WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013
S P ORT S
Celtic readjust focus after cup heartache GLASGOW: Joe Ledley has urged his Celtic teammates to put the disappointment of their League Cup semi-final defeat to one side and focus on what else they can achieve this season. The Hoops were humbled by St Mirren in Sunday ’s semi-final at Hampden with Danny Lennon’s side winning 3-2 to book a place in March’s final against Hearts. The defeat ended the Parkhead club’s hopes of a first domestic treble since Martin O’Neill achieved the feat in his first seasoan in charge of the Parkhead side in 2001.
But, having booked a place in the last 16 of the Champions League and with another Scottish Premier League title win looking likely, the Welsh midfielder knows there is still plenty for Celtic to look forward to. “We’ve got the SPL, the Champions League and the other cup as well,” said Ledley, whose side take on Kilmarnock in the league today. “We just need to concentrate on those, take it game by game and rebuild and go again. “We’ve had a fantastic achievement already to get into the last 16 of the
Champions League and hopefully we can get a fantastic result against Juventus and go from there. “We know it’s going to be difficult but hopefully we can achieve it.” Celtic manager Neil Lennon slated his players after the defeat to St Mirren and accused some of his players of acting like spoiled kids. But Ledley hopes to use the Hoops SPL match against Killie at Parkhead today to get back to winning ways. “The manager told us he wasn’t happy with the performance and the individuals,” the Welsh international said.
“ We expected that and we knew within ourselves he would be disappointed. “We need to do better as a team. The treble was something we wanted to achieve and we can’t do that now. “We now need to rebuild and we are lucky we have got a game today and hopefully we can now go out there and perform better. “We just need to pick ourselves up.” Celtic will hope to welcome back keeper Fraser Forster following a neck injury that has kept him out of their previous three matches and James Forrest
may feature after returning to training. Yesterday, Motherwell will look to move up to second if they can pick up a win against Dundee United, whose manager Peter Houston left the club on Monday. Elsewhere today, Hearts will look to build on their League Cup semi-final win when they host Dundee at Tynecastle, St Johnstone welcome Aberdeen to McDiarmid Park, Ross County take on Hibernian at Victoria Park and League Cup heroes St Mirren have a tough task as they take on second top Inverness Caledonian Thistle. —AFP
Lionel Messi, Ronaldo lead AP player rankings Barcelona move into first place in team rankings
Mario Balotelli
Balotelli joins AC Milan ROME: Mario Balotelli’s chequered career at Manchester City was set to come to an end yesterday when the English champions agreed to sell the temperamental Italian striker to AC Milan for a reported 20 million euros. “Mario Balotelli to Milan, the player will come tomorrow for his medical and sign his contract,” the in-house Milan Channel announced. City paid Inter Milan £22 million (25.7m euros, $34.5 million) for the Italy striker in August 2010, but his time at the club has been peppered with controversy both on and off the pitch. Now the Premier League club will receive 20 million euros (£17.1m, $26.9m)— 4 million euros a year for five years-plus a possible 3 million euros in bonuses. The fee is significantlly lower than the 33 million euros initially demanded by City. Balotelli, 22, will sign a four-and-a-half-year contract, with an annual net salary of 4.5 million euros, keeping him with Milan until the summer of 2017. The striker, who scored three times for Italy on their run to the final of Euro 2012, returns to his home country in a bid to relaunch a career that has gradually lost momentum this season.
He has scored just once in 14 Premier League appearances this season, as well as once in the League Cup and once in the Champions League. As recently as last Friday, City manager Roberto Mancini had insisted that Balotelli would not be leaving England this month. “For two years it’s always the question. It’s not true. Mario’s staying here. We haven’t had any requests about Mario or any other player,” Mancini said. “Mario has another three years on his contract. “We don’t have enough players, we are 18 players now and we can’t sell any players. But now Balotelli is set to depart after a two-and-a-half-year spell at City that will be better remembered for a plague of controversial incidents. At the beginning of this month, he was pictured apparently having a bustup with Mancini during a training session, while in December he tried to take his club to court to contest their decision to fine him for his poor disciplinary record last season before eventually dropping his appeal. Balotelli was also caught up in numerous off-field incidents, including having to escape from his own house in October 2011 after starting a fire caused by letting off fireworks in his bathroom. — AFP
LONDON: Lionel Messi’s four-goal burst ensured that he and Barcelona returned to the top of the Associated Press Global Football rankings this week. The romance of England’s FA Cup, however, produced some unlikely names in the Top 10 teams and a previously unknown striker at No. 9. Thirteeen out of 18 panelists placed Messi at No. 1 on their list of Top 10 players, with Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo in second place after his hat trick. With 10 points for the top position, Messi earned 176 points, followed by Ronaldo with 159. Sampdoria striker Mauro Icardi, a 19-year-old Argentine who is becoming a fixture in the AP Top 10 as one of the most promising players in European club football, was third with 90 points. Icardi, a product of Barcelona’s youth academy, scored four times in Sampdoria’s 6-0 rout of Pescara in Serie A. “The youngster from Rosario scored four times against Pescara and showed why Cesare Prandelli hopes to see him turn his back on his native coun-
try and represent the Italian national team,” Leonardo Bertozzi of ESPN Brazil said. Eurosport’s Cedric Rouquette said 2013 has started just like the previous four years with Messi slightly ahead of Ronaldo “at the summit of world football.” “Thrill of the week, however, was Icardi’s four goals,” Rouquette said. “Even if his goals were not technically difficult or inventive, a player needs superior talent to always be in the right place at the right time.” James Porteous of the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong also had Messi at the top and Ronaldo just behind. “Just hours after Ronaldo scored his 19th hat trick for Real Madrid, Messi scored four against Osasuna as the world’s two best players continued their remarkable scoring form,” Porteous said. Barcelona moved back into first place in the team rankings this week with 157 points, well clear of Real Madrid’s 115. Bayern Munich was again in third place despite a successful Bundesliga season which sees it 11 points clear at the top.
