Copa America Preview: Players to Watch

The Copa America is upon us and we’re all pretty excited to see some of the worlds best in action in the coming weeks. But hwo should you keep a eye out for? Here’s our picks for the most exciting and significant players to look out for in the tournament.

1.) Neymar, Brazil

The latest Brazilian wunderkid is coming off the success of his success with Santos in Copa Libertadores and while his dives and histrionics are ultimately a turn off for me, there is no denying his skill. I’d look for lots of incisive run along the wings followed by tricksy shots and some selfishness to color his play in that Brazil jersey throughout the tournament.

2.) Lionel Messi, Argentina

Probably the best player to grace the field since Pele, Messi is a dominant force for Barcelona and an integral part of Argentina’s squad. Messi is one of the few players who has come up in recent years who has the skill to play anywhere, and isn’t interested in being a professional cry-baby. His play unselfish and unrelenting play this past season ensured Barcelona mopped the floor with Real Madrid, Tottenham, and Manchester United. If they hope to take home the Copa they’ll need to use him to maximum effect up front.

3.) Carlos Tevez, Argentina

Manchester City’s favorite subterranean homesick alien should be lining out for Argentina during the tournament and makes a good partner for Messi upfront. Realistically, he’s the only player they have who can properly feed off Messi’s passes, but also generate his own runs and movement to score without aid. Look for a few cheeky goals from this guy, he loves to play for his country, and we all know he’ll relish a chance to go home for awhile.

4.) Giovanni Dos Santos, Mexico

Despite his brother being sent home under less than honorable circumstances this week, Gio Dos Santos is a quick and creative player who loves to go on the run and should have an impact El Tri. His career hasn’t come to anything at the club level, as he seems unable to break into the team anywhere he goes. But there’s no denying he’s a great player when he’s wearing the Mexico jersey, and his annihilation of goalies in the recent Gold Cup is already the stuff of legend.

5.) Chicharito, Mexico

Manchester United’s latest hero and the prolific goal scorer for El Tri, there’s no denying he will have an impact in the tournament, especially with so many Mexican players sent home in disgrace. His creativity and ability to truly play with both of his feet makes him a mobile threat anywhere on the pitch. I have him marked for top scorer on the Mexican team, and he rarely disappoints. The only issue for him may be fatigue, as I’m not sure how much more of this his body can take after the EPL and Gold Cup.

6.) Fernando Muslera, Uruguay

The Uruguayan keeper is a man mountain, and many a side has paid the price for underestimating his throw and ability to drop the ball into play 70 to 80 yards down the pitch from his line. He’s also not afraid to mix it up with forwards and, as some league forwards will attest, his bark matches his bite in this regard. Look for him to flatten a few players, and if it really kicks off, he’ll be in the thick of it.

7.) Alex Sanchez, Chile

One the best, most underutilized in the arsenal of Camp Nou, Sanchez will be looking to remind the world why he deserves to be at Barcelona. He spends most of his time there on the bench, but by all accounts he’s a zealous trainer and should be more than fit for the competition. His repressed striker instincts and appetites should cause him to run riot all over the opposing half as he scores from around 20 yards out.

8.) Arturo Vidal, Chile

The other half of the Chilean dou of doom has been making a name for himself terrorizing the midfield of the Bundesliga at Bayer Leverkusen and has attracted attention from both the EPL and Serie A. He’s going to keep things interesting for Chile as they can count on him to hold up play in the middle and play more men forward to support Sanchez giving them a flexibility and attacking formation to rival the Mexicans.

9.) Rademel Falcao, Columbia

Porto’s speedy attacker shoots on goal with amazing accuracy, and has the pace to get clear of defenders. A quick, nippy little player, he’s also good in close and seems to have taken the Brazilian style of samba soccer to heart as he weaves through defense men. The rumor is he’s going to Chelsea, so he’ll be eager to show off for his new employers and bring it home for Columbia. Hopefully he’s not hamstrung by the mediocrity of the rest of the Columbian side.

10.) Guardado, Mexico

Guardado is one the most undervalued players on the Mexican side, and should be playing an integral part in their game as he did in the recent Gold Cup. Guardado moves with the play, and seems to have an almost intuitive understanding of where things are happening, and where they are going. Always in the right place at the right time, I’d look for him to have some serious impact on any game he plays in. He’s also able to score goals, and when you seem him running towards to you flanked by Chicharito and Dos Santos, most defenders leave him free to deal with the greater threats. Overall a great player, and one to watch.

