THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2013
50
EUROPEAN LEAGUE
NATION SPORT
Mourinho: I won’t be a hero forever
R
EAL MADRID manager Jose Mourinho admits he is happy to not always be a hero at the club but has called on supporters of the Spanish giants not to put added
pressure on his players. Club legend Iker Casillas was dropped for the second game in a row as Madrid beat Real Sociedad 4-3 on Sunday. Mourinho was met with crowd whistles as his name
was read out before kick-off. "I do not like to always be in a comfortable situation or be a hero forever," said the former Chelsea boss. Casillas, who was also dropped for the 3-2 defeat by
Malaga two weeks earlier, came off the bench after just six minutes on Sunday as his replacement Antonio Adan was sent off. The Madrid goalkeeper had also been cheered by the home fans at the Bernabeu when his name was read out before the game. While Mourinho does not mind being the villain, he believes the pre-match whistles directed at him were disrespectful towards Adan. "If they whistle me for leaving Iker on the bench, fine, and if they whistle me for poor performances, that's
OK by me," said Mourinho, who is under pressure because Madrid trail La Liga leaders Barcelona by 16 points. "The fans and the media don't have a problem with Adan, they have a problem with me for my decision, but Adan suffers for this pressure. "I think it shows a lack of respect towards Adan. He has been at Madrid 16 years, he came through the youth ranks and he has the right to be happy. "The media have turned a problem with Mourinho into a lack of respect towards Adan."
Heitinga to be sold to Ajax
T
HERE are reports that Everton defender John Heitinga will be sold to Ajax. After recent speculation linking the 29-year old with a move away from Goodison Park, it now appears he is set to return to his homeland and rejoin the Dutch giants, whom he left in 2008. Heitinga’s agent recently told reporters the Dutchman was unhappy at Goodison Park and would be interested in a move away. The former Athletico Madrid man has become increasingly frustrated at his lack of regular games this season due to the form of Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin. Johnny announced the news that he wouldn’t be fit to play the game at Cheltenham on Twitter but immediately deleted the Tweet. This sparked a number of rumours about his future and if there was any truth to his apparent injury, but sources says that he is likely to move to Ajax and a deal has been done to take him back to the Amsterdam Arena for around £3 million. Heitinga has played over 100 times for Everton and has captained the side during his time at the club. The defender
•Mourinho
•Heitinga joined the Toffees in 2009 and won the Player of the Season in the 2011-12 campaign, but has struggled to hold down a regular place in the team this season. David Moyes may bring in Vegard Forren as Heitinga’s replacement once the deal goes through, as he bids to freshen up his defence.
•Piazón
Besiktas target Chelsea starlet BESIKTAS are interested in the possibility of a loan move for Chelsea striker Lucas Piazón. The Black Eagles are facing a striker shortage following the injury of Mustafa Pektemek and Batuhan Karadeniz struggling for match fitness. Hugo Almeida has excelled this season, however, the Istanbul giants lack a viable alternative. The club is estimated to be in debt to the tune of •80-•100 million, a problem chairman Fikret Orman has made his priority to resolve. The Black Eagles have been forced to change their transfer policy which has suffered from years of mismanagement and over spending. Besiktas, have been attracting young talents recently with the promise of first team football. The Eagles lured Arsenal youth Og (uzhan Özyakup) in a surprise move this summer and have given the 20-yearold midfielder a regular starting position. Piazon joined Chelsea from Sao Paulo for •7.5 million during the summer transfer window. The 18-year-old Brazilian striker has played once in the Premier League this season.
Laurentiis: We will fight until the end
A
URELIO De Laurentiis, president of Serie A side Napoli, serene but also decided, is enjoying success in Rome and raises the potentiality of his team and blue project. "This Napoli grows and will battle until the end," he said. "This year we have 10 points
more than last year. So it means that the team is growing. “The road is still long, there is much still to be seeding for arriving even further. We have the second best defense and the third best forward. It is clear that we will fight until the end of the Championship. Then there will be episodes more or less favorable, but the team ever has great physical and psychological condition."
“The market in January is a repair campaign. So it's not always long-range investments. If we need to replace someone we're going to do. Then we are confident about reviews of second instance for Cannavaro and Grava, and then we expect the evolutions. We are for a targeted policy not schizophrenic. We will look at the balance of the group, we will give to the coach
righteous men and someone will come certainly because we have players coming out. And then I hope to get points on the field, because in football is always fully open up to the end with all three points." On his Matador, Laurentiis said: "Cavani is a world-class champion. I am not interested in bids or auctions. Cavani is with us. We send to the sender every request."
Bolívar leaves Internacional
F
•Edinson Cavani
ORMER Monaco defender Bolívar has left Internacional after the player’s contract was cancelled following talks between the two parties on Thursday morning. Bolívar, 32, who rejoined Inter in 2009 for his second spell at the Beira-Rio, won two Copa Libertadores titles (in 2006 and 2010) while at the club, as well as the 2008 Copa Sul-Americana. An agreement between the club and the player, whose contract ran until the end of 2013, was put in place weeks ago but was only confirmed Monday after Bolívar returned from holiday. The fallout between the defender and Inter goes back
to a refusal by the player to take a place on the bench for a game against Corinthians. Fellow defender Juan was suffering from a headache and Fernandão, who was coach at the time, asked Bolívar to be backup for the game but the player refused. Bolívar, who played for city rivals Grêmio earlier in his career, has been linked with a move back to the blue half of the city but Vanderlei Luxemburgo has denied interest. But the player’s future could be sorted out quite quickly and he is said to be in talks with a number of Brazilian clubs. “We're talking, we're talking,” he told Lancenet!
•Klopp
Klopp satisfied with Dortmund’s position
C
•Bolívar
OACH Juergen Klopp is adamant that Borussia Dortmund are no worse than they were last season. The reigning champions currently sit third on the Bundesliga table, trailing leaders Bayern Munich by 12 points. But Klopp remains ambitious ahead of the second half of the season. "We are definitively no worse than last season, we are
just a few points short," he told the club's official website. "Our attacking potential is overwhelming, but the 22 goals we conceded in the first half of the season is an unusually high number for us. "We are very ambitious and we want to play an outstanding second half of the season. Our way of playing will clearly be recognisable again." Dortmund resume Bundesliga action away against Werder Bremen on January 19.