Pro Eleven Headline News
Liverpool Storm Past Manchester United To Close Gap At Top
After swatting aside Inter and Real Madrid in midweek, Manchester United and Liverpool renewed Premier League hostilities at Old Trafford.
Both sides made changes for the hotly-anticipated clash, Carlos Tevez replacing Dimitar Berbatov for the champions who also included Anderson and Park Ji-Sung in their starting line-up at the expense of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.
Liverpool, meanwhile brought in Lucas Leiva for the injured Xabi Alonso and were also forced into a late change with Sami Hypia coming in for Alvaro Arbeloa after the Spaniard suffered a hamstring injury in the warm-up.
United began the game brightly and with only three minutes on the clock had opened up Rafael Benitez’s side.
Carlos Tevez out on the right squared a ball to Park inside the box who looked to shoot but his effort was blocked and flew over the bar after a vital challenge by Jamie Carragher.
After a slow start Liverpool quickly warmed to their task with skipper Steven Gerrard once again urging his side forwards.
With only 10 minutes gone the skipper burst inside the box before trying to cut inside Nemanja Vidic but the Serbian did well to deny him sight of Van der Sar’s goal and clear the danger.
Yet Liverpool’s other talisman Fernando Torres was also causing problems in the usually unflappable United defence.
The Spaniard showed superb skill to turn inside Rio Ferdinand and weave into the box but he needed an extra touch to surge past John O’Shea which just allowed Vidic to clear.
A game that had been slow to get going was beginning to warm up nicely and mid-way through the first-half Old Trafford saw its first goal.
A super ball by Tevez inside Carragher and Hypia found Park inside the box. The Korean latched onto the ball but Reina came out quickly to deny the United man but only succeeded in bringing him down and conceding a penalty.
Up stepped Cristiano Ronaldo who calmly slotted his kick past the Liverpool keeper to hand his side the lead.
The goal filled the home side with confidence but it was short-lived as a mistake by none other than Nemanja Vidic ensured that United’s advantage lasted only five minutes.
A long ball upfield by Martin Skrtel was badly misjudged by the centre-back who allowed the ball to bounce over his head.
Facing his own goal the Serbian was then beaten to the ball by Torres who advanced on goal before slipping the ball effortlessly past Van der Sar.
United looked stunned but were quickly back in action at the other end as they sought to re-establish their lead.
Tevez almost profited from a moment of indecision from Reina, after the Spaniard fumbled a Ronaldo free kick, before Michael Carrick thrashed a shot inches over the bar.
Yet at the other end Torres was looking a real threat for the Reds and only minutes before half-time there was to be even more drama in an already action-packed first period.
A splendid ball from Torres into the United box saw Patrice Evra upend Gerrard and once again referee Alan Wiley showed no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
Skipper Gerrard dusted himself down to take the kick and planted it past Van der Sar to hand the Reds a priceless lead at the interval.
A grim-faced United emerged from the break and within minutes had hit the post. A right-wing cross from Ronaldo took a deflection and Reina could only watch as it rattled his near post before grabbing it gratefully.
Ten minutes later and a Tevez cross again had Reina struggling before, back-pedalling, he just managed to tip it over his bar.
United were dominant and were only inches away from grabbing an equaliser on the hour mark.
A Ronaldo cross to the far post found Rooney guiding the ball back to Tevez right in front of goal but Skrtel did just enough to deny the striker from close range.
Yet in truth United were struggling to penetrate a Liverpool side happy to defend their lead and, with time ticking away, Sir Alex made a triple substitution sending on Berbatov, Giggs and Scholes for Anderson, Carrick and Park.
However, minutes after the substitution and Manchester United found themselves down to 10-men after Vidic was sent off for hauling back Gerrard as he surged goalwards.
From the resulting free-kick Fabio Aurelio lifted a brilliant effort over the wall and low into the corner of Van der Sar’s goal to seal victory.
Yet there was still time for even more joy for the visiting side. Another long ball forward found substitute Andrea Dossena lifting a neat finish over Van der Sar as United shipped four goals on a day their lead at the top was also cut to just four points.