They’re plenty more exciting players going to be on the field during the tournament, but these are our picks for the best to watch.

Written by: Matthew Wall and soccerprose.com staff, editor, soccerprose.com

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Fan Attacks Keeper, Players Attack Fan….

During a recent clash between Swedish League sides Helsingborgs IF vs. Malmö HD, it seems one particular drunken and foolish Malmo HD fan decided to invade the pitch and attack Par Hansson, the Helsingborgs goalie. Mister Hansson happened to to be right near the ref and most of his team at the time, and mayhem insued.

Posted by: Matthew Wall, editor, soccerprose.com

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Liverpool Manager Heaps Praise On Players For Season Turnaround

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has praised his players for the way they have turned this season into a success.

The Reds endured their worst start to a Premier League ever under Roy Hodgson, who failed to inspire the squad after many off-field problems.

Dalglish took over in January after Hodgson was sacked, and has seen the team climb to sixth and chasing Tottenham Hotspur for a Europa League spot.

Dalglish says this is still the objective and admits his players are better than how they performed under Hodgson.

“I still don’t think sixth place is the position we actually want to be in,” he told the club’s website.

“But credit to the players because there have only been two transfers out and two in, and the lads that have got us to where we are deserve great credit for it.

“I don’t think they could have done much more. I think they’ve done more than they possibly could.

“We’ve won some games maybe people thought we couldn’t win and we’ve lost other games we thought we should win.

“But at the end of the day, as we keep saying, we will add up the points at the end of the season and see where we are.

“If we were to finish sixth it would be an achievement for the players that they have got that far in such a short space of time but we just need to keep going and see what happens.”

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Proof That Barcelona Boss Pep Guardiola Told Players to Get Booked (Video)

7 comments by Mad Dog and Glory on April 6th, 2011

Footage that clearly shows that Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola rather cleverly instructed his players to get themselves booked during last weekend’s Villarreal encounter to avoid being suspended for the crunch El Clasico match. Spotted on 101 Great Goals.

Derby about players, says Leonardo

Inter Milan coach Leonardo wants the focus to be on the players when he meets former club AC Milan in a derby between Serie A’s top two.

Retired Brazil international Leonardo spent five years in two different spells as a player at Milan, becoming a crowd favourite at the club.

The 41-year-old also coached the team with mixed results last season.

He left citing difficulties with owner Silvio Berlusconi, but is still held in high regard by supporters.

On Saturday he will lead arch-rivals Inter – two points behind Serie A leaders Milan – in a match to decide not only local bragging rights, but also with the potential to prove decisive in the race for the Scudetto.

“Of course there are many emotions, but sincerely I don’t think that my emotions are the most important thing of this derby match,” Leonardo said.

“This is just a part of what the derby is, it has an endless tradition and it is an extraordinary match.”

“It’s been a long time since the derby has been played with AC Milan leading the championship and Inter Milan ranked second with a two-point gap. I think this is the best thing.”

Leonardo also argued that the role of the managers is often overstated ahead of key matches.

“I’m not able to give such importance to the coach in such matches,” he said.

“I tell you the truth. This has been my opinion when I was a player and I have the same opinion today as well.”

“I think that the coach has surely an important role, but when such matches start they’re made by the players.”

The derby follows a two-week break for international football, with a host of Leonardo’s squad called up for their respective countries.

But he does not believe their national team duties will have left them unfit for the atmosphere of the Milan derby.

“All players are well used to living this way,” Leonardo said.

“I think that our players find it more difficult to train for two consecutive weeks than to travel and play. It has always been so and they’ve always made it.”

Sat 2 April, 2011

Derby about players, says Leonardo

Inter Milan coach Leonardo wants the focus to be on the players when he meets former club AC Milan in a derby between Serie A’s top two.

Retired Brazil international Leonardo spent five years in two different spells as a player at Milan, becoming a crowd favourite at the club.

The 41-year-old also coached the team with mixed results last season.

He left citing difficulties with owner Silvio Berlusconi, but is still held in high regard by supporters.

On Saturday he will lead arch-rivals Inter – two points behind Serie A leaders Milan – in a match to decide not only local bragging rights, but also with the potential to prove decisive in the race for the Scudetto.

“Of course there are many emotions, but sincerely I don’t think that my emotions are the most important thing of this derby match,” Leonardo said.

