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Ronaldinho out of Brazil World Cup qualifiers

Barcelona superstar Ronaldinho was again ignored by Brazil coach Dunga when the squad for the next round of 2010 World Cup qualifiers was announced on Thursday.Instead, Inter Milan’s Adriano, who is currently at Sao Paulo on loan, was the only new addition to the 25-man squad for the games against Paraguay and Argentina in June.

Ronaldinho, who has been sidelined at Barcelona since April 4 with a hamstring injury, also missed out on selection for the last two qualifiers against Peru and Uruguay in November 2007.

Brazil play Paraguay on June 15 in Asuncion before facing bitter rivals Argentina on June 18 at Belo Horizonte.

Before that, Dunga’s team will tackle Canada in a friendly in Seattle on May 31 and Venezuela on June 6 in Boston.

Paraguay lead the South American zone standings for the 2010 World Cup with 10 points from four matches with Argentina on nine points while Brazil are a point further back.

Brazil squad:

Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan/ITA), Diego Alves (Almeria/ESP), Doni (AS Roma/ ITA)

Defenders: Alex (Chelsea/ENG), Juan (AS Roma/ITA), Lucio (Bayern Munich/GER), Luisao (Benfica/POR), Daniel Alves (Sevilla/ESP), Marcelo (Real Madrid/ESP), Gilberto (Hertha Berlin/GER), Kleber (Santos), Maicon (Inter Milan/ITA)

Midfielders: Anderson (Man United/ENG), Diego (Werder Bremen/GER), Elano (Man City/ENG), Gilberto Silva (Arsenal/ENG), Josue (Wolfsburg/GER), Julio Baptista (Real Madrid/ESP), Kaka (AC Milan/ITA), Mineiro (Hertha Berlin/GER).

Attackers: Adriano (Sao Paulo), Pato (AC Milan/ITA), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla/ESP), Robinho (Real Madrid/ESP), Rafael Sobis (Real Betis/ESP).

Inter fans banned from Parma

Inter Milan fans have been banned from travelling to Parma to watch their team’s crucial title decider in a move designed at fairness in the Serie A battle with AS Roma.The capital based club’s fans have been barred from attending their match at Catania and they had complained that it would be unfair if Inter were cheered on by their supporters and not them.

Inter and Roma are separated by one point with one match to play and both clubs facing tricky away ties against teams battling to avoid the drop.

Parma’s local governor Paolo Scarpis said the decision had been taken in the spirit of fairplay rather than due to any concerns over the conduct of either Inter or Parma supporters.

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn

Factbox on Oliver Kahn, who plays the final competitive match of his career when Bayern Munich face Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga on Saturday:

Born: 15.06.1969, Karlsruhe

Clubs: Karlsruhe SC (1987-1994), Bayern Munich (to 2008)

Bundesliga debut: 27.11.87 in a 4-0 defeat by Cologne.

Bundesliga appearances: 556 (will play his 557th game on Saturday)

Major honours:

German championships: 8—1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008

German Cups: 6—1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008

Champions League: 1—2001

World Club Cup: 1—2001

UEFA Cup: 1—1996

Number of international appearances for Germany: 86

International debut: 23.06.1995 v Switzerland.

Major tournaments as Germany’s number one: 2000 European Championship, 2002 World Cup, 2004 European Championship

Advocaat fears Zenit exodus despite UEFA Cup win

UEFA Cup winners Zenit St Petersburg must hold on to their best players to make an impression in next season’s Champions League, manager Dick Advocaat said.

Zenit have built on the success of winning the Russian title last year by celebrating their first European triumph on Wednesday after a 2-0 win over Rangers at the City of Manchester stadium.

Zenit are backed by the seemingly limitless resources of Russian energy giant Gazprom, but Advocaat fears they will become victims of their own success, with Europe’s top clubs ready to prize away top assets like Russia playmaker Andrei Arshavin.

“It will be a problem now, there is no doubt that some players will go,” Dutchman Advocaat said.

“Then you have to start again. That’s a problem when you become successful. We must keep not only Arshavin, but other important players.

Advocaat said the sale of Slovakia defender Martin Skrtel was a case in point.

Skrtel, an important part of Zenit’s run to the Russian championship, joined Liverpool in January and has impressed for the Premier League side in the second half of the season.

“Those kind of players you have to keep,” said Advocaat, who plans to add to his squad before Zenit make their Champions League bow in September.

“You have to try and keep this team together and buy three or four other players to make the squad better, then you can rotate in the different competitions,” he said.

“At the moment with Zenit it is 12, 13, 14 players who have played in all the games.”

What It Takes To Be Top Defender

Football training and soccer training as a defenderBecoming a better defender is a process that is improved the more experience and games that you play. To become a good player in any position it’s important that you watch the best players around the world that play your position. When watching a player be aware of is positioning, his awareness and how close he is marking an opponent etc. It’s important that you watch players carefully and try to mimic the way they perform, by doing this you speed up your understanding of the game, thus becoming a better player.

The modern defender has to be extremely athletic, by having good vertical jump results, good 20 m sprint results and physically dominant. These attributes are easier to train but take a lot of hard work. The best method of improving your athleticism is by plyometrics. E.g. bounding (both double leg and single leg) lunges. By applying yourself to these exercises you improve the power your body is able to generate, resulting you in being a better athlete. You need to have good acceleration and lateral movement both can be improved during your football training (soccer training). It’s important that defenders are athletes these days to be able to keep up with the lightning quick strikers of the modern game.

