Category Archives: SPORTS

Jamie Redknapp and Jamie Carragher agreed that Arsenal’s opening-day win over Crystal Palace could turn out to be a defining result in their season.

Arsene Wenger’s side appeared to be heading for first-day frustration as they were locked 1-1 with their London neighbours going into the closing stages of the game, only for Aaron Ramsey to strike in injury time to secure all three points.

And speaking on Saturday Night Football, Sky Sports pundit Redknapp said Arsenal weren’t on top of their game, but can now build confidence and potentially launch a title push this season.

“I said before the game that if Ramsey can chip in with little goals like that, scruffy goals or “Lampard goals” as I call them then it could make all the difference for them,” he said.

“If he can get 15 or 20 goals for them again this season then he’ll be such an important player for them.

“Arsenal weren’t at their best, let’s not kid ourselves, but it’s such a big result. This time last year they lost 3-1 to Aston Villa and there was a lot of doom and gloom. These results, when you’re not at your best and pick up three points are so important for momentum.

“Goals are something Aaron Ramsey has added to his game. That’s confidence. When things are going your way you become like a magnet in the box. Every time the ball bounces he’s the person that it falls to.

“Two years ago that would probably have bounced to someone else, but he’s playing with confidence now and those goals are going to be all important this year.

“I know there’s a lot of doubts about Arsenal, but if they can keep him fit and with people like Giroud and Ozil to come in and maybe one or two players before the window closes, then why can’t they mount a challenge?”

The Arsenal players celebrated vehemently at the end of the game after overcoming a Palace side that parted company with Tony Pulis this week and had Jason Puncheon sent off in the final 10 minutes.

But even though the performance was unimpressive, Carragher said the manner of the victory could provide a springboard for Arsenal’s season.

“When you win like that, late on in a game, it feels like so much more than if you’d won 3-0,” he said.

“You saw some of the reactions of the players at the end of the game like Laurent Koscielny, Calum Chambers and Aaron Ramsey, I thought it was the last game of the season and they were doing a lap of honour!

“That’s what it feels like sometimes when you win a game late. They’ll realise how important that game is.”

source: skysports.com

Η εντός έδρας ήττα της Μάντσεστερ Γιουνάιτεντ από τη Σουόνσι, δόθηκε αφορμή για να σχολιαστεί ποικιλοτρόπως και με έντονη δόση χιούμορ, το κοουτσάρισμα του Λουίς φαν Χάαλ.

H Μάντσεστερ Γιουνάιτεντ δεν τα πήγε καθόλου καλά στην πρεμιέρα της Πρέμιερ Λιγκ, καθώς έχασε εντός έδρας από τη Σουόνσι, με αποτέλεσμα να σημειώσει την πρώτη εντός έδρας ήττα σε πρώτο παιχνίδι πρωταθλήματος από το 1972, γεγονός που ανάγκασε να σχολιαστεί ποικιλοτρόπως στα μέσα κοινωνικής δικτύωσης ο Λουίς φαν Χάαλ, με αναφορές από τον Ντέιβιντ Μόγιες μέχρι και τον… Χάουαρντ Γουέμπ.

Τα περισσότερα σχόλια είναι καυστικά για τον Ολλανδό τεχνικό της Μάντσεστερ Γιουνάιτεντ, έχοντας ως αντικείμενο σύγκρισης τις επιδόσεις του Ντέιβιντ Μόγιες, αναφέροντας πως θα αισθάνεται ιδιαίτερα άνετος, βλέποντας την ήττα της πρώην ομάδας του και της κατάρριψης ενός ακόμη αρνητικού ρεκόρ, ενώ μερικοί θυμούνται και τον διαιτητή Χάουαρντ Γουεμπ, για… ευνόητους λόγους.

On Wednesday, three days before the start of a Premier League season eagerly awaited in the US as well as the UK, the Seattle Sounders right-back DeAndre Yedlin signed for Tottenham. On Wednesday evening, NBC’s soccer pundits, preparing for a second season covering England’s top flight after a very successful first, dealt what might be seen – admittedly, with a large dose of salt – to be a sobering blow to his hopes of immediate glory.

At the Captain’s Knock in midtown Manhattan, Robbie Earl, Robbie Mustoe and presenter Rebecca Lowe – and a special guest, the former Manchester United striker Dion Dublin – gave their predictions for the season to come. None of them picked Spurs to crack the top four.

