Kevin Davies gives the example on how to be a Man and an example

Recently, as everyone knows, Fabrice Muamba, 24 years old, collapsed during the Tottenham - Bolton match. He was dead for more than an hour and "came back to life" as what the doctors describe, a miracle. Evidently, we wish Fabrice Muamba a great recovery to his life, but, until we get more news... his team-mate and captain of Bolton sets the example by this emotive declarations that can be only said by a great man.

Get well soon Muamba!

Napoli keen to keep Cavani and Hamsik

Napoli keen to keep key duo

De Laurentiis reluctant to part with Cavani and Hamsik

Edinson Cavani: Continues to be linked with a big-money move away from Napoli

Speculation regarding the pair's future in Italy continues to mount, with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City said to be readying big-money bids.Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis claims he has no intention of parting with Edinson Cavani or Marek Hamsik during the summer transfer window.

Napoli have fended off the rumours on a regular basis, with club officials and the players themselves ruling out imminent exits.

De Laurentiis has previously admitted that everyone has their price but he has made it clear that he is attempting to piece together a successful side, not break one up.

Requests

"Do clubs in England and Spain have the money to buy Cavani? We will see," De Laurentiis told Sky Italia.

"We have recently spent a lot of money on (Eduardo) Vargas and we are waiting for him to grow as a player.

"We had to pay a lot for him so anyone wanting Cavani will have to make an adequate offer. Not out of respect for me, but for him. He is a really good player who feels happy at Napoli.

"As for Hamsik, there have been many requests down the years but he has a contract with us until 2016."

@SKY Sports

Robbie Fowler has change of heart

Robbie Fowler announced that he is still available for India's Premier League Soccer (PLS), a day after having said otherwise.

Robbie Fowler announced that he is still available for India's Premier League Soccer (PLS), a day after having said otherwise.

The Liverpool legend confirmed that the PLS is still on his agenda in spite of the tournament being deferred indefinitely until a few issues surrounding the stadia and registration are taken care of.

"Breaking news.. India not cancelled, just postponed, still on the cards.. We'll see," he wrote on Twitter.

This was after he made headlines after announcing his unavailability for the PLS through his social media page on Wednesday which increased the confusion for the organisers.

"Ah well.. India looks like it's cancelled, boots are clean and looking for a new place to play. #professionalnotamateur," he had tweeted earlier.

Fowler was sold to the Kolkata franchisee, namely the Camellia group, for $530,000, from a base price of $450,000, in the auctions held in the capital city of West Bengal in the last week of January.

Bhaswar Goswami, director of Celebrity Management Group - who have conceptualised the event - stated that all the ICON players are very much committed to the project.

"I got in touch with his agent ... although he expressed his disappointment over the delay, he assured that the player (Fowler) is still associated with the meet," Goswami was quoted as saying.

@Soccerway

Alejandro Dominguez Vs Ind. Rivadavia (River Plate 3-0 Rivadavia)

Originally posted by Roberto Rivelino - Bianconer8.blogspot.com + Vídeo Compilation

After a tough week, because Chori picked a fight with Cavenaghi during the practice, Alejandro Dominguez presented another show at River Plate's service, this time against Independiente Rivadavia.
Alejandro is a number 10 full of class. We can define him with his bravery, intensity, intelligence, a player with class, mastery and quality.
Full of pace, he made a good connection with Fernando Cavenaghi. "Chori" was close to score after a good free kick, well saved by Independiente's keeper, that sent the ball into a corner. On the segment, Alejandro combined with Cavenaghi, crossing the ball to the area, and after a header, Cavenaghi himself sent the ball to the net. So the book was open.
He was replaced at the 81st minute, but before he made more mess on the opponents defense. Well positioned, on the left wing, alone, he picked the ball at midfield and ran until the net, where he only had to send the ball, with his left foot, to it's back, ending a great performance to Unai Emery's (Valencia's coach, the team that has his rights), and Sabella's (Argentina's NT coach), attention.

Alex Ferguson wish he had signed Joe Hart

Fergie: I wish I had a Hart

ALEX FERGUSON says turning down the opportunity to sign Joe Hart for £100,000 was one of his biggest mistakes.

The Manchester City goalkeeper — who has starred in their title challenge this season — was signed as a teenager from Shrewsbury Town for £600,000 in 2006.