Manchester United: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick (Scholes, 74), Anderson (Giggs, 74), Park (Berbatov, 74), Rooney, Tevez.
Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Hypia, Skrtel, Aurelio, Mascherano, Lucas, Kuyt, Gerrard (El Zhar, 90), Riera (Dossena, 68), Torres (Babel, 81).
GOALS
1-4 Liverpool (Dossena, 90 + 1)
1-3 Liverpool (Aurelio, 76)
1-2 Liverpool (Gerrard, pen 44)
1-1 Liverpool (Torres, 28)
1-0 Manchester United (Ronaldo, pen 23) Goal
City face measure of progress at revitalised Chelsea
When Chelsea met Manchester City in only the fourth game of the season, the match was played against a backdrop of speculation surrounding City’s prospects of upsetting the established order and breaking into the top four.
Then, Manchester City had just pulled off the audacious coup of snatching Real Madrid’s Robinho from under Chelsea’s noses, confirming that the Eastlands outfit had supplanted their opponents as the Premier League’s big-spenders following the takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group.
However, the subsequent 3-1 drubbing inflicted by Chelsea only confirmed the yawning chasm between City and a side harbouring hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
Nothing has happened to the two clubs in the intervening six months to suggest that the gap has been narrowed ahead of their meeting this weekend at Stamford Bridge.
Guus Hiddink’s restoration job in West London has gathered pace and the Dutch manager goes into this game having won five and drawn one of his six in charge.
That one blemish on his record came in Turin this week when Chelsea were held 2-2 by Juventus in the first knockout round of the Champions League.
Yet it proved to be just enough to ensure Chelsea joined Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal in the quarter-finals, having won the first-leg 1-0 at home.
A few days earlier victory at Second Division club Coventry City set up an FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal or Hull City while a succession of single-goal league victories have maintained Hiddink’s side’s interest in the Premier League title race.
The Dutchman has been adamant from day one that Chelsea’s only hope of catching Manchester United has been to win all their remaining league games and hope that the runaway leaders slip up.
Chelsea have kept their part of the bargain but, unfortunately for Hiddink and his players, Alex Ferguson’s reigning champions have refused to play ball.
“When I said we could win the league we were on schedule at that time but United have not made any mistakes since and neither have we but until it is impossible then we will fight.”
Facing Chelsea will be a City side who quickly discovered the addition of a high-profile signing like Robinho doesn’t bring immediate success, although the recruitment of former Blues fringe players Shaun Wright-Phillips and Wayne Bridge has at least added consistency to Mark Hughes’ side.
Hughes has always publicly maintained he is happy to have Robinho on board but privately he is believed to have grown frustrated at the playmaker’s failure to perform away from home.
Hughes’ main priority this summer — if he survives his new owners’ end of season review — is to strengthen the spine of the team with Chelsea skipper John Terry figuring high on his wish-list following a failed approach for the England defender at the turn of the year.
City received a further knock-back from Valancia’s David Villa this week, but Hughes’ primary concern rests with the current campaign and his side’s attempt to finish in the top seven whilst ending the club’s 33-year wait for a trophy in the UEFA Cup.
With Craig Bellamy, Nigel De Jongh and Vincent Kompany all missing at Stamford Bridge, City could well receive another painful lesson in the difference between money and footballing wealth. AFP
Serie A Preview: Inter - Fiorentina
How Will Inter React?
Inter’s Champions League jinx continued on Wednesday night as they went down 2-0 against reigning European and Club World Champions Manchester United at Old Trafford, after the 0-0 draw at San Siro in the first leg. It was the Nerazzurri’s third consecutive elimination at the last 16 stage, after the ones against Valencia two years ago and Liverpool last year.
Unlike on those two occasions, Inter were not favorites heading into the clash against the Mancunians, so perhaps it would be harsh to say their season is a failure already. Still, there can be no denying that president Massimo Moratti brought in coach José Mourinho to win in Europe, as his predecessor Roberto Mancini was alleged to lack the necessary experience and know-how in the most prestigious club competition.