Title winners & top four

Robbie Mustoe: I have to consider Manchester United’s revival. We’ve watched them in pre-season and it was super-impressive – super-intense. Louis van Gaal has changed the system a little bit. I think they’ll be back in the top four. Then you think, who’s going to drop out from last season, and I think it’s going to be a difficult season for Liverpool. We all know about losing Luís Suarez to Barcelona and trying to replace those goals; they have a lot of new young players who will be good, but maybe not this season. So, let me get to it: fourth, Manchester United; third, Manchester City; second, Arsenal; first, Chelsea.

Robbie Earle: It’s a very important season for Chelsea. Last season, José Mourinho didn’t have the players he wanted. No excuses this year, the Special One. He called Arsène Wenger a “specialist in failure” – I think it’s two years now he hasn’t won a trophy himself. With the players he’s got, I’m going to go for Chelsea to win the league, followed by City. I think it might be difficult for them to go back to back and win it again, and I also think Champions League is now on the horizon. In third place, Liverpool. I have a lot of belief in Brendan Rogers, he’s got some good young players, he’s an inventive, evolving coach. And my fourth spot goes to United. Van Gaal is a game-changer. There was a time last season when in that tunnel, teams didn’t fear United. I think Van Gaal will change that. In saying that, I’m going against all my principles and my love of Wenger – I think Arsenal are out of the top four. They lost the title through not replacing Johan Djourou and not having a centre-midfield player to drive and win a game. This summer they haven’t done any of that business they needed to do, as well as they played in the Community Shield.

Rebecca Lowe: I don’t ever get to give my opinion, so this is exciting. I’m going to go Arsenal fourth, because they need another striker; third, City, because I think they might focus on the Champions League. I’m going to go Chelsea second, and I think it may be the tightest title race ever. In first place… I’m going to go United. After the era I grew up in, it’s weird not to have them as favourites. And you can go from seventh to first – Liverpool almost did it last year. I think Van Gaal is a game-changer and I think Wayne Rooney will relish the captaincy, and I think they’ll buy at least one big name before the end of the transfer window. You heard it here first.

Dion Dublin: Van Gaal will bring back that fear, of having to perform in a Manchester United shirt. I think some people have come in recently and thought their shirt was safe. And it should never be. I think [former manager] David Moyes took the heart out of United – he tried his very best but when you take the engine out of a car you can’t run it. I think that drive will come back. So I think it’s United top, City second, Chelsea third and Arsenal fourth.

Best new signing RM:

Ander Herrera – a central-midfield player, talented, a playmaker, intelligent – is a player we should all watch at United and enjoy this season. It’s something United have missed, having lost Paul Scholes. Someone who can play passes and see things and open things up. Herrera can do that. You’re going to enjoy his creativity and his craft.

RE: My signing of the season is Diego Costa at Chelsea, and that’s because if you go back to when Mourinho’s sides won titles at Chelsea, they did play football and entertain, yes, but when they didn’t or couldn’t do that they beat you with power and strength and intensity. They haven’t done that with the likes of [Fernando] Torres or [Demba] Ba, who weren’t good enough strikers to play that role. They now have a guy with 27 goals in la Liga, a big physical presence who will enjoy the Premier League. 

 RL: I’m going to go for Calum Chambers, who Wenger has just brought to Arsenal from Southampton for a lot of money – £16m for a 19-year-old. He’s versatile, he plays centre-back and full-back, he’s a leader, he’s what Arsenal have needed. Yes he’s young, but I have a feeling we might be seeing the new Tony Adams. It’s a big shout. Again, you heard it here first. I think he’ll force his way in – Laurent Koscielny gets injured a lot, Per Mertesacker needs a rest after the World Cup. He could be the star of the season.

Going down

RM: You always think of the three [Burnley, Leicester City and Queens Park Rangers] that have come up. I think of those, Burnley are using their money from coming up to secure the club, which you can’t complain about, but not much is going into the playing side. Last season, West Bromwich Albion somehow managed to stay up. Alan Irvine is an uninspiring choice as manager. Have they brought in much talent? Not really. My last team to go miraculously survived last year – Sunderland. They’ve lost good players, there’s talk of Connor Wickham going too. I think they’re down.