Defenders always need to be dominant in the aerial battles. Being able to win the aerial contests give your team an added edge, if you are dominant in the air this is one less option the opposition has to attack your team. The key advantage a defender has over striker is that the defender is trying to win the ball and knock it away from danger, where as the striker is trying to keep possession and potentially score or passed to another teammate. It’s important that defenders use their body when challenging for the ball in the air as this can be the difference between winning that header and losing.

It has become more apparent that the modern defender has to be able to use the ball effectively. They need to be old to play out from the back as often as possible, never giving the ball away cheaply resulting in a unnecessary danger. Watch the modern defenders such as Alessandro Nesta and analyse the way they use the ball efficiently. Being able to use the ball effectively and efficiently all comes down to awareness. It’s important your practice your awareness skills during football training (soccer training) as these skills will naturally flow on to your regular games.

There are many skills that defenders must learn and maintain during their football training (soccer training). It will generally come down to how hard you are willing to work on what sacrifices you are willing to make. Remember it’s important to try to mimic the best players around the world, though they might not be perfect but they do the right things most of the time, which is what managers want. Consistent defender who rarely makes mistakes.

Zenit lift UEFA Cup after 2-0 win over Rangers

Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg won their first European silverware when second-half goals from Igor Denisov and Konstantin Zyrianov secured a 2-0 victory over Rangers in the UEFA Cup final on Wednesday.

Denisov slotted home after 72 minutes and fellow midfielder Zyrianov sealed victory with a close range effort in stoppage time at the City of Manchester stadium to secure the trophy for Zenit in their first European final.

It was the second UEFA Cup success by a Russian side in four seasons following CSKA Moscow’s triumph in 2005.

“Winning a prize like this does not come often in your life,” Zenit coach Dick Advocaat told a news conference. “We are very proud that Zenit won tonight and after the way we played in this tournament, we really deserved it.”

Rangers supporters travelled south from Glasgow in their thousands, easily outnumbering the Zenit fans inside the stadium and thronging the city centre to watch on big screens.

However, trouble flared when one screen broke down and riot police had to move in to restore order under a hail of bottles. A total of 30 fans were arrested during the evening and one Russian fan was stabbed in the back after the match.

Gerrard wants Liverpool to spend big to boost title prospects

Steven Gerrard admits Liverpool will only challenge for the Premier League title next season if Rafa Benitez spends big money.

Gerrard is desperate to make up for another disappointing domestic campaign after Benitez’s side slipped out of the title race by Christmas and finished nine points behind champions Manchester United.

Gerrard knows that gap won’t be closed unless Benitez is given substantial backing from the Anfield board to bring in several world-class players.

Benitez has already met Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks to draw up a transfer battle plan, with Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry and Borussia Dortmund defender Philip Degn on his wanted list, but Gerrard wants more investment from the Anfield hierarchy.

“Obviously I have to be careful that I don’t send expectations through the roof again, but for me I am desperate for it (a title challenge). I believe in this team and this manager and believe we can make it happen,” Gerrard said.

“We need help and new players and the manager needs help from the board to make these signings happen and make us stronger.

“I don’t know much about Rafa’s transfer plans. He doesn’t call me in and tell me names.

“But he does assure me and the other players that if anyone becomes available who would strengthen the side, then he will go out and buy them. It’s important Rafa gets the right backing above him as well.

“Sometimes you have to realise there are other sides that are as good as us who are strengthening and working hard as well. They want it just as much as us.

“But it has been a long time for this club (since winning the league), so we all maybe need to give that extra five or 10 per cent.

“It’s difficult to say how many world-class players we need. You look at the points difference and over the last few years we have made it smaller.

“Playing against the Arsenals and Chelsea, it has been close. We are giving them good games which are tight and get decided on small details.”

The close-season in England has often been a difficult time for Gerrard while rumours fly that he is set to leave. Inter Milan are this year’s front runners to sign the Liverpool captain if reports are to be believed, but he insists he has no plans to quit.

“I’m happy here and enjoying my football. Obviously I am not happy ending the season without a trophy because I am a winner and that is what I play the game for,” he said.

“I like finishing the season having a trophy or cup final to look back on and seeing I’ve achieved something.

“The experiences I’ve had at this club in Istanbul (when they beat AC Milan to capture the Champions League), Cardiff and so on - I want these again because I’ve enjoyed them so much.”

Can Rangers Win The UEFA Cup?

I would like to congratulate Rangers in reaching the final of the UEFA cup. I am not a Rangers supporter; I actually support Birmingham City and am from England, I do however like to see all of the British clubs do well when they play in Europe, apart that is from Aston Villa! The question many people are now asking is can Rangers go on to win the competition?

I personally think Rangers can win the UEFA cup final which is to be played in Manchester in two weeks time. They have a superb management set up, a mix of the young and old, the experienced and the not so experienced. Here I am writing about Walter Smith and Ally McCoist, both Rangers legends. They have transformed Rangers since arriving fifteen months ago.

The way Rangers played in the semi-final against the Italian side Fiorentina must have given a huge amount of optimism for the future. They played like a typical Italian side against an Italian team. The defended like Trojans, soaking up all the pressure and then hitting their opponents on the counter attack.

Walter Smith was recently questioned about his football philosophy, with the suggestion that his team’s football was not the most entertaining. His response was quite prophetic stating that he had become bored of playing attacking teams in the past against the Italian; Dutch and Spanish sides only to get beat by a team who were well organised and disciplined.

So yes the Scots will descend on Manchester in two weeks to cheer on their boys. I certainly hope they will be able to leave victorious. There is one aspect of the final that is rather puzzling me; it is being played at the City of Manchester stadium, the capacity of which is around 45,000. Why not play the final at Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, where the capacity is over 70,000? Surely that would enable more Rangers fans to watch one of the biggest matches in the clubs history.

 
  

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