And Manchester United boss Ferguson admits he could have got him even cheaper before then.

He said: "I could have bought Joe Hart for £100,000 so we all make mistakes.

"If you look at the England goalkeeper situation for the last 20 years, I would think he's easily the best."

Ferguson has also admitted he could move upstairs at Old Trafford when he eventually retires as manager.

But the wily Scot, 70, was keen to stress it was not in his thinking currently.

He said: "I think you always want to go out on a winning note.

"Hopefully we can do that. I don't know how long I can last now but if my health stays up I don't think another two or three years would harm me any.

"I would definitely finish — but I would remain active. I think there would be a role at United after I finish."

@The Sun

Arsenal problem in San Siro - "It's good to talk."

"It's good to talk."

Gunners lacked organisers at the San Siro, says Stewart

No velocity: Arteta (right) lacks energy, says Stewart

Stewart Robson told Sky Sports News HD that Arsenal's players must show greater leadership qualities.

"You don't have to be a shouter or a screamer to inspire people, but you need that communication to make sure you're all organised."
Stewart Robson

Arsene Wenger's men were beaten 4-0 at AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League tie on Wednesday night, while they are also facing a fight to preserve their top-four status in the Premier League.

Reflecting on the heavy defeat in Italy, ex-Gunners midfielder Robson said: "It was as poor as Arsenal have played for quite some time.

"They have a lot of very good individuals, but when goals were going in I don't think they played as a team.

"They certainly didn't defend as a team and there was no communication. You don't have to be a shouter or a screamer to inspire people, but you need that communication to make sure you're all organised.

"Arsenal weren't organised on the field and you couldn't see where the leaders were."

Athleticism

Robson - who played for the Londoners between 1981-86 - believes Arsenal were too ponderous in possession at the San Siro and says they need to be more energetic in the middle of the park.

"They lacked athleticism and when they did have the ball they didn't pass with enough tempo," said Robson. "They didn't play with urgency and they weren't determined in the tackle.

"As good a footballers as (Aaron) Ramsey and (Mikel) Arteta are, they haven't got the athleticism to go after the ball and close down quickly."

However, Robson says the Gunners will snare a spot in the top four this term if Gervinho - who has just returned from African Cup of Nations duty with the Ivory Coast - and fellow winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain support the in-form Robin van Persie.

"On their day they can take teams apart; they took Blackburn apart a couple of weeks ago," Robson said of Arsenal, who face Sunderland in the fifth round of the FA Cup this weekend.

"When Gervinho comes (into the side) Van Persie will come short and they will get runners beyond, including (Alex) Oxlade-Chamberlain.

"Those three players can cause teams problems if they play well and that's why I still think they will come fourth in the table."

Click here to read Jeff Stelling's view on Arsenal @SKY Sports.

Bayern Munchen signs Xherdan Shaqiri for 2012/2013

• Originally posted by Roberto Rivelino - Bianconer8.blogspot.com

Following Bayern München's official site, Xherdan Shaqiri was bought, this time following local media, for an amount between 12 and 14 millions.
Jupp Heynckes, Bavaria's team coach, confirms that ""Xherdan will reinforce our team in the coming seasons thanks to his intelligence and game. We've been observing his performances for quite some time and I'm convinced that he can become an important player for Bayern." The Swiss talented winger will start to show his great quality's on the next season until 2016, durability of the contract signed.
Xherdan Shaqiri is one of the emergent talents in Europe, playing for Basel, and has been getting hype for his Champions League performances against the likes of Manchester United or Benfica, and it's obviously a good option on a long-term perspective. Shaqiri is 20 years old and is ready to seduce Bundesliga with his skillful left foot.

Follow Roberto Rivelino on Facebook by clicking here.

FIFA Ballon D'Or: Messi does it again for 3 in a row

As is now the norm in January, Zurich was transformed into the football capital of the world on Monday night, as the men and women whose stars shone most brightly in 2011 were recognised at the prestigious FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala.

The beautiful game showed its glamorous side at a memorable, star-studded event during whichLionel Messi was again crowned the indisputable king of the sport. This year he will share his throne with a new queen, Homare Sawa receiving the honours pertaining to the women’s game.

