Barca Player Rating against Recreativo on 16/11/08

Valdes - 7 - Had more interventions than he is accustomed to in recent weeks. Organised his back four well especially against free kicks. He should be happy that he once again produced an error free display.

Alves - 7 - Ok, a rating of 7 may be injustice to Alves especially his involvement in the attacks; but he was caught out on counter every time.Marquez and Toure had to produce vital interventions to sniff out any danger. Going forward he is once again a phenomenon. It is still yet to see how he will fare defensively against top opponents.

Pique - 7 - Had a quiet night. Did well to sniff out some danger. But was caught out on multiple occasions. It is difficult to see him holding his place when Milito returns to full fitness.

Marquez - 7.5 - Better of the center defenders. Did well while going forward also. Covered Alves many times.

Puyol - 7.5 - Another Captains performance.Covered his centre defenders many times. May not look convincing as a left back but is better than Sylvinho in that position.

Xavi - 6.5 - Was not involved for most of the game. Came to life in the second half.

Toure - 7 - Great performance but was shaky at times. Gave away balls from crucial position but backtracked get most of them back.

Busquets - 6.5 - It is tough for him to be slotted as a attack mided midfielder. he is more comfortable in the DM role. Still linked well with the attcking players but needed more creaticity for the role he occupied especially with Xavi Off-Colour in the first half.

Messi - 8.5 - Sensational is the only word comes to the mind. He alone organised the attack at times. Was very effective and capped a brilliant performance with a great goal.

Eto - 7 - Hard working day for the Cameroonian. But was shaky in front of goal at times. Back tracked to help the defense.

Henry - 7 - Usual Henry display for Barca. Hard working, Determined but lacking flair. Missed some good oppurtunities, produced a brilliant cross which resulted in the keita goal. Henry needs to improve a lot, he is not hurting the team but he needs to take mantle against team with compact defense. Remember that was what he was bought for. There are already cries of removing henry from the eleven; I would say he is much better than last season and is enjoying his game. We have to admit he will not reach his Arsenal day’s form but I think he still can improve this season.

Substitutes:

Sylvinho (6), Keita (7) and Bojan (5)

Written by Bibin on November 17th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Match Player Ratings.

Here Comes Arshavin Again

Andrei Arshavin, the russian play maker has been again linked with a possible move to FC Barcelona when the winter transfer window opens. This does not come as a surprise as I mentioned in my earlier post Arshavin Desperate to be at Barca that Sport.es is trying to get their favourite Russian in the club. Arshavin some days earlier gave an interview in which he made it clear that he doesn’t want to be a Zenit player in the new year. During the summer many clubs were interested in the Russian star but a move was made impossible by the price tag Zenit atatched to their star player. But now since Zenit sees a possibility of Arshavin moving out for free in the summer, they have agreed to negotiate with club who are interested. It is yet to see where he moves to; but he has clearly stated that given an option he will chose FC Barcelona. Arshavin has been a Barca fan from the times of Romario and want to spend some time in the club.

Not surprisingly it was Real Madrid who seems to have shown the initial interest to sign him in January. Real Madrid is missing their mercurial star Robben and Van Nistel Rooy through injury and would like to have Arshavin as a back up for them. It is not yet clear whether Totenham or Arsenal will re-kindle their interest in him this winter. Arsenal for me would merit heavily from his purchase but the fact that he cannot be used in Champions League would make Wenger think twice. Now with Sport.es reporting a possible chance of Barca approaching Zeni for Arshavin; this could be a tough fight for the ultimate winner. Arshavin could be played on the left side of thepitch where we are certain to miss Iniesta for some time. Henry and Hleb has not made that position their own. But will Guardiola unsettle the squad in between a very good campaign is yet to see. If Arshavin moves in to Barca, there could be a high chance of Henry leaving to Manchester City.

Written by Bibin on November 12th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on FC Barcelona and Transfer rumours.