“This is just a part of what the derby is, it has an endless tradition and it is an extraordinary match.”

“It’s been a long time since the derby has been played with AC Milan leading the championship and Inter Milan ranked second with a two-point gap. I think this is the best thing.”

Leonardo also argued that the role of the managers is often overstated ahead of key matches.

“I’m not able to give such importance to the coach in such matches,” he said.

“I tell you the truth. This has been my opinion when I was a player and I have the same opinion today as well.”

“I think that the coach has surely an important role, but when such matches start they’re made by the players.”

The derby follows a two-week break for international football, with a host of Leonardo’s squad called up for their respective countries.

But he does not believe their national team duties will have left them unfit for the atmosphere of the Milan derby.

“All players are well used to living this way,” Leonardo said.

“I think that our players find it more difficult to train for two consecutive weeks than to travel and play. It has always been so and they’ve always made it.”

Sat 2 April, 2011

Top Ten Premier League WAGS, 20 Worst Man United Players of Ferguson Era, Mario Balotelli May Be Insane, Five Best Premier League Wide-Men, Top Ten Goals of the Week and Much Much More

England players back Terry

England players have publicly backed reinstated captain John Terry ahead of their Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales on Saturday.

As England look to regain the lead in qualifying Group G with a win over Wales at Millenium Stadium, much of the pre-match talk has been about Fabio Capello’s decision to hand Terry the captain’s armband, just over a year since stripping the Chelsea defender of the honour.The decision reportedly sparked a backlash within the squad, but Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry and several other players have thrown their support behind Terry.”I think that now the decision has been made, the lads have been really comfortable with it,” Barry said. “We obviously feel for Rio (Ferdinand) and the unfortunate timing of the injuries he’s had since he’s been given the England captaincy.”"We felt that he would have done a great job for England, but the injuries have come at a bad time, Now that it’s been changed, the players are comfortable and respect the decision.”Barry Manchester City team-mate James Milner dismissed media reports suggesting the decision, had divided the squad.”Obviously, the manager’s made the decision (on the captaincy) and everyone’s happy for JT (John Terry),” Milner said.”As an England player he’s been absolutely fantastic. I think that’s the most important thing, as a team, whoever’s captain, whoever’s got the armband, that we’re all as one, and we go out there to win matches as one unit.”Terry is expected to partner Phil Jagielka in defence on Friday, and the Everton centre-back has insisted it will be an honour to play alongside the three-time Premier-League-winning captain.”The likelihood of you playing alongside the person you have played alongside a lot of times does not happen very often,” Jagielka said.”If I do manage to get a game against Wales, I will be delighted if JT is next to me.”However, Jagielka he did admit playing alongside a new partner in central defence could be a challenge.”A little bit, obviously with not playing much with JT (John Terry) or Daws (Michael Dawson) before. I have got to play quite a lot with Joleon (Lescott) at Everton.

Thu 24 March, 2011

England players back Terry

England players have publicly backed reinstated captain John Terry ahead of their Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales on Saturday.

As England look to regain the lead in qualifying Group G with a win over Wales at Millenium Stadium, much of the pre-match talk has been about Fabio Capello’s decision to hand Terry the captain’s armband, just over a year since stripping the Chelsea defender of the honour.The decision reportedly sparked a backlash within the squad, but Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry and several other players have thrown their support behind Terry.”I think that now the decision has been made, the lads have been really comfortable with it,” Barry said. “We obviously feel for Rio (Ferdinand) and the unfortunate timing of the injuries he’s had since he’s been given the England captaincy.”"We felt that he would have done a great job for England, but the injuries have come at a bad time, Now that it’s been changed, the players are comfortable and respect the decision.”Barry Manchester City team-mate James Milner dismissed media reports suggesting the decision, had divided the squad.”Obviously, the manager’s made the decision (on the captaincy) and everyone’s happy for JT (John Terry),” Milner said.”As an England player he’s been absolutely fantastic. I think that’s the most important thing, as a team, whoever’s captain, whoever’s got the armband, that we’re all as one, and we go out there to win matches as one unit.”Terry is expected to partner Phil Jagielka in defence on Friday, and the Everton centre-back has insisted it will be an honour to play alongside the three-time Premier-League-winning captain.”The likelihood of you playing alongside the person you have played alongside a lot of times does not happen very often,” Jagielka said.”If I do manage to get a game against Wales, I will be delighted if JT is next to me.”However, Jagielka he did admit playing alongside a new partner in central defence could be a challenge.”A little bit, obviously with not playing much with JT (John Terry) or Daws (Michael Dawson) before. I have got to play quite a lot with Joleon (Lescott) at Everton.