Following a lively opening which saw Swiss music act Tinkabelle perform their single “The man I need”, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and France Football Managing Director Francois Moriniere, in their roles of event hosts, welcomed guests to the Gala.

Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit and reporter Kay Murray then took up the reins of the ceremony, introducing a video montage looking back at the best moments from one of the biggest events of the past year, the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011™.

Canada forward Christine Sinclair and Germany midfielder Kim Kulig took to the stage to share their experiences of the tournament and promote the ‘Live your Goals’ campaign, an initiative which encourages young girls to take up the sport.

The best of the best
Prior to the much-awaited distribution of prizes, a review of the highlights of the year took place, and the nominees for the two main footballing awards of the evening were presented to the audience. In addition, former French international Christian Karembeu welcomed to the stage the scorers of the three strikes vying for the title of best goal of the year, inviting each of them to make a case for their outstanding efforts, just as voting was drawing to a close.

Next to take centre stage was a veritable wealth of footballing talent, as the eleven players selected for the 2011 ‘dream team’ - Iker Casillas; Daniel Alves, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Nemanja Vidic; Andres Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Xavi; Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney - received a standing ovation from the gallery. Every single one of them appeared immensely proud to be included in the FIFA/FIFPro World XI and to be handed their award by Pele. The photo for which they subsequently posed together is sure to have elicited a wishful sigh from every coach in attendance.

An elite member of that group, Sir Alex Ferguson, seemed visibly touched as the Zurich Kongresshaus rose as one to applaud him, as he was presented with the FIFA Presidential Award for his 25 years of service on the Manchester United bench. “I have been a very, very lucky manager to have had such great players from the start all the way up until the present. You don’t always win in football, but we at Manchester United always try to win,” said the veteran Scottish coach.

It’s a huge pleasure to win the third time, a big honour.

FIFA Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi

"Elite football is about results and winning," said Blatter of Ferguson. "There is no one better at it than him."

On a night in which coaching excellence was consistently recognised, Lothar Matthaus was given the task of presenting the 2011 FIFA Women’s Football Coach of the Year trophy to Japan coach Norio Sasaki, who guided the Japan women's national team to their first FIFA Women's World Cup.

The former Germany captain also had the honour of announcing the name of the FIFA Men’s Football Coach of the Year award, which went to Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola. “I would like to share this award with Mr. Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson. I would also like to thank all the people who, through the years, have helped build the magnificent, unbelievable club that is Barcelona,” he said.

The time then came for voting for the FIFA Puskas Award – recognising the best goal scored during 2011 – to end, and while the final numbers were being calculated, the FIFA Fair Play Award was handed out.

President Junji Ogura and women's national team captain Homare Sawa accepted the award on behalf of the Japanese Football Association, which received the accolade for the impressive courage and spirit shown by Japan as they recovered from the terrible earthquake and ensuing tsunami that devastated large parts of the nation on 11 March 2011. “Its a great honour for JFA to receive such a prestigious award from FIFA. We will do our best to continue to prepare in our activities. We are very proud in this award," said a moved Ogura.

Despite this, the Japanese still proved capable of organising an excellent FIFA World Club Cup tournament in December, and of lifting the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany, a competition during which the players publicly thanked the football community for their support after every match.

An exciting conclusion
Fittingly, a goalscorer of the highest order was called upon to present the FIFA Puskas Award. Ex-Mexico marksman Hugo Sanchez revealed the verdict of the online community, with more than 1,300,000 votes having been registered over the past few months to eventually designate young Brazil phenom Neymar’s strike as the best goal of 2011. “I am so happy to be part of this party and to be competing with these two great players. I’m very grateful to God and to all you. Enjoy this party,” said the delighted forward, upon learning the result.

As the climax of the evening approached, everyone present took a moment to calm their nerves as James Blunt performed his hit single ‘Stay the Night’. The three nominees for the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year 2011 then arrived on stage, exhibiting wide smiles for the cameras while Colombian superstar Shakira and the FIFA President proceeded to open the all-important envelope. The winner,Homare Sawa of Japan, could not hide her excitement when she addressed the audience.