Blackburn v Chelsea

Venue: Ewood Park
Date: Sunday, 9 November Kick-off: 1330 GMT
Blackburn’s Benni McCarthy is suspended and fellow striker Roque Santa Cruz is a major doubt with a calf tear.

Brett Emerton is also out, while Vince Grella is another doubt. Both men have hamstring injuries.

Chelsea defenders Ashley Cole (calf) and Ricardo Carvalho (hamstring) and midfielders Michael Ballack (foot) and Michael Essien (knee) are sidelined.

Brazilian midfielder Mineiro has been added to the Blues squad and could make his first Premier League start.

Blackburn (from): Robinson, Simpson, Samba, Nelsen, Ooijer, Tugay, Warnock, Villanueva, Roberts, Fowler, Santa Cruz, Derbyshire, Pedersen, Olsson, Andrews, Brown, Khizanishvili, Treacy.

Chelsea (from): Cech, Cudicini, Hilario, Ferreira, Bridge, Mikel, Ivanovic, Alex, Terry, Lampard, Mineiro, Drogba, Belletti, Anelka, Malouda, Stoch, Kalou, Deco, Bosingwa, J Cole.

Blackburn striker Jason Roberts:
“

Chelsea first-team coach Ray Wilkins:
“We spoke about what went wrong in Rome, and the lads know what went wrong.

“It has got to be forgotten, as the Liverpool game was. Someone will beat every team every now and then, and it is how you react to it.

“As far as the ambience goes, though, it has been spot on - and we are ready.”

BIG-MATCH FACTS

The Premier League’s draw specialists host the pacesetters, as Blackburn prepare to receive Chelsea, on the 60th birthday of Blues’ manager Luis Felipe Scolari.

The match brings together the weakest defence and sharpest attack in the highest league (going into this 12th round of fixtures).

The Londoners have twice as many points as Blackburn (26 to 13), and are aiming to uphold the Premier League’s one remaining 100% away record, and the only unbeaten top-flight away record in 2008.

Chelsea are undefeated in six league and cup matches with Blackburn over the past two seasons.

Distance between the clubs: 234 miles (377 kilometres)

CLUB FORM

BLACKBURN ROVERS
Club stats

Going into the weekend: 13th 13 points
2008-09 Premier League performance - best and worst categories in the league
(all statistics are ahead of this weekend’s round of Premier League fixtures)

1. Vying for a first win in six Premier League matches.

2. Claimed three points out of 15 since beating Newcastle 1-2 at St James’ Park on 27 September.

3. Only beaten Fulham in home league matches; 1-0 on 20 September.

4. That was also their only clean sheet in 11 home Premier League games.

5. Without victory in 13 matches against the ‘Big Four’. Picked up four points from the available 39 against the quartet of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United, and failed to score in seven of the last nine such matches.

6. One draw shy of 150 all-time in the Premier League.

7. Gained a first win in 10 Premier League matches against London clubs in the most recent opportunity; 1-0, home to Fulham on 20 September 2008.

8. That was also their first maximum in seven top-flight matches at Ewood Park against clubs from the capital.

9. Chelsea were one of four clubs to leave Ewood Park with maximum points last season.
Fixtures

CHELSEA
Club stats

Going into the weekend: 1st 26 points
2008-09 Premier League performance - best and worst categories in the league
(all statistics are ahead of this weekend’s round of Premier League fixtures)

1. Won the last two Premier League games with an aggregate of 8-0, since their only defeat in 11 league games this season.

2. The 0-1 home loss to Liverpool on 26 October is their only defeat in 32 Premier League matches.

3. Not conceded in 260 minutes (four hours 20 minutes) of Premier League football. Xabi Alonso’s winner for Liverpool was the only goal shipped in six Premier League outings.

4. On the longest current run in the Premier League of 19 matches, since conceding more than a single goal in a game.

5. The only league club in all four divisions, yet to concede a second half goal this season.

6. Won all five away league games this season, and the last eight, since being held to a 4-4 draw by Spurs at White Hart Lane on 19 March.

