Pro Eleven Headline News
Lazio secure place in Coppa Italia semis
Lazio scored three second-half goals to defeat Torino 3-1 at the Stadio Olympico on Thursday to secure their place in the semifinals of the Coppa Italia.
The visitors took a 29th minute lead when Cesare Natali tapped the ball home after goalkeeper Fernando Muslera pushed Antonio Rosina's cross into his path
However, things turned completely around in the second 45 minutes.
Goran Pandev levelled matters four minutes after the break when he converted Stefano Mauri's pass and Mauri himself put the home side ahead in the 55th minute when firing home from outside the area.
Lazio captain Tommaso Rocchi made it 3-1 in injury time, shooting low from the edge of the penalty area after being set up by Pandev.
The victory means Lazio join Serie A champions Inter Milan and Sampdoria in the last four of the competition.
Juventus entertain Napoli next month in the final remaining quarterfinal tie and the winners of that match will face Lazio in a two-legged semifinal. CNN International
City may take Drogba off Chelsea's hands
Didier Drogba is set to see out the season at Chelsea and will leave the club in the summer, unless Manchester City can construct a deal to take the 30-year-old striker to Eastlands before the end of the month.
There has been no official dialogue between the two clubs, although it is known that the Chelsea manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari, remains desperate to sign Robinho, who is unsettled at City and who has returned to Brazil without the club's approval. A swap deal is possible, if difficult.
The Independent revealed in November that Chelsea were considering whether to renew their interest in Robinho, having lost out to City in the race to sign him on the last day of the summer transfer window.
Scolari, who is one of the 24-year-old's mentors, has stayed in contact with the striker and is aware of how unsettled he is in the North-west, despite a series of public denials which included Robinho posting another message on his website yesterday.
The Chelsea manager has urged the club's directors to explore the possibility of some kind of swap deal involving players such as Drogba moving to City but, so far, there has not been any official discussions.
However, agents and representatives have talked and one said yesterday: "There is a lot of logic in it but it appears, at present, unlikely that anything will happen this month. Robinho is not happy there and Drogba has been told he can go, but not until the summer."
The major stumbling block would be City's attitude to losing Robinho, a £34m trophy signing, after failing to land Kaka from Milan this week, which has been a significant setback in their plans to assemble a squad of world superstars.
It is also understood that Drogba would prefer a move back to France, and ideally Marseilles, should he leave Chelsea, where he has struggled this season. He has scored just one league goal and was dropped from the last two squads after a dalliance with Internazionale last year that did not lead to an official bid from the Italian club.
Drogba's asking price and wage demands are a stumbling block, although not for City, of course, who are desperate to sign a powerful striker in his mould and have been trying to secure Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn Rovers without success. City's bids have still not reached the original asking price for Santa Cruz, which has since been increased.
City are also after another central defender and Vlado Borozan, the agent of Chelsea's Serbia international Branislav Ivanovic, claimed yesterday: "There is something going on with Manchester City, but Chelsea already refused a £15m offer from Milan." Ivanovic arrived from Lokomotiv Moscow last January for £9m but has barely featured in the Chelsea first team.
Scolari has some funds at his disposal following the £11m-plus sale of Wayne Bridge, also to City. He is keen to sign another attacking player and has looked at a series of strikers, plus Wigan Athletic's Luis Antonio Valencia, who is also interesting Manchester United.
Mark Hughes, the City manager, said that Robinho – who said he had to return to Brazil for family reasons, although these are primarily thought to be to celebrate his 25th birthday at the weekend – had apologised for his actions. Independent
Manchester City Waste £17m On De Jong
Netherlands international Nigel de Jong will link up with new club Manchester City by jetting out to Tenerife to join their Canary training camp.
The player is expected to slot into the club's first team straight away, and could even make his debut as early as next Wednesday, against Newcastle United.
Various reports have indicated that De Jong, 24, commanded a transfer fee between £17 and £19 million.
If it was the latter amount, then City paid £16. 7 million more than they needed to, as the player had a cut-price release clause inserted into his Hamburg contract allowing him to be transferred for £2.3 million in the summer.
It is unknown whether City chiefs knew about the small print, or if they wanted to carry on regardless in order to sufficiently bolster their squad so that they are not sucked into a relegation slog.
De Jong is ecstatic with the move though, and is eager to begin his "new adventure."
"The ideas and the planning behind this club make me very hopeful," he told the club's official website.
"It is a new adventure so I am delighted to be here. The stadium looks great and it can only be better when it's full of people.
"I am looking forward to playing here because everybody knows that the Premier League is maybe the biggest competition in the world," he said. Goal
European champ Spain leads fans' vote for UEFA team of 2008
European champion Spain has six players included on a 2008 team of the year selected by fans voting on UEFA's Web site.
Five of the 11 players chosen by the 256,000 voters also play for one of the two Spanish powerhouse clubs - three from Barcelona and two from Real Madrid - while Sir Alex Ferguson was picked as the top manager after leading Manchester United to the Premier League and Champions League titles.
Goalkeeper Ikar Casillas was joined by Spain teammates Sergio Ramos and Carles Puyol in defence, Xavi Hernandez and Cesc Fabregas in midfield and Fernando Torres in attack.
Bayern Munich was the only other club with more than player, as both Germany defender Philipp Lahm and France midfielder Franck Ribery made the team.
England's big four teams had one selection each. Aside from Liverpool's Torres, and Arsenal's Fabregas, Chelsea defender John Terry and Manchester United's FIFA's player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo also made the squad. Barcelona's Lionel Messi joined Torres in attack.
World champion Italy was not represented and no player from an Italian Serie A club was chosen.
Team
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid);
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), John Terry (Chelsea), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich)
Cristiano Ronaldo, (Manchester United), Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
Coach: Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United) Canadian Press