Ramirez secured an important victory for Chelsea as they seek to secure a Champions League qualification place for next season.

Chelsea boss Ancelotti praised the efforts of his players, but also acknowledged that City may have been left underprepared after meeting Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League on Thursday.

“It was a very difficult game,” Ancelotti said.

“We played a good game – we had focus, spirit and a good attitude.”

“First half we had to be quicker in front to get the right solution. Defensively we were good.”

“Man City lost a bit of power because they played on Thursday.”

John Terry’s imminent return to the England captaincy in next Saturday’s European Championship qualifier against Wales was cast into doubt when the centre back appeared to struggling with an injury in the second half.

But according to Ancelotti, the 30-year-old will be fit to play for his country at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

“He doesn’t have a problem to play for England,” Ancelotti said.

City boss Roberto Mancini also felt a lack of recovery time after the Dynamo encounter was a factor in the loss.

“We played a good game. But we played three days ago against Kiev,” Mancini said.

“In the last 20-25 minutes we were so tired.”

The visitors were without Carlos Tevez, but Mancini refused to use the absence of the captain as an excuse.

“Carlos is a good player, but (Edin) Dzeko and Balotelli are good players,” he said.

“After 70 minutes it was normal that Chelsea had more possession.”

“After that we conceded a goal and it changed.”

Sun 20 March, 2011

Europa League clash hurt City: Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti believes the fact that Manchester City played on Thursday handed his Chelsea side the advantage in Sunday’s 2-0 home win.

David Luiz’s header and an excellent individual effort from Ramirez secured an important victory for Chelsea as they seek to secure a Champions League qualification place for next season.

Chelsea boss Ancelotti praised the efforts of his players, but also acknowledged that City may have been left underprepared after meeting Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League on Thursday.

“It was a very difficult game,” Ancelotti said.

“We played a good game – we had focus, spirit and a good attitude.”

“First half we had to be quicker in front to get the right solution. Defensively we were good.”

“Man City lost a bit of power because they played on Thursday.”

But according to Ancelotti, the 30-year-old will be fit to play for his country at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

“He doesn’t have a problem to play for England,” Ancelotti said.

City boss Roberto Mancini also felt a lack of recovery time after the Dynamo encounter was a factor in the loss.

“We played a good game. But we played three days ago against Kiev,” Mancini said.

“In the last 20-25 minutes we were so tired.”

The visitors were without Carlos Tevez, but Mancini refused to use the absence of the captain as an excuse.

“Carlos is a good player, but (Edin) Dzeko and Balotelli are good players,” he said.

“After 70 minutes it was normal that Chelsea had more possession.”

“After that we conceded a goal and it changed.”

Sun 20 March, 2011

Sunday, 13 March 2011

Balotelli Expected to be fit for FA Cup Clash

5 comments by Jonathan Lee on March 13th, 2011

Italian youngster ready for action.

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Tuesday, 1 March 2011

Liverpool Trio Set To Return For Manchester United Clash

13 comments by Jack Atchinson on March 1st, 2011

Anfield coach predicts stars will be back for Sunday’s showdown with Old Trafford rivals.

Watch Liverpool v Manchester United live streaming with GetSport.TV

Sunday, 27 February 2011

Didier Drogba Will Quit Chelsea If He Does Not Start Manchester United Clash

10 comments by The Newshound on February 27th, 2011

Stamford Bridge striker is not a happy bunny.

Chelsea V Manchester United Tickets available at Tixdaq.com

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Friday, 25 February 2011

Rio Ferdinand Ruled Out Of Big Manchester United Vs Chelsea Clash

5 comments by Jack Atchinson on February 25th, 2011

Old Trafford defender has not recovered but striker set for return.

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Tuesday, 22 February 2011

Victor Valdes To Be Fit For Arsenal Clash

2 comments by Jack Atchinson on February 22nd, 2011

Spanish goalkeeper will be fit for Nou Camp tie.

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Wednesday, 19 January 2011

Rome rivals prepare for Coppa clash

Little separates them in the Serie A, paving the way for an intriguing Coppa Italia derby between Lazio and Roma on Wednesday.

Both bring winning form into the quarter-final meeting, with Lazio holding league bragging rights at one spot and two points above their fourth-placed Rome rivals.

But while league status counts for little in the club competition, not even a 1-0 over Cesena in the Serie A on Sunday has totally eased the off-field woes of manager Claudio Ranieri and his Roma side.

Ranieri has had to hose down rumours of player discontent, with club legend Francesco Totti and star striker Mirko Vucinic both linked with transfers away from the club.

“Well, there are no bad moods, only reactions, but they’re positive,” Ranieri said.

“Those small episodes that did occur, I think, are due to a determination to do well. Everyone wants to be part of this recovery. I’ve said to them before that matches are decided in the last 15 minutes and players and teams with more skills have more chances, therefore I’ll do my best to play the last 15 minutes.”

Lazio clinched their own 1-0 league win on Sunday, at home against Sampdoria, though it was the title aspirants’ first win of 2011.

Still without injured striker veteran striker Tommaso Rocchi, Reja is likely to carry an unchanged team into the cup clash and is well aware of what is riding on the outcome.

“If we don’t win this match, we’re out,” he said.

“We’re aware of this as well as Roma. They will be playing both for the derby, and for the quarter-finals. I believe that both teams are aiming to get as high as possible. Therefore it’s going to be a very intense match.”

Wed 19 January, 2011

Rome rivals prepare for Coppa clash

Little separates them in the Serie A, paving the way for an intriguing Coppa Italia derby between Lazio and Roma on Wednesday.

Both bring winning form into the quarter-final meeting, with Lazio holding league bragging rights at one spot and two points above their fourth-placed Rome rivals.

Ranieri has had to hose down rumours of player discontent, with club legend Francesco Totti and star striker Mirko Vucinic both linked with transfers away from the club.

“Well, there are no bad moods, only reactions, but they’re positive,” Ranieri said.

Lazio clinched their own 1-0 league win on Sunday, at home against Sampdoria, though it was the title aspirants’ first win of 2011.

Still without injured striker veteran striker Tommaso Rocchi, Reja is likely to carry an unchanged team into the cup clash and is well aware of what is riding on the outcome.

“If we don’t win this match, we’re out,” he said.

Wed 19 January, 2011

Saturday, 8 January 2011

India captain doubtful for Socceroos´ clash

Injury-plagued India captain Bhaichung Bhutia remains in doubt for their Asian Cup opener against Australia on Monday.

Bhutia, who has been capped 102 times by his country, has been troubled by a calf muscle injury for several months adding to speculation that coach Bob Houghton would replace him in his 23-man squad.

But in a dramatic turn of events, the injury-prone 34-year-old striker was first dropped from the squad on Friday and registered as an official before being brought back in as a player.

In a late bid to regain full fitness, Bhutia called his doctor to Dubai for specialist advice so he could be fit for the match against Australia.

“Bhutia is not only the senior most member of the team, he is also our best player. India’s Asian Cup dream would not have been complete without Bhutia,” a team spokesman said.

In Bhutia’s absence, the skipper’s arm band will most probably go to Climax Lawrence, Gouramangi Singh, Subrata Pal or Surkumar Singh.

“The biggest concern for us over the last two months has been the injuries,” Bhutia said.

“Most of our first-choice players have had fitness issues but thankfully, they all have recovered just in time.”

“I assure you, the 22 players from this squad are fully fit. Only I have not managed to get in shape but I hope to be fine soon.”

“It will be disastrous for me if I cannot get fit in time. I have been waiting for my whole career for a stage like this to perform. To miss it will be a big disappointment.”

Sat 8 January, 2011