7. Undefeated in an unmatched 15 away Premier League outings; dropped just four points out of 45 on the road since losing 1-0 to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on 16 December 2007.

8. Won their last seven Premier League matches in the North-West since losing 2-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford on 23 September 2007.

9. Blackburn were one of 13 clubs they beat away from home last season.
Fixtures

KEY PLAYER NOTES

BLACKBURN ROVERS
Squad profiles

David DUNN is a double shy of 50 club career goals.

If on the field from the outset:-

Roque SANTA CRUZ will be making his 50th start in a Rovers’ shirt.

Suspended:-

Benni McCARTHY (one match)

CHELSEA
Squad profiles

Goalkeeper Petr CECH leads the race for the Barclays Golden Glove jointly with Jose REINA of Liverpool. Both have kept six clean sheets.

If selected:-

Joe COLE will be playing the day after his 27th birthday.

Michael BALLACK will be making his 50th Premier League appearance for Chelsea.

HEAD TO HEAD

Chelsea are undefeated in six league and cup matches with Blackburn over the past two seasons. Blackburn scored just one goal in those six games.

The Londoners have lost only one of their last eight Premier League visits to Ewood Park.

Last season’s first league meeting between these clubs, a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge on 15 September 2007, turned out to be Jose Mourinho’s last game in charge of the Blues.

Home and away
League (inc PL): Blackburn 32 wins, Chelsea 36, Draws 26
Prem: Blackburn 11 wins, Chelsea 9, Draws 8

at Blackburn only
League (inc PL): Blackburn 20 wins, Chelsea 13, Draws 14
Prem: Blackburn 6 wins, Chelsea 6, Draws 2

LAST SEASON’S CORRESPONDING GAME

Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Chelsea
23 December 2007 - Ref: Steve Bennett
Chelsea scorer: Joe Cole 22

REFEREE

Chris Foy (St Helens, Merseyside)

Written by Darkvader on November 8th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Prematch review.

May We Have A Nice Shiny New Super League Please? - A Flashback

Each month we provide a couple of Flashback posts from our archives in order to display our prescience, update on a historical hyperreality or because workload dictates brevity.

The post below was first published on April 4th 2007 and focused on the development of a Europe-wide Super League to both replace the Champions League and to remove the major European clubs from their national competitions.

Since the post was published, we have had ScudamoreWorld’s attempts to expand their products market via the 39th Step and the alleged termination of the G14(18) lobbying group.