RE: If you look at West Brom and last year, and what they’ve done this summer, I can’t see how they’ve changed enough to stay up again. Burnley have a manager called Sean Dyche – they call him “the Ginger Mourinho”, well, he’s going to have to be extra special. And my third team is going to be Southampton. I feel that if you rip the heart out of a club – if you lose the coach and sell the best players – before a ball is kicked everyone at that club has an excuse for going down. They a new coach in Ronald Koeman who doesn’t know the league; if they start badly, they’re on a rocky road.

RL: I agree with Burnley, I’m going to go with Leicester City – two out of the three might go down. My third team is a little left-field: Aston Villa. I think trouble lies ahead. I think Roy Keane will be manager by November and it’s all over. Finally.

DD: Burnley unfortunately – Sean Dyche is a friend of mine, I played with him at Millwall, so I know how he thinks and what he wants from his players and how good he is. But I think it will be a bit too much. They need more quality. West Brom have survived so many times – not this time. Leicester won’t go down – that’s rubbish, Rebecca. I think Sunderland will struggle too.

Dark horses 

RM: In terms of expectation levels, I’m looking at Spurs. Expectation was very high last season and they disappointed – they changed manager a couple of times, they had a bit of a disaster. But this year, Mauricio Pochettino is a bright young manager, he’s hungry, and they have a good squad of players. They could surprise – not top four but best of the rest.

RE: Stoke City.

RL: Where were you born, Robbie?

RE: Stoke. But Mark Hughes has come in and moved it on – Tony Pulis had them playing a certain way but the signing of Bojan Krkic [from Barcelona] was a huge signal that they’re going to do it a different way. They might just surprise a few people, I think.

RL: Newcastle United. They’ve brought in decent-looking players and Alan Pardew is a Crystal Palace legend and a very good manager with a good squad and I think they’ll come in sixth or seventh.

Robbie Mustoe, Robbie Earle and Rebecca Lowe were speaking courtesy of Captain’s Knock, a business networking organisation with a charitable focus, based in New York and London.

source: theguardian.com

After David Luiz’ transfer to the team, which cost it £50 million, PSG has withdrawn from Angel Di Maria’s bid. Manchester United has made great inroads in the transfer window and is set on the driver’s seat for signing the Real Madrid midfielder. The transfer window has been hot over the past few weeks with Manchester United indulged in a strong pursuit of a range of midfielders, defenders and wingers. United lost the chance of taking Vermaelen to Old Trafford, who has been successfully transferred to Barcelona after the Spanish giants agreed to the offer.

Louis Van Gaal wants Manchester United to bid high and make a record if they are to fulfill his philosophy of playing a 3-5-2 system. At present, the team is playing a 3-4-3 formation due to the lack of men who can play wide on the pitch. Van Gaal knows about the weakness and wants to make amends as soon as he can. Therefore, when he took the name of Di Maria, which came from the same league of Cristiano Ronaldo, the move definitely begged to question the financial ability of United.

The team will have to break the world record transfer of £85 million, which was set by Real Madrid for Tottenham’s Gareth Bale. Ronaldo, who was transferred to Madrid with a hefty transfer margin of £80 million, has signaled his comeback to Old Trafford by saying, ‘you never know’. The way things have gone for United in the pre-season, it will definitely be wanting to back their manager as much as possible.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said the Premier League club intends to pursue a big-name striker until the transfer windows closes.

Monaco sharpshooter Radamel Falcao and disgruntled Paris Saint-Germain forward Edinson Cavani have both been linked to Liverpool, who are on the lookout for a replacement for Luis Suarez.

New recruit Rickie Lambert and Daniel Sturridge are the only two recognised strikers at Anfield and the Liverpool boss said he is determined to land a leading marksman, even if it means deadline-day madness on 1 September.

“The money is there – and we will look to improve at the top end of the field until the very end of the window,” Rodgers told reporters ahead of Sunday’s (10.30pm AEST) Premier League opener against Southampton at Anfield.

“It’s not easy to get a top level striker, no. But we have to keep looking. We certainly need something, because we haven’t brought in another striker so far, apart from Rickie Lambert. “You just never know what will happen in that last week – the window will always throw up something.

“We will persevere, and the boys are working hard behind the scenes to see what information we can get on the availability of players.” Liverpool also secured the services of young striker Divock Origi but the Belgium international will remain on loan at Lille for the 2014-2015 season.

source: theworldgame.sbs.com.au

Exactly ten years ago, Athens brought the Olympic Games back to its birthplace. It was supposed to be an event steeped in national pride and history, however now Athens has been left with a legacy of dilapidated facilities and a constant reminder of the money wasted on the event.