While Inter were ultimately eliminated once again, there are some positives to take from their meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. Their performance in the first leg at home was forgettable at best, but in the second leg they showed some good football and it was clear they gave it their all. In fact, they missed some clear chances and even hit the woodwork twice, although they conceded the kind of goals they never concede in Serie A. Most important of all, however, is that Inter were not disgraced, did not get involved in any post-match rumbles, their fans did not misbehave, and the team competed on the same level with United for large portions of the tie.
Luck was not on their side, but there is certainly the feeling that for once Inter did not get knocked out because of their own failure or because they couldn’t handle the pressure. That is an important step forward for them, and to an extent this can be attributed to Mourinho, who should certainly be given another chance to make a more lengthy run in this competition. To do that, however, Inter must certainly avoid making another lousy start to their European campaign, as the reason they met a strong side like United so early on was their abysmal performance in the group stage, where they finished second to Panathinaikos in the weakest group of the competition.
Of course, now it will be interesting to see how they react in this final part of the season. Inter are still well on course to become Italian champions for the fourth time in four seasons, as they prepare to defend a seven-point lead over Juventus with 11 matches to go. We all remember what happened last season, when the Nerazzurri nearly threw away an 11-point lead over Roma following the defeat to Liverpool, beating the Giallorossi to the title only on the final matchday. No Inter fan will want that to happen again.
If the last few years are anything to go by, however, the fans should not worry that the elimination from the Champions League will have an immediate negative effect on the next league match. In the last four seasons, in fact, Inter always managed to win their next game after getting knocked out of the Champions League.
Tough Times For Fiorentina
Cesare Prandelli’s Fiorentina are going through a rough period. Although they are still in fourth place, lately their football has lacked the confidence and consistency we are used to seeing from the Viola. This negative period culminated last weekend in perhaps their worst performance of the season against Palermo, who won 2-0 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. It was only their second home defeat of the season, after the one against Lecce in January.
It’s hard to say why they are having problems. Their list of injured players is not that huge, alhough perhaps the decision to let go of a strong young striker like Giampaolo Pazzini, who has been doing very well since joining Sampdoria in January, was not a very smart idea. The team relies heavily on the potentially devastating attacking duo of Alberto Gilardino and Adrian Mutu, but both have had their ups and downs this season, and when they are not at their best, the team struggles to find other ways to score.
Recently Prandelli has also expressed his discontent with the excessive criticism by the Florence press, which came down hard on the club after their elimination at the hands of Ajax in the UEFA Cup. Fiorentina were particularly unlucky in those matches against the Dutch giants, as in both legs they showed an evident superiority, but they were unlucky in their finishing (as has been the case for many Italian sides in Europe this season).
A period of bad luck or poor form should not be enough to diminish Fiorentina’s achievements over the past few years. They have been one of the few sides who have consistently managed to challenge for a Champions League spot, but due to various consequences of the Calciopoli scandals, they were only able to take part in the tournament this season.
They will certainly relish the opportunity to participate in the tournament again and build on their performance of this season, which certainly wasn’t a complete failure, as they finished third in a group containing Bayern Munich and Olympique Lyon, champions of Germany and France, respectively. The race to finish fourth in Serie A this season will probably be more interesting than the Scudetto race, as Genoa and Roma are hot on Fiorentina’s heels, both just one point below the Viola.
Their recent tradition against Inter hasn’t been too good, although this season they managed to end a string of four successive league defeats by them with a scoreless draw in Florence. With Genoa travelling to Cagliari and Roma to Genoa to face Sampdoria, all teams aiming for the Champions League have tough matches this weekend, but Fiorentina play on Sunday night so by then they will know what they have to do to maintain fourth place in the table.
FORM GUIDE
Inter
11/03 (Champions League): Manchester United-Inter 2-0
07/03 (Serie A): Genoa-Inter 0-2
04/03 (Coppa Italia): Sampdoria-Inter 3-0
01/03 (Serie A): Inter-Roma 3-3
24/02 (Champions League): Inter-Manchester United 0-0
Fiorentina
08/03 (Serie A): Palermo-Fiorentina 0-2
01/03 (Serie A): Reggina-Fiorentina 1-1
26/02 (Uefa Cup): Ajax-Fiorentina 1-1
22/02 (Serie A): Fiorentina-Chievo 2-1
19/02 (Uefa Cup): Fiorentina-Ajax 0-1
TEAM NEWS
Inter
Some defensive problems for Mourinho as Nicolas Burdisso, Marco Materazzi, and Christian Chivu are all out injured.