The former is an attempt to offset the inevitability of a Super League while the latter, as we demonstrated in a post earlier this week, has not disbanded in any way whatsoever.
The G14(18) still exists as a sleeping, or at least dozing, monster in the European game.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Every so often the G14(18) group of Europe’s most influential and powerful clubs utilise the threat of a breakaway European Super League as a negotiating tactic in their power play with footballing and/or governmental authorities. Aside from destabilising any negotiation process, such posturing lets the irritating regulatory and administrative bodies understand who possesses the real control of the European game at it’s highest strata.
The first point to be made here is that the Super League already exists albeit in a nascent form under the tutelage of an inappropriate body (in the eyes of the G14(18)). It is called the Champions League. This misnomer of a competition has historically paid lip service to being a competition for the champions of Europe’s various leagues while filtering out lesser nations to allow the latter stages to be a knockout version of such a Super League. Only three of the quarter finalists are national champions (Roma effectively finishing fifth in last season’s Serie A before Italy’s annual pre-season uproarious lottery) and ten of the last 16 teams came from the Big 3 countries. Several of the participants have directly and strategically targeted the Champions League competition throughout the season in preference to their domestic leagues and it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that we are involved in an ongoing process that will inevitably result in the formation of a Europe-wide moneybags tournament. For further evidence, look at the last two seasons in the English Premiership. It is an imperative that the Big 4 qualify for Europe’s premier competition. The manner in which Everton were discarded in favour of their neighbours via a change in the competition rules two years ago and Tottenham were stomach-bugged out of fourth place last season is an indication of the levels that the power operators will target to achieve their rightful place. Additionally, the Big 4 have issues with the more corrupt bookmaking practices currently in vogue in the Premiership (see numerous posts on the PGMOB undermining Arsenal this season, for example).
The election of Michel Platini, although welcomed by most football aficionados, may well accelerate this process. His declared aim is to reduce the number of Champions League qualifiers for the Big 3 countries which has no chance of being a feasible strategy. Such an action is the equivalent of self-administering a poison pill as it will merely hasten the formation of his nemesis - the Super League. Platini has an unenviable choice - compromise or be yesterday’s administrator…
Oh and, by the way, you’ll be sidelined eventually anyway. The power brokers who are taking control of the British game would prefer a blank piece of paper to establish their growth strategies. Standard private equity-heads desire either complete and utter control of a current structure or to develop an entirely new edifice suitably designed for their own creative investment plans. This week’s Milan versus FC Bayern game is a case in point. As Dietrological clients will be aware, we have been forced to not only hedge our initial positionings on the Italians but we are now actively supportive of the Bavarians in the marketplace. Some of our reasoning is proprietary isolationist stuff but the Germans are livid about the choice of Baskakov to officiate and a future Super League would have an enclosed roster of referees that were acceptable to all G14(18) teams and not just the ones with the deepest pockets. Interestingly, we still suggest FC Bayern +0.5 despite Baskakov and the exclusion of Oliver Kahn.
So, the owners want it and the powerful clubs want it. Governments and the EU? Britain’s Department of Culture Media and Sport is largely in the possession of the manipulators of the English game despite the occasional outbreak of righteous indignation from Richard Caborn. This is largely tokenistic as he knows which side his bread is vegan margerined while Tessa Jowell does as she is told (incidentally, not a lot of press coverage in England for her estranged husband’s ongoing legal sensitivities in Milan with fellow lodge member Silvio Berlusconi). The G14(18) have lobbied widely and effectively within the EU in order to drive a wedge into UEFA. The neo-con MEPs supportive of the creation of a Super League believe in regime change as a matter of course and are willing to play their part in the final takeover of the European game by the fat wallets.
What will be the impact on the Premiership once the Big 4 and a couple of referees have disappeared into the trading strategies of the investment banks? Prior to corruption, the playing field will be significantly more level. As the recent cup exploits of Arsenal reserves has shown, the junior teams of the Big 4 would get in the UEFA Cup spots if allowed into the Premiership. A more level playing field at a power strata equivalent to the Championship in the current English set up would be preferable for the second tier clubs supported by first world money (Portsmouth, Spurs, Villa etc) in a shiny Super League world.
And the bookmakers will be ecstatic. Our prediction of the first £1 billion football market in the next 2-5 years would be achieved sooner rather than later. The betting turnover generated by the new Super League would be globally colossal. The bookmakers will have to adapt if they do not wish to be supplanted by the global investment houses but the profits on offer will allow a suitable accommodation of each other’s interests (at least initially). Domestic leagues would still be an earner for the market makers as Man City and West Ham fans would not immediately desert their team for a spot of glory hunting.
And, there are going to be some very very rich referees…
The fans, what about the fans? Do as you are told. Watch what they want you to watch and bet on what they wish for you to be betting on. Understand? We have a business to run here. Be good consumerists now…
The protagonists are claiming to be looking at a timescale of five to ten years before their baby becomes a reality. We would veer towards the lower end of this range and, quite probably, sooner. Private equity people are not renowned for their patience, risk aversion or lack of willingness to undertake psychopathic creative deconstruction in pursuit of yet more dollars. If Gillet and Hicks could sort it for next season, they would. For the moment though, the G14(18) assure us that the Super League is merely a potential blueprint in case “UEFA and/or FIFA runs wild”. Leaving aside the point that the like of the G14(18) objecting to football’s current administrators running wild is a case of projection of the first degree, plotters may always find a viable transgression for them to advance their strategy. An example - was Hezbullah’s capture of an Israeli soldier really the trigger for Israel’s invasion of Lebanon last year? Of course not… A strategy was in place years ahead starting with the taking out of Rafik Hariri and the expulsion of the Syrians after some “revolution” with a colour chosen from a Dulux paint chart.
The Super League start date is already agreed.