At around 8 pm local time, the moment had come to crown the king of Planet Football. Brazil legend Ronaldo, the top goalscorer in the history of the FIFA World Cup™ and a three-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, took the applause of the public before calling on Lionel Messi to accept the FIFA Ballon d’Or Award for 2011. “It’s a huge pleasure to win the third time, a big honour. I want to thank the teammates, players and coaches that voted for me. I want to thank my Barcelona andArgentina teammates, without them this would have been impossible. But most of all, I want to share the award with Xavi: you deserve this as much as I do,” said the happy recipient of the golden ball-shaped trophy.

The ovation for the chosen pair was extended to pay tribute to all of the evening’s winners, who gathered on stage together to bring the curtain down on another hugely entertaining and exciting FIFA Gala.

LAZIO Vs Roma: "Laziale" MOTM Quick Analysis

Great match by Lazio on Sunday.

I really enjoyed to see the "old" likes of Brocchi, Klose, André Dias or Cissé, playing with this kids (Gago, Pjanic, Osvaldo), heads. They were really in.

Klose had a typical class match of his. Holding the possession of the ball with his backs turned to the goal, and then, involved on every single offensive move of Lazio, with or without the ball. And of course, he was there to give the win.

Cissé was pretty great. I watched (well, I downloaded it) the match with ESPN coverage and it's commentator was really annoying and persistent when he was saying that Cissé was having a poor match.... eh, disagree. For his age he's still fast and he can decide quickly. I've had A LOT of chances to watch him for Panathinaikos and I thought he was still the "Superstar", the "Individualist", but heck, he changed a lot. He gave a couple of good balls and on the start of the second half he had the chance to score the 1-1, though, he decided fast enough to make a poor shot. His movements were crucial and when he went to the center, Roma didn't had a chance to breather (also, thanks to Hernanes move to the left side).

Hernanes was Hernanes. He's really top class. No news about it. He's still the same amazing player (wow, it's really rare to see me saying this about anyone), that I watched on his debut for São Paulo. Plays with both feet, and that tells a lot, and then, he is the type of player that can change a match, just like he did for this match.

Brocchi and André Dias were class as well. Dias had the chance to mark Bojan and / or Osvaldo, and he was really good at it. Konko left Osvaldo slip, on his goal, but then Osvaldo rarely did anything except a backheel pass to Angel, major thanks to the Brazilian. Brocchi was fulcral with his positioning and ball distribution. He had the brains and the emotion to control the team. He hold on Gago and Pjanic's youth (though I'de say they are not good as "they" say) and conquered the penalty. Had to leave because an injury, which is sad.

Lulic and Matuzalem substitutions where the culmination of everything. The Bosnian was simply surprising on the left side, helping Hernanes with his maneuvers. And Matuzalem gave a classy-touch to the midfield, full of flair and with that magnificent assist to Klose's goal.

- Roberto Rivelino

Liverpool v. Manchester United: the ageless clash of the titans

Liverpool and Manchester United meet at Anfield on Saturday - and the incentive is so great for Kenny Dalglish's side that I am backing them to inflict the first defeat of the season on the champions.

It is a bigger match for Liverpool than it is for United, even though it is early in the season.

This match is the big test for Liverpool because, at the end of the last campaign, they improved so dramatically under manager Kenny Dalglish that plenty were predicting they could really make an impact this time around.

Liverpool spent a lot of money in the summer and started well, only to have a blip when they lost at Stoke City, then delivered a totally unacceptable performance in the 4-0 defeat against Tottenham.

They may not have been brilliant in the wins over Wolves and Everton but they got the job done. Now, if they beat United, they will be within three points of them. If they lose, a nine-point difference looks a very hard gap to bridge.

FAST FACT

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If Liverpool win at Anfield on Saturday, it will be the first time Manchester United have lost four consecutive away games to a specific team in the Premier League

This is why I believe Liverpool will be right up for this and I think they will win. They are playing the team everyone regards as the one to beat in the race for the Premier League title.

It is a game that has potentially huge ramifications for Liverpool's own confidence and aspirations. If they win, it will send confidence and self-belief soaring - if they lose, it is a long way back.

For Charlie Adam, Jose Enrique, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson, this is a new experience, while most of United's squad have played in this fixture before.

Liverpool will call on the memories of their 3-1 win against United at Anfield last March, when Dirk Kuyt scored a hat-trick and Luis Suarez was involved in all three goals.