Thu 24 March, 2011

Why Are So Many Brazilian Players Moving Back To Brazil?

The last few years have seen an increasing amount of Brazilian players moving away from their European clubs, when they could arguably still play at such a level, and heading back to Brazil. This is a trend that is on the rise in contemporary football. Plenty of Brazilians have spent many years plying their trade in Europe and ending their careers there. Cafu, Leonardo and Claudio Taffarell all ended their careers in Europe. Ze Roberto looks set to be another, at 36 and still with Hamburg SV he can not have too many more years left in him. Gilberto Silva could also add to this list.

Players have still often gone back to their home countries to finish their career. This is not a totally recent phenomenon. Beletti, Bebeto, Giovane Elber, Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo to name but a few. However, what seems to be changing, is that players are making this move when they could still play at a higher European level.

Luis Fabiano’s move to Sao Paulo is the most pertinent example of a player returning to Brazil when he is still possibly at the top of his game. At 30 years old, Fabiano is still at his peak. He had a great goalscoring record for Sevilla and was, as recently as January, linked with moves to both AC Milan and Spurs. It has left many people wondering why he then chose a move back to South America when Europe’s elite were still interested. Some other players that could be included here are Deco, Elano and Ronaldinho. While Deco did not play at his best when with Chelsea he could still have played at a high level in Europe, the same goes for Ronaldinho.

Steven Gerrard Heads List Of Liverpool Players Returning From Injury

12 comments by Jack Atchinson on March 22nd, 2011

Anfield skipper to return to full training next week and could play at the Hawthorns.

Ten Premier League Players Who Are Simply Not Good Enough for Their Clubs

16 comments by Christian Bailey on March 21st, 2011

Ten players who must have dirt on their respective managers!

Premier League Tickets Available from Tixdaq.com

Shakhtar Donetsk Players Comical Reaction to Barcelona Draw (Video)

5 comments by Mad Dog and Glory on March 21st, 2011

Come on lads, if you want to win it you have to beat the best. It seems the Ukrainian side would have preferred Schalke! Worth noting also that these two sides met two years ago and Shakhtar won at the Nou Camp 3-2!

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Reja defends jeered players

Lazio boss Edy Reja has criticised supporters who mocked his side’s 1-0 win over lowly Cesena on Saturday.

Lazio provisionally moved to fourth place and two points from the top three with victory in the Italian capital, though fans who attended the Stadio Olimpico were left unimpressed and jeered the players and coach.

Reja believes the Lazio faithful are still stung from last Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Roma – their fifth straight derby defeat – but called on fans and the media to show more respect to his side.

“We are coming off five consecutive derby defeats and our fans are disappointed, as we are too, so it wasn’t easy to lift the team’s morale at the start of the week,” Reja said.

“Today we proved that we can react to difficulties and I’d say these players deserve nothing but applause.”

“Certainly they should have more respect from the media and some sections of the crowd.”

“There should be less criticism, considering these lads are having an extraordinary campaign with 36 points earned on home turf.”

Lazio face a crunch game against Napoli on Saturday, and will perhaps have to make do without Francelino Matuzalem after the Brazilian midfielder was caught on camera elbowing Luis Jimenez.

Sun 20 March, 2011

Reja defends jeered players

Lazio boss Edy Reja has criticised supporters who mocked his side’s 1-0 win over lowly Cesena on Saturday.

Lazio provisionally moved to fourth place and two points from the top three with victory in the Italian capital, though fans who attended the Stadio Olimpico were left unimpressed and jeered the players and coach.

Reja believes the Lazio faithful are still stung from last Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Roma – their fifth straight derby defeat – but called on fans and the media to show more respect to his side.

“We are coming off five consecutive derby defeats and our fans are disappointed, as we are too, so it wasn’t easy to lift the team’s morale at the start of the week,” Reja said.

“Today we proved that we can react to difficulties and I’d say these players deserve nothing but applause.”

“Certainly they should have more respect from the media and some sections of the crowd.”

“There should be less criticism, considering these lads are having an extraordinary campaign with 36 points earned on home turf.”