Unfortunately, the blocked out parts of the posts and all posts labelled # are available in full to subscribers only.
Our roster is now full for Football Is Fixed.
But, please enjoy the free snippets that we are posting on this site.

© Football Is Fixed/Dietrological

Written by Football Is Fixed on November 7th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Football-Player.

AAAAAGHOpen Thread

Careful, lads. Gerrard’s fired up today, practically falling all over himself in desperation to get in on the action.

Honestly though, do Celtic have a chance in hell? Do either of these games even matter?

Group E
–
AaB v Villarreal
Celtic v Man Utd

Group F
–
Fiorentina v Bayern Munich
Lyon v Steaua Bucuresti

Group G
–
Arsenal v Fenerbahce
Dynamo Kiev v FC Porto

Group H
–
BATE v Zenit St Petersburg
Real Madrid v Juventus

Lineups:

Celtic v. Man United
Celtic: Boruc, Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Wilson, Hartley, Scott Brown, Robson, Maloney, McDonald, Sheridan.
Subs: Mark Brown, Naylor, Donati, Hutchinson, Nakamura, O’Dea, Caddis.

Man Utd: Foster, Rafael Da Silva, Ferdinand, Vidic, O’Shea, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Carrick, Nani, Tevez, Giggs.
Subs: Kuszczak, Evra, Anderson, Berbatov, Rooney, Park, Evans.

Arsenal v. Fenerbahce
Arsenal: Fabianski, Toure, Djourou, Silvestre, Clichy, Ramsey, Fabregas, Denilson, Nasri, Bendtner, Van Persie.
Subs: Mannone, Diaby, Sagna, Vela, Song Billong, Wilshere, Gibbs.

Fenerbahce: Demirel, Gonul, Edu Dracena, Lugano, Roberto Carlos, Maldonado, Sahin, Boral, Kazim-Richards, Senturk, Guiza.
Subs: Babacan, Wederson, Yilmaz, Josico, Bilgin, Cakmak, Deivid.

Written by Darkvader on November 5th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Arsenal and CL Open Thread and Champions League and Lingering Bursitis and manchester united.

Friday Backpasses: Devilock!

What better band to link to tonight than Misfits in all of their live/messed up glory? Okay, Samhain maybe, but I never got into them.

Speaking of horror shows, apparently it was quite the scene in the Arsenal locker room on Wednesday night [The Sun]
Which led Adebayor to wish aloud that he had left over the summer, because he’s not getting any silverware in North London [BBC]
A possible reason that Becks is going to Milan? His endorsement income is way down, and he may be looking to pick it back up [SI]

MLS Rumors lets us know that the people behind Miami’s MLS bid have a site up [MLS Rumors]
The website itself. Odd integration of Florida International onto the page, though, gives me pause. Is this legit? [Miami FCB]

And, finally:
The Big Lead, great guys that they are, seem to not have our site bookmarked. Compare and contrast.

Written by Darkvader on October 31st, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Backpasses and ü75.

FIFA WORLD PLAYER: 6 SPANIARDS IN NOMINATIONS

The list of 23 players nominated for this years “FIFA World Player“
has 6 Spaniards: Casillas, Fabregas, Xavi, Iniesta, Torres & Villa, plus
a whole lot more who play in Spanish Clubs. See list below:

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) & Iker Casillas (Real Madrid).