The Kop will look to Suarez to be their match-winner again and this guy is already a hero to Liverpool supporters.

It might be stretching the point to say it is a case of "Fernando Who?" but no-one talks about Torres any more - the name on everyone's lips is Suarez.

I have spoken to a couple of Liverpool players about him and they don't talk so much about what he does on the pitch but about how good he is in training.

The Uruguayan reminds me of Ian Rush. Defenders are drawn into watching him instead of the ball and this guarantees mistakes.

The trick of defending is to make the attacker think about what you are doing. When you spend your time watching the attacker and wondering what he is doing, it causes problems.

This is exactly what Suarez does - he puts pressure on defenders. He has quick feet, natural ability, scores goals and is strong and aggressive. That's some package.

DID YOU KNOW?

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• Both cities of Liverpool and Manchester have historically been part of the county of Lancashire, so this fixture has been known as a Lancashire derby.
• Between them they have won 118 honours: 60 for Manchester United and 58 for Liverpool.
• Roy Hodgson's Liverpool lost 3-2 at Old Trafford last season but their new manager Kenny Dalglish helped his side win 3-1 at Anfield.

We have seen the effect he has on defenders. He panics them, provokes fear and Rush was the same. It happened at Arsenal when Suarez's presence forced an own goal from Aaron Ramsey and Liverpool went on to win.

We saw it again in the Merseyside derby when Sylvain Distin and Leighton Baines, two fine and experienced Premier League defenders, were aware of him and got into the mix-up that gave Suarez the second goal in Liverpool's 2-0 win.

Liverpool have Steven Gerrard moving towards full fitness but I'm not sure Dalglish will bring him back. He has tended to go with more or less what he has when he is winning unless the situation is in dire straits.

Steven's rehabilitation has been very carefully and sensibly managed by Liverpool's medical team, while Dalglish is able to look at the bigger picture because Liverpool's squad is so much stronger these days.

We saw it when Suarez and Raul Meireles came on to help Liverpool beat Arsenal and again when Gerrard and Craig Bellamy were introduced for the last 25 minutes to help Liverpool defeat Everton.

United have always had great quality on the bench but it has been something of a downfall for Liverpool. This is changing now.

If Suarez is Liverpool's key figure, then rest assured Wayne Rooney will still be Manchester United's. I do not expect him to be fazed by his sending off for England in Montenegro last Friday.

Wayne has had a torrid week and there is no question he let himself down. But Rooney is a great player who can present United with their best chance of winning the game.

I have nothing but admiration for him, despite what happened in Podgorica. I still recall how he was having a nightmare in that defeat at Anfield last season - but was trying as hard in the last minute as he was in the first.

If there has been a concern in United's start to the season, it is that they are conceding too many chances.

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Phil Jones ... is going to be a brilliant player but, at the moment, he is not the best positionally

Alan HansenBBC Match of the Day pundit

Sir Alex Ferguson said the game was too open in the 3-1 victory against Chelsea. Norwich City had chances before United won 2-0 at Old Trafford and Basel were creating opportunities almost at will in the 3-3 Champions League draw.

United currently have four defenders who have not played with each other often and this can create a problem. In a big game, if you offered me four class defenders who have not played with each other much or four half-decent players who had played together 200 times, I would take the latter every time.

Defensive understanding takes time and I'm not talking ten games - sometimes it can take a season.

Phil Jones has been a high-profile introduction to United's defenceafter his £16m move from Blackburn Rovers. He is going to be a brilliant player but, at the moment, he is not the best positionally. Defending is about three things - position, position, position.

If you have four defenders in a line who know each other's every move, you would not believe how hard it is to get through. But if you have one out of position, the others might go as well and you have problems.

This means Ferguson faces a massive call in central defence withNemanja Vidic in the frame after playing for Serbia against Slovenia in midweek following his recovery from a calf injury, while Rio Ferdinand is also available.

Ferguson will no doubt take into consideration that central defensive play is about partnership and nothing to do with individuals.

Chris Smalling and Jones may be a fine partnership of the future but, even if they played 50 consecutive games together, they will not be as good as Ferdinand and Vidic have been.

As for Liverpool, it is a big chance for them to catch up to United. They might not have another opportunity so they need to make the most of it.

source: BBC
By Alan Hansen
BBC's Match of the Day football pundit