AP Global Football Rankings Players: 1. Lionel Messi, (5), 176 points. 2. Cristiano Ronaldo, (1), 159. 3. Mauro Icardi, 90. 4. Edinson Cavani, (10), 68. 5. Javier Hernandez, 43. 6 Olivier Giroud, 42. 7. Jakub Blaszczykowski, 37. 8. Mario Mandzukic, 36. 9 Matt Smith, 35. 10 Stephan el Shaarawy, 28.
Cahill urges Chelsea to keep playing for Rafa LONDON: Gary Cahill believes Chelsea’s second-half fight-back in the weekend FA Cup draw at Brentford confirmed Rafael Benitez has the full backing of the dressing room. Benitez’s side will attempt to close the gap on second-placed Manchester City when they return to Premier League action at Reading today following two frustrating cup fixtures. Their failure to beat League One Brentford came after Chelsea’s League Cup semi-final exit at Swansea. And the visiting supporters at Brentford’s Griffin Park made no attempt to disguise their criticism of Benitez, who has failed to win over the Chelsea fans following his unpopular appointment as interim manager last month. Cahill acknowledges the tension among between manager and supporters but insists the way the side rallied after trailing Brentford at the break underscores the unity in the squad. “There is a lot of pressure from the fans but we needed to just try to do the job,” the centre-back said. “In the end, we grafted it out on a horrible day and we now need to show our quality at home. “It was the character we needed to dig in and just get the result we needed,” Cahill added. “Obviously we wanted the win but at least we have taken it back to the Bridge and hopefully we can finish the job there. “Everyone was aware how important the game was. Ideally we would have gone in at half-time a couple of goals up but that wasn’t the case. “There were a few words said in the dressing room from Rafa (at the break) and then between the players themselves. “Everyone knew we were below par. We spoke about that and we needed to do something about it in the second half.” Benitez and his players will be well aware they will have to deliver an improved performance if they are to
claim victory over Brian McDermott’s fast-improving Reading side. Chelsea lie 11 points behind league leaders Manchester United and while Benitez admits his side’s title hopes are fading fast, he believes a run of victories could transform the picture at the head of the table. “If you win two or three games in a row in the Premier League you never know what can happen,” Benitez said. “Obviously it still depends on the others, but we have to do our job and win some games in a row and I’m sure we will be closer,” the former Liverpool manager added. “Realistically, it will be difficult but not impossible.” Reading come into the game on the back of four successive victories including the comfortable FA Cup victory over Sheffield United that set up a fifth round meeting with Manchester United at Old Trafford. Their priority, though, is survival and successive league wins against West Brom and Newcastle have lifted McDermott’s team to third bottom, just one point off safety going into the latest round of matches. “The form has been excellent and all the lads have done really well,” said Reading left-back Nicky Shorey. “Hopefully, we can keep that going. “To be honest, the Chelsea game is just another game. It’s another chance to get three points on the board and help us with our survival bid.” Recent signing Daniel Carrico is again expected to be left on the sidelines as he acclimatises to English football. “Putting him in against West Brom was a tall order, we’ve got to get him up to speed,” explained Reading manager McDermott. “He was Sporting Lisbon captain, you can see in training he’s a good player and he just needs time. He needs time to train and to adjust. When he gets that, he’ll be a good player for us.” — AFP
Bayern earned 104 points, almost twice as many as fourth-place Borussia Dortmund. Manchester United was fifth with 57 points. Napoli was in sixth place, and the next three slots are filled by teams with the unlikely names of Bradford, Luton and Oldham. All three lowly English clubs - Luton is not even in the Football League - overcame Premier League opposition in domestic cup competitions, beating Aston Villa, Norwich and Liverpool, respectively. “My top 10 teams are dominated by lower league sides after a week of cup upsets in Britain,” Porteous said. “Bradford kicked it off by reaching the League Cup final, while Luton, Oldham and Leeds were among those teams taking down Premier League opposition in the FA Cup.” Matt Smith, a 6-foot-7-inch forward, scored twice in Oldham’s 3-2 victory over Liverpool and earned himself ninth place in the player poll, ahead of AC Milan striker Stephan El Shaarawy, whose consistent performances this season will likely give earn him a permanent place in the Italian national team. “A couple of shoutouts this week to lower, lower English players for goals in big FA Cup upsets,” Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis PostDispatch said. “Matt Smith’s two goals against Liverpool deserve attention. This may well be the high point of Smith’s career, and I salute it.” Edinson Cavani, one of many bright young South Americans playing in Serie A, has been a regular in the AP Top 10 and is in fourth place in the latest survey with 68 points, clear of Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez and Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud, who finally seems to be settling into the goal-scoring rhythm manager Arsene Wenger hoped he would produce at the start of the season. Two Bundesliga players, Poland midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski and Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic, filled seventh and eighth places.