Stadiums which held memories of athletes winning gold medals and representing their country, are now replaced with rusting seats and graffitied walls, which bring back the early conversations from 1997 when they were awarded the Olympics of whether this was really a good idea.

The Athens Olympics were arguably a disaster from day one as they very nearly didn’t go ahead. With severe delays, construction issues and spiraling costs, the organising committee kicked things into overdrive to make sure the event went ahead, but at a cost. That cost ballooned to $11 billion, double what had initially estimated.

“It was a waste of money and all for show. It cost a lot,” said Dimitris Mardas, economics professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, who was the then-general secretary for trade.

Unlike other host cities who opted for prefabricated, collapsible structures, Athens opted for heavy buildings which “only served the interests of contractors,” Mardas said.

In light of the Athens Olympics, the International Olympic Committee has made reducing costs and maximising long-term sustainability for future host cities a key focus. London and Vancouver are shining examples of the seamless transition from Olympic venues to community serving facilities which have strengthened their respective cities in not just facilities, but tourism and reputation.

Greece had a glorious opportunity to invigorate their economy, but the lack of planning and financial mismanagement, coupled with their economic crash has ultimately left them with the scars of hosting an event they were in no way ready for, nor financially capable.

Whilst Athens now boasts a new airport, subway system, roads and other infrastructure, it is the remnants of the abandoned Olympic venues which will unfortunately be the legacy of the 2004 games.

Check out the pictures below of what’s left of the Olympic facilities which hosted some of the Games brightest moments.

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Getty Images: A view of the pool at the Athlete’s Village

Getty Images: Graffiti now covers the Olympic Village

Getty Images: The Aquatics Centre has certainly seen better days

Getty Images: Much of the infrstructure is now rusted and unusable

Getty Images: The beach voleyball arena now has weeds growing through the sand

Getty Images: The Softball stadium at the Hellinikon Olympic complexsource:yahoo.com

Rome (AFP) – Former Juventus boss Antonio Conte was named the new coach of Italy on Thursday on a two-year contract, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced.

The 45-year-old was widely expected to take over from Cesare Prandelli, who stepped down after Italy’s first-round exit at the World Cup finals in Brazil.

FIGC president Carlo Tavecchio said Conte, who will earn two million euros (£1.6m, $2.7m) a year, will be presented at a press conference on Tuesday in Rome.

Conte’s first match in charge will be on September 4 when Italy face the Netherlands in a friendly.

Five days later, Italy begin their Euro 2016 qualifying Group H campaign in Norway and the pressure will be on for a team whose failure in Brazil was the second successive World Cup at which they had failed to get out of the group stage.

Conte steered Juventus to a third consecutive title last season, the first time the club had achieved the feat since a five-season title run in the 1930s.

He has since been succeeded in Turin by former AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri.

Conte’s time in charge of Juve was not without its controversial moments as, in the summer of 2013, he was caught up in a corruption row after he was charged with failing to report attempted match-fixing during his time with his previous club Siena.

He protested his innocence but was banned for 10 months, reduced on appeal to a four-month touchline ban, which saw him miss the first half of last seasaon.

Conte, who captained the club during his playing career which stretched over more than 500 games and included five league titles, also led Juve to a record points haul of 102 points as they won their 30th official league title last season.

source:yahoo.com

Reigning Italian Champions have defeated Australian side Newcastle Jets  1-0 in their preseason tour of the Asia-Pacific in a game conducted behind closed doors at the Kogarah Jubilee Oval in Sydney, Australia.

The Bianconeri defeated the Australians thanks to a goal from Sebastian Giovinco in a game that consisted of thirty five minutes per half with regular intervals during the match for the coaches to give out instructions to their players for better execution. Giovinco scored the solitary goal of the match in the 26th minute to give his side a 1-0 victory.

Juventus fielded a 3-4-3 formation starting Marco Storari at goal while employing Marco Motta, Luca Marrone and Giorgio Chiellini at defense. Roberto Pereyra and Kwadwo Asamoah featured on the flanks in the 4 man midfield that consisted of Simone Padoin and Mattia Vitale at the center of midfield. The 3 man attack consisted of Simone Pepe and Sebastian Giovinco on either flanks while Kingsley Coman started through the center of the attack.