Defender: John Terry (Chelsea).

Midfielders: Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Deco (Chelsea), Cesc Fábregas
(Arsenal), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona),
Xavi Hernández (FC Barcelona), Kaká (Milan), Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
& Franck Ribéry (Bayern).

Forwards: Fernando Torres (Liverpool), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real
Madrid), David Villa (Valencia), Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal), Sergio
Agüero (Atlético de Madrid, Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Samuel Eto’o
(FC Barcelona), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter), Andrei Arshavin (Zenit),
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) & Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona).

Written by STRIKER on October 29th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on FIFA World Player and Spanish Football Players.

BUSQUETS - SPANISH FOOTBALL REVELATION - CATCHES THE ATTENTION OF ARSENAL & JUVENTUS

Written by STRIKER on October 25th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on FC Barcelona and Transfer rumours.

GERRARD AND ALONSO FIT FOR CHELSEA

Rafael Benitez has today revealed that both Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso will be fit to face Chelsea on Sunday - but Robbie Keane remains a doubt for the clash at Stamford Bridge.

The midfield duo were both involved in training at Melwood this morning and now look set to retain their place in the side for the top-of-the-table match with Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men.

It was a major boost for Benitez, who will make a late decision on Keane, after the Ireland international missed training with the pelvis injury sustained against Atletico Madrid.

Benitez also revealed that Fernando Torres will definitely not feature against the Blues and remains on course to make his comeback from the hamstring injury he picked up on international duty, against Portsmouth on Wednesday.

“Xabi and Steven both trained today and should be okay,” confirmed the manager. “It wasn’t a hard session but I am confident they can play at Chelsea.

“We’re still not sure about Robbie. He didn’t train today and we will have to see how he is tomorrow. We will make a late decision.

“Fernando won’t be involved. He is recovering well and should be fit again soon, but we have to be careful with the player.”

XABI: WE CAN END CHELSEA RUN

Xabi Alonso believes Liverpool can be the team to finally end Chelsea’s unbeaten home record on Sunday.
The Blues have not lost a league match at Stamford Bridge since Arsenal took away a 2-1 victory in February 2004.

However, Liverpool are defending their own impressive stat - 16 games without defeat in all competitions.

That run includes Rafa Benitez’s first league victory over Manchester United, and Alonso is confident he and his teammates can now break a similar hoodoo in an arena where the Reds have not prevailed since January 2004.

“Beating United in our first big test of the season was very important for our confidence and this is another big test for us,” said the midfielder.

“We know Chelsea have a great record at home in the Premier League - they haven’t been beaten for four seasons. It is going to be really tough but we honestly feel we are ready to get a good result there.

“We won’t be going to Stamford Bridge with any fear. We respect them as a very good side but we are confident in our own ability and we believe we can win.

“They have shown great form in recent weeks and we expect a tough game, but we go into every game expecting to win now and Sunday will be no different.

“Hopefully we can be the team to end their unbeaten home record.”

If Liverpool do gain maximum points on Sunday, it would put them three points clear of Chelsea at the summit of the Barclays Premier League.

“Being the first team to beat Chelsea at home in the league after all this time would put us in a great position and it would send out an important statement,” added Alonso. “But we have to beat them first before we can think about things like this.

“Winning at Stamford Bridge could spur us on for the rest of the season but even if we win it would still be too early in the season to say too much about winning the title. There is still a long way to go.”

Alonso and co go into this weekend’s fixture having won from behind five times this season - Middlesbrough, Man Utd, Marseille, Man City and Wigan.

However, the Spanish ace knows Liverpool would have a tough task repeating the trick against Phil Scolari’s men.

“What we cannot afford to do against Chelsea is start as slowly as we have done in some games,” he said. “We need to concentrate fully for 90 minutes because the quality of their players means they can punish you at any time.

“Fernando Torres will be a big loss against Chelsea but we know we can manage the situation - we have to. We have more strength in depth and more confidence now than we have had before.