BARCELONA: Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi scores during the Spanish league football match FC Barcelona vs C.A. Osasuna at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on Sunday. — AFP
Teams: 1. Barcelona, 157 points. 2. Real Madrid, (1), 115. 3. Bayern Munich, (5), 104. 4 Borussia Dortmund, (4), 57. (tie) Manchester United, 57. 6. Napoli, 56. 7 Bradford, 48. 8. Luton, 41. 9. Oldham, 36. 10. Athletic Bilbao, 28.— AP
Rodgers issues stark warning to youngsters LONDON: Liverpool’s “soft” young players must work harder or they risk ending up playing in the same league as Oldham Athletic, who knocked them out of the FA Cup, manager Brendan Rodgers has warned. The seven-times cup winners were roughed up by the third-tier side in a 3-2 defeat on Sunday that prompted the Liverpool manager to question whether some of his young charges had the desire to succeed at the top. “It hurts deeply and it makes things clear, we need a group that’s hungry in every single game,” Rodgers was quoted as saying in British newspapers yesterday. “If they don’t have that hunger, they will find themselves playing in League One and regretting the opportunity they missed. “Oldham may not have been a big game for one or two of them but they will learn quickly they have to have the right mentality for every single game, because if they don’t, they won’t be here, it’s as simple as that. “They are a talented group, but let us be clear...we don’t have world-class young players. So they must come in with the intention of working hard with intensity every day. That is the only way they will succeed.” With daunting Premier League trips to Arsenal and Manchester City coming up, Rodgers chose to make several changes to his side for Sunday’s fourth-round clash, including dropping Steven Gerrard to the bench. In came defenders Sebastian Coates, 22, and Jack Robinson, 19, to join the 19-year-old Andre Wisdom in a makeshift backline, while 18-year-old Raheem Sterling started in a for-
ward line that was strong on paper but ineffective on the day. The centre back pairing of Coates and Martin Skrtel came in for particular criticism after being out-muscled by Oldham’s two-goal hero Matt Smith, a 23year-old, who was playing university football two years ago. Skrtel has been a mainstay of Liverpool’s defence but was dropped for their last Premier League outing against Norwich City and may struggle to stay in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s trip to Arsenal. “The boy Smith hadn’t scored a goal at home in two years and he’s come up against two big units we have at centre half (Skrtel and Coates),” Rodgers said. “He is a boy who has come out of university football and he looks like Didier Drogba. “We have seen it before with (Christian) Benteke, who after our game against Aston Villa (when he scored twice in a 3-1 win) has disappeared. That’s the resilience and steel we need to have and we have to do it consistently. “Going to places like Oldham, you know what you’re going to get. It’s not a Premier League game; it’s a game where you have to roll your sleeves up and fight and, as I said, it was too soft. “One or two were too soft, it’s as simple as that. I’m talking in general, about the physicality around the team, not just Martin Skrtel. I would expect all the players to react, not just him.” Liverpool are seventh in the Premier League and seven points behind Tottenham Hotspur who occupy the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot.— Reuters
PARIS: Picture taken on December 16, 2012 shows Lyon’s Brazilian midfielder Michel Fernandes Bastos during the French L1 football match Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) vs Lyon (OL), in Paris. French top flight outfit and title contenders Lyon have loaned their Brazilian attacking midfielder Michel Bastos to German side Schalke 04 until the end of next season with an option of a permanent move, the German club said yesterday on their website. — AFP