La Vecchia Signora made three changes as they shifted to a 4 man defense in the second half. The Italian giants brought on Rubinho to replace Storari at goal while Carlos Moreno Blanco entered for Vitale. Sergio Buenacasa was also given an opportunity in the second half as he came on for Coman. Chiellini was the only prolific player to have featured in this game and he played for the whole duration of the game.

Juventus will now round their trip by stopping in Singapore before heading back to Italy for their season.

source:italianfootballdaily.com

Οι Τσίρο Ιμόμπιλε, Χένρικ Μεχιταριάν και Πιέρ-Εμερίκ Ομπαμεγιάνγκ έπιασαν πολύ καλή απόδοση στο “Signal Iduna Park” της Βεστφαλίας, οδηγώντας την Ντόρτμουντ στη νίκη επί της Μπάγερν με 2-0 και, παράλληλα, την κατάκτηση του πέμπτου DFL-Supercup της ιστορίας της.

Με σύνθεση ανάγκης παρατάχθηκε το συνηθισμένο ζευγάρι των τελευταίων ετών στο DFL-Supercup, αφού η γηπεδούχος Ντόρτμουντ παρατάχθηκε χωρίς τους Μάρκο Ρόις, Νούρι Σαχίν, Ματς Χούμελς και Ιλκάι Γιουντογκά, ενώ η νταμπλούχος Μπάγερν χωρίς κάποιους “μουντιαλικούς”, τον Φρανκ Ριμπερί, τον Τιάγκο Αλκάνταρα, τον Πέπε Ρέινα και τον Ραφίνια.

Η ομάδα του Πεπ Γκουαρδιόλα είχε την πρωτοβουλία στο πρώτο τέταρτο, αυτό που φαινόταν από νωρίς ήταν ότι εκείνη του Γίργκεν Κλοπ θα έχει πιο έντονη επιθετική παρουσία. Ως εκ τούτου, το γκολ δεν άργησε να έρθει, αφού στο 23ο λεπτό ο Χένρικ Μεχιταριάν εκμεταλλεύθηκε την ολιγωρία της βαυαρικής άμυνας να απομακρύνει και με δυνατό σουτ άνοιξε το σκορ.

Αυτό το γκολ έδωσε ακόμα μεγαλύτερη ώθηση στην Ντόρτμουντ, η οποία έκανε ό,τι ήθελε την αντίπαλό της και με εξαίρεση το τετ-α-τετ του Ρόμπερτ Λεβαντόβσκι στο 46ο λεπτό (τον νίκησε ο Μίτσελ Λάνγκερακ), δεν απειλήθηκε. Όταν στο 62ο λεπτό ο Ομπαμεγιάνγκ ολοκλήρωσε ιδανικά μία επιθετική προσπάθεια που άρχισε ο ίδιος και συνέχισε ο Λούκας Πίστσεκ, η σεμνή τελετή έλαβε τέλος.

Το πρόσωπο του αγώνα (Λεβαντόβσκι) δεν άκουσε πολλές αποδοκιμασίες στο πρώτο του ματς ως αντίπαλος της βεστφαλικής ομάδας, εν αντιθέσει με τον Μάριο Γκέτσε, ο οποίος έχει ήδη πάρει την… κρυάδα. Ο Σωκράτης Παπασταθόπουλος, από την πλευρά του, έπιασε καλή απόδοση, εκμεταλλευόμενος και την επιθετική ανυπαρξία των νταμπλούχων Γερμανίας.

Οι συνθέσεις

Ντόρτμουντ: Λάνγκερακ, Πίστσεκ, Παπασταθόπουλος, Γκίντερ, Σμέλτσερ (46′ Ντουρμ), Κιρχ (85′ Μπέντερ), Κελ, Χόφμαν, Μεχιταριάν, Ομπαμεγιάνγκ (63′ Ράμος), Ιμόμπιλε.

Μπάγερν: Νόιερ, Μπόατενγκ, Χάβι Μαρτίνεθ (31′ Ντάντε), Μπερνάτ, Χόιμπιεργκ (59′ Γκέτσε), Ρόντε, Γκαουντίνο, Αλάμπα, Μίλερ (46′ Λαμ), Σατσίρι, Λεβαντόβσκι.

Πηγή: contra.gr