Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka lifted Real Madrid to a 4-2 comeback defeat of third-placed Villarreal Sunday, a win which keeps the whites just two points behind leaders Barcelona. Ronaldo scored an impressive hat-trick, Kaka came on with the score 2-2 and guided the whites to victory. Real now have 47 points from 18 games, two [...]
Posts Tagged ‘jose mourinho’
Mourinho looks to settle score with Chelsea
February 23rd, 2010 |
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Jose Mourinho might not be Italian football’s favourite import but he will be flying the flag for Serie A tomorrow as his Inter Milan side host Chelsea in their Champions League knockout round first leg. Italy’s struggles in Europe’s prime club competition were underlined last season as Inter,
Ibrahimovic seals Barcelona move
July 27th, 2009 |
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Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o's has reached an agreement with Inter Milan to join the Italian champions, according to his agent.
Barca have had an offer of about £38m plus Eto’o, in exchange for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, accepted while Alexander Hleb will also join Inter on loan.
"The deal is sealed, next week he will start working with Inter," said the 28-year-old’s agent Josep Maria Mesalles.
"When he signs the contract he will be at (coach) Jose Mourinho’s disposal."
Reports suggest Eto’o has agreed a five-year deal with Inter and will earn about £9.6 a season. It brings an end to his five-year stay at the Nou Camp.
"It’s done," said Mesalles. "We have reached an agreement with Inter. Samuel talked to Mourinho and is very happy to be wearing the Nerazzurri shirt. All the details have been filed.
"It’s complete harmony with us and the Nerazzurri club. We are very happy and satisfied. The deal’s sealed, next week he will start working with Inter.
The agreement should give the green light for Ibrahimovic’s move in the opposite direction, despite the 27-year-old Sweden striker picking up a wrist injury during Inter’s friendly defeat by Chelsea on Tuesday.
Inter and Barca have yet to confirm the news but the Italians announced on Thursday that Ibrahimovic’s injury is not as serious as first feared.
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Inter president Massimo Moratti said on Tuesday: "Until things are wrapped up, there’s nothing to say but I am confident.
"Eto’o is one of the most important players on the market. Along with Ibra, he’s one of the most wanted. It’s a good chance for us to have another champion."
Ibrahimovic was the top scorer in Serie A last season and Moratti had nothing but praise for the 27-year-old.
"He’s a very serious professional," he said of the Swedish international. "He has always behaved well with us.
"He helped us win the championship and he was top scorer last year."
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, who transfer-listed Eto’o last year, has said he believes the Cameroon striker should leave the club.
"I am convinced that the best thing for Barca is for Eto’o to leave," stated Guardiola. "Could I be mistaken Maybe so. But I am here to make these decisions."
Guardiola added Eto’o's departure would be good for the team.
"I feel that it is best for the club and the team. It’s a question of feelings," said Guardiola. "I am not here to change anyone’s character, but I can decide on which players I want to count on for the season.
"After what we won, we had to change the dressing room. I took this decision from my experience as a footballer."
Eto’o had been on the verge of a deal with Manchester City but Mark Hughes’s side withdrew their interest last week.
The forward signed for Barcelona from Mallorca for £16m in 2004.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Terry: I never thought of leaving
July 27th, 2009 |
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• Defender confirms he will reject move to Eastlands
• Captain set for new deal worth £150,000 a week
John Terry is expected to agree an improved contract at Chelsea this week after the England captain finally broke his silence on Manchester City’s ambitious attempt to secure his services by committing his future to the London club.
City had a £30m bid for the centre-half rejected out of hand earlier this month but retained hope that Terry might agitate for a move to Eastlands for as long as he refused to comment publicly on the matter. The 28-year-old had privately been unnerved by Chelsea’s inability to secure a marquee signing this summer, and by two years of managerial upheaval since Jose Mourinho’s abrupt departure from the club, but insisted that leaving Stamford Bridge “was never a possibility”.
He had held talks with Roman Abramovich before the team’s departure for their four-match pre-season tour of the United States, but has since met the club’s owner and the chief executive, Peter Kenyon, for further discussions during their stay in the US as he sought assurances over their long-term vision at Stamford Bridge. Although Chelsea were always convinced that they would not lose the defender and believed they had an agreement in place with Terry, the player himself did not make up his mind definitively to stay until Saturday.
• Ancelotti insists he always knew Terry would stay
• Daniel Taylor on Terry’s decision to resist City’s millions
• Dominic Fifield: Chelsea’s pre-season is going to plan
The carefully worded statement released through Chelsea ahead of the team’s game against Club America will be the prelude for discussions to move on to securing the captain on improved terms likely to swell his weekly wage from £135,000 to nearer £150,000 – considerably short of what City were prepared to pay him – which should be signed before the end of the week. The new deal is not expected to extend the defender’s stay at the club beyond the three years still to run on his current contract.
“I am totally committed to Chelsea and always have been,” said Terry. “Chelsea have also made it clear to me consistently that there was never any intention to accept any kind of offer. When you are linked with any club, or with a manager [Mark Hughes] who I have huge respect for, it will always make headlines, but me leaving Chelsea was never a possibility.
“I know there has been comment that I should have made a statement earlier. However, throughout this period there have been numerous discussions between myself, the owner and the Chelsea board and we all agreed that the timing of any statement would suit everyone involved in those talks, not any outside influences or agendas. What is clear to me following those discussions is that Chelsea’s ambition remains as high as ever.”