Possible formation (4-3-1-2): Julio Cesar; Maicon, Samuel, Cordoba, Santon; Muntari, Cambiasso, Zanetti; Stankovic; Adriano, Ibrahimovic.
Fiorentina
Midfielder Mario Santana is out injured while defender Dario Dainelli is suspended.
Possible formation (4-3-1-2): Frey; Comotto, Gamberini, Kroldrup, Vargas; Kuzmanovic, Jorgensen, Montolivo; Felipe Melo; Gilardino, Mutu.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter)
Against United he performed better than in previous do-or-die Champions League clashes, hitting the crossbar, setting up Dejan Stankovic alone in front of Edwin Van Der Sar, and missing a number of chances by a whisker. Still, in the end it was Cristiano Ronaldo who won the personal duel with the Swede, as he scored the Reds’ crucial second goal while Ibrahimovic once again failed to find the net in a knockout match. That shouldn’t take anything away from his impressive domestic season, which has seen him score 15 goals so far, making him a contender for the Capocannoniere title.
Alberto Gilardino (Fiorentina)
After a few frustrating seasons at Milan, the 26-year-old striker seems reborn since joining Fiorentina last summer. With Mutu he forms an at-times deadly partnership, and so far he has scored an impressive 15 goals, just like ‘Ibra’. While he has been known to stutter on the biggest stage with both Milan and the Italian national team, and he sometimes misses chances that seem impossible to miss, if he keeps up this goalscoring rate it will be hard for Italy coach Marcello Lippi to ignore him.
PREDICTION
A hard-fought but convincing win for Inter. Goal
Guardiola Urges Caution
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has sought to play down his team's newly-found good form ahead of Sunday's trip to Almeria in the Primera Liga.
Barcelona recently went five games without a win, but returned to form with a stunning 5-2 victory over Lyon in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Xavi claimed after that match that the performance had been "almost perfect".
But Guardiola has warned his players against getting carried away by one good result.
"The players know we're not perfect because in the first 20 minutes in Lyon (when Barcelona trailed 1-0) we were out of Europe," he said on Saturday.
"The line is very fine," he added.
"Everybody knows this is a business, that four days ago we were in crisis and now we can win the Champions League."
Having picked up just one point in their previous three matches, Barcelona also returned to form in the Primera Liga with a 2-0 win at home to Athletic Bilbao last weekend.
But Guardiola believes the trip to Almeria represents a tough test for his team.
"Almeria have not lost at home since Hugo Sanchez took over," he said.
And he added: "It's a good test, so let's see how we react after the demands of the Champions League."
Barcelona lead the Primera Liga by six points from fierce rivals Real Madrid with 12 games remaining.
But the Catalans remain in three competitions, while Madrid can concentrate solely on the league after their Champions League elimination at the hands of Liverpool this week.
And Guardiola believes playing just once a week could be an advantage for Juande Ramos' side.
"Madrid only have one game a week and they have it easier," he said.
"They will win a lot of matches and with only one game per week they will be strong and rested," he said.
Defenders Carles Puyol, Eric Abidal and Gabi Milito all miss out through injury, but Guardiola has an otherwise full-strength squad available.
Meanwhile, Almeria coach Hugo Sanchez has all of his players available for the Barcelona clash.
And the Mexican says his team will set out to win on Sunday.
"I'm not sure I would bet on Barcelona, despite all their potential," he said on Saturday.
"And with our public behind us, that can help us to go and beat them," he added.
Sanchez says Almeria will not change their playing style in order to thwart the league leaders.
"We'll maintain our style of play because we have worked on it and this week has been no exception," he said.
And he added: "We give our rivals the respect they deserve and in this case, Barcelona, with the quality and talented players they have, we will need to be very careful," he said.
Almeria currently lie in 10th place, six points clear of the relegation zone. Sporting Life