Lazio face a crunch game against Napoli on Saturday, and will perhaps have to make do without Francelino Matuzalem after the Brazilian midfielder was caught on camera elbowing Luis Jimenez.

Sun 20 March, 2011

Comment on Top 10 Most Hated Soccer Players and Managers by sologo

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NFL, players at loggerheads

The NFL is going through its first work stoppage in 24 years after negotiations over a new labour deal collapsed.

The NFL Players’ Association’s decision to decertify means they are no longer protected by a collective bargaining agreement.

As a result, team owners have locked out players, meaning they are not allowed to be at team facilities or communicate with coaches.

Players are at loggerheads with the league and owners over a whole range of issues, including how to split more than US$9 billion dollars in annual revenue.

Under the current agreement, owners shared a guaranteed one billion dollars of the annual revenue, with the remainder going to the players. But the league and owners want to increase their automatic cut by another billion, arguing that operational costs have risen since the last deal was struck five years ago.

But the players want to maintain the current deal, claiming the owners have failed to provide them with enough financial evidence to prove they needed a bigger slice of the profits.

Other issues include an increase in the regular season schedule to 18 games from 16, a rookie wage scale and pensions for former players.

Nine players – led by MVP Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees – filed an antitrust lawsuit on Friday that included an injunction to try and block the lockout.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league would work hard to try and find a compromise.

“They’ve (the players) chosen to pursue another strategy. That is their choice but we will be prepared to negotiate an agreement and get something done that is fair to the players and fair to the clubs,” Goodell said.

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said there are still some ‘significant’ differences that need to be ironed out before a deal can be struck.

“We met with the owners until about four o’clock today (and) we discussed a proposal that they had presented,” he said.

“At this time, significant differences continue to remain.”

Sat 12 March, 2011

Liverpool Want Italian, Brazilian Wants Tottenham Move, Newcastle United Winger Set to Leave, Manchester City Chase World Cup Star, Five Arsenal Players Linked With Exit and Chelsea Boss In Talks to Make Roma Move

Everton players finally show old fighting spirit

I make no apology for being a diehard Everton fan and never will.

They might not be the easiest team to support at times but every so often the team produces a performance and a result which brings grown men to tears.

Yesterday’s penalty victory at Chelsea in the FA Cup fourth round was one of those moments.

Spirit

Under boss David Moyes Everton has been all about team spirit and the dressing room togetherness has been there for all to see. Even when times are bad the players have stuck together. When Phil Neville scored the winning penalty against Chelsea yesterday you could see by the celebrations what the victory meant to everybody at the club.

It wasn’t so much the fact that we were in the next round of the FA Cup or the fact that we had knocked the holders out on their own patch. It was the sheer effort and fight the players had put in against Chelsea that made Everton fans so proud.

This season has been a very poor one by recent Everton standards but the victory at Chelsea could just be a turning point. This result could prove a vital boost to confidence of the players.

Turnaround

Everton have had a very contrary season. We have taken four points from Liverpool and Tottenham drew at Chelsea and won at Manchester City, not to mention drawing at home to Manchester United after scoring two injury-time goals.

Yet against the lesser sides in the Premier League we have been awful at times. Last weekend’s performance at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium was described by David Moyes as

Everton players finally show old fighting spirit

I make no apology for being a diehard Everton fan and never will.

They might not be the easiest team to support at times but every so often the team produces a performance and a result which brings grown men to tears.

Yesterday’s penalty victory at Chelsea in the FA Cup fourth round was one of those moments.

Spirit

Under boss David Moyes Everton has been all about team spirit and the dressing room togetherness has been there for all to see. Even when times are bad the players have stuck together. When Phil Neville scored the winning penalty against Chelsea yesterday you could see by the celebrations what the victory meant to everybody at the club.

It wasn’t so much the fact that we were in the next round of the FA Cup or the fact that we had knocked the holders out on their own patch. It was the sheer effort and fight the players had put in against Chelsea that made Everton fans so proud.

This season has been a very poor one by recent Everton standards but the victory at Chelsea could just be a turning point. This result could prove a vital boost to confidence of the players.

Turnaround

Everton have had a very contrary season. We have taken four points from Liverpool and Tottenham drew at Chelsea and won at Manchester City, not to mention drawing at home to Manchester United after scoring two injury-time goals.

Yet against the lesser sides in the Premier League we have been awful at times. Last weekend’s performance at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium was described by David Moyes as