That ambition has yet to yield either Franck Ribéry or David Villa, the players Terry suggested Chelsea should pursue in the wake of victory in the FA Cup final in May, though the club remain in the market for new blood. Securing their captain will provide a timely boost, particularly as Terry was genuinely intrigued by the project being put in place by the Abu Dhabi United Group at City, though Carlo Ancelotti insisted he was never perturbed by the issue. “There was not a problem because we have been sure that John stays at Chelsea,” said the Italian. “There’s never been a problem with this.”
The new Chelsea manager has already indicated he will build his team around its English core, typified by Terry, with the captain pinpointing the Italian’s influence as another reason to stay. “I am certain that he will take this club on to the next level,” he added. “Another important factor was knowing that Chelsea would be securing key current players for the long term. The strengthening of the squad around this core is crucial to pushing us on to greater success. I am as committed as ever to helping drive Chelsea forward and I will be proud to lead the team for as long as I can.”
The implications for City are less encouraging, though a move for Terry had always been hugely ambitious. Hughes still hopes to secure the Arsenal centre-half Kolo Touré, a long-standing target, as he seeks defensive reinforcements to complement the mouth-watering attacking resources already lured to Eastlands this summer.
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Terry ready to remain at Chelsea
July 23rd, 2009 |
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• Defender likely to resist Manchester City interest
• Will be offered improved contract at Stamford Bridge
John Terry has reached an agreement in principle to remain at Chelsea despite persistent interest from Manchester City, with the England captain expected to reaffirm his commitment to the club publicly before the weekend.
Terry maintained his silence on City’s interest in the wake of today’s comfortable 2–0 victory over Jose Mourinho’s Internazionale at the Rose Bowl, in which he was one of two players to feature for the full 90 minutes. But he departed the stadium saying he would speak “very soon” on the matter. Both Peter Kenyon, Chelsea’s chief executive, and Roman Abramovich, the club’s owner, are in the United States as the club’s four-match tour progresses, with Terry having spoken to both over the last few days.
Chelsea have indicated a willingness to renegotiate the player’s contract, aware that City – whose £30m bid was rejected out of hand this month – were prepared virtually to double his £135,000-a-week salary over a five-year deal if he swapped Stamford Bridge for Eastlands.
• Should Terry stay or go? Vote now in our poll
• Cole values Premier League over European success
• The Rumour Mill’s take on the Terry transfer saga
However, Chelsea will wait until Terry has delivered his public statement of commitment before moving to secure the defender on improved terms. His representative is not due to travel to the US, suggesting nothing will be signed before the team return after Sunday’s game against Club America in Arlington, Texas.
The club’s hierarchy have consistently remained confident and “relaxed” on the issue over the last few weeks, despite City’s conviction that the England captain could still be prised away to join the swathe of players recruited by Mark Hughes this summer. Carlo Ancelotti insisted in the build-up to the game against Inter that he expected his captain’s future to be resolved within “one week”, while Terry’s team-mates are confident he will stay. “He’s our captain and we need him,” said Didier Drogba. “We know he’s going to stay with us and win more trophies.”
While Chelsea are unlikely to report money-flushed City for any illegal approach for Terry, the Manchester club’s interest – and the fact that the defender was clearly tempted on some level to consider a move there – should make next season’s confrontations between the sides intriguing. Not that all in Chelsea’s ranks are hoping they labour next term.
Ashley Cole expressed admiration for Manchester City’s ambitious moves in the transfer market this summer and even joked that he hoped they ousted his former club, Arsenal, from the Champions League places.
“This year might be tough for them but, next year, you never know given the guys they are buying,” said the England full-back. “The players they are bringing in are good quality. You never know – they may just gel, click, straight away and it’s magic. But you won’t really know until you see them play. I hope they do. I have friends there and I hope they do really well – and they finish above Arsenal.”
That was delivered with tongue firmly in cheek, though Chelsea’s own sights are set higher than merely a place in the top four. “Some players here might want to win the Champions League but, for me, winning the Premier League again is my main aim for the season,” added Cole. “That’s the best trophy to have. It’s the best league to play in and that feeling you have when you win it makes you realise it’s a great achievement for any club.
“It makes the players proud. It’s a tough old season in the Premier League and it’s only getting harder so, if you win the title, you are true champions. Sometimes, the best team doesn’t always win the Champions League. It depends more on how you play on a certain day. In the league you have to play consistently well.”
That remains the challenge for Ancelotti, who saw Drogba and Frank Lampard, from the penalty spot, dismiss Mourinho’s Inter in Chelsea’s opening game in the World Cup Challenge in front of 81,224 supporters at the Rose Bowl. The Italian is set upon giving his team the identity Abramovich thought they lacked at times last season but, despite winning Serie A only once in his eight-year reign at Milan, believes he can secure domestic silverware en route.
“I think I can win the Premier League for Chelsea,” said the Chelsea manager. “I am here for this [reason]. I am here to win and to play well. But it’s not only the victory that is important. I want to put entertainment into the team. Our style of play is very important. It’s too early to put my stamp on this team, but I have time to do this and I think it’s possible.”
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Mourinho’s “controversial” Ramadan comments
Football coach Jose Mourinho sparked controversy after he blamed a Muslim football player’s poor performance on his fasting during Ramadan. Mourinho, the boss of Italy’s Inter Milan team, took midfielder Sulley Muntari off the field during a match against Bari last week, saying Muntari had low energy levels as a result of his fasting.