“After the results we have had this season we are right to be confident.”

Sunday’s trip to south-west London is the first since the Champions League semi-final defeat in April.

The memories may be relatively fresh, but Alonso insists this is no revenge mission.

“What happened against Chelsea last season won’t have an influence on this game, I am sure of that,” said the 26-year-old.

“This is a different season, there are different players on both sides, a different manager at Chelsea and we can only focus on what happens during this game.

“We won’t prepare for this game thinking about the Champions League semi-final or by using that for extra motivation.

“I don’t think you can compare this game with what happened at Stamford Bridge last season. This is a new season, both teams have new targets to concentrate on and, because of that, anything can happen on Sunday.”

RAFA: WE NEED PERFECT 90 MINUTES

Rafa Benitez today told his players that nothing less than a ‘perfect 90 minutes’ will suffice if Liverpool are to end Chelsea’s astonishing home record.

The Spaniard accepts that too often this season his side have failed to perform in the first half, meaning they’ve had to come from behind five times.

This was reversed against Atletico on Wednesday when the Reds led at the break only to leave Spain with a point.

Benitez knows this won’t be good enough on Sunday against a side unbeaten at home in the league for nearly five years.

“In Madrid we played well in the first half and then it was surprising to see us lose some control after the break,” said the boss.

“Every manager is looking for the perfect 90 minutes and so this weekend I want to see us start as we did in Spain but then keep the same level throughout the game.

“If they score first it will be really difficult for us so we have to do everything perfectly from the first whistle. When we get a chance we have to take it because we know they will have chances as well.

“They have a lot of good players playing good football. They’re passing the ball really well and scoring lots of goals. But we’re going there with confidence, looking to work hard, play well and produce some nice football.”

Liverpool go into the game without the hamstrung Fernando Torres, while Robbie Keane is a doubt with a pelvis injury.

Benitez insists his team is capable of winning without their Ballon D’Or contender.

Arsenal and United are very strong teams. When you talk about the favourites you have to talk about them, and hopefully you will also talk about us at the end of the season.

“I think we can beat Chelsea without Torres,” said the Spaniard. “I think we have enough quality. We have new players with a very good mentality and a lot of confidence, so I think we have enough to beat a very good team like Chelsea.

“We will go to Stamford Bridge to try to win and if we do, perfect. If not, we’ll try not to lose and that will still be positive because we’ll still be unbeaten.”

Benitez has faced Chelsea 20 times since arriving in England in 2004 - more than any other team.

Phil Scolari is the third Blues manager he has faced in this time, a man he believes has brought a more attacking impetus to SW6.

“He is improving the squad and the team. They have more or less the same ideas but they’re maybe more offensive now,” said Benitez.

“I think they are a good team. I will not say they are better now because I don’t want to start a war of words! But they are a good team and it’s clear they are more offensive.”

Both sides go into the game unbeaten on 20 points, four above Arsenal in fourth and six clear of champions Manchester United.

Not that Benitez is putting money on a two horse race.

“Clearly everyone is talking about us this year, and Chelsea too. But we know there’s a long way to go,” he said.

“Arsenal and United are very strong teams. When you talk about the favourites you have to talk about them, and hopefully you will also talk about us at the end of the season.

“Arsenal have quality and young players, and I think they can improve throughout the season. They will be there for sure.”

Meanwhile, Benitez has backed countryman Juande Ramos to steer Spurs out of the relegation zone despite the Londoners gaining just two points from a possible 24.

“They won the Carling Cup and the team was good, and the team is still good, so I am sure they’ll be higher in the league,” said the gaffer.

“People talk about relegation - I don’t think so. They have enough quality.”

Written by Jackson Ng Ghim Pheng True Blue Chelsea Fan on October 24th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Football-Player.

FIFPro World XI and FIFPro Player of the Year and BALLON D’OR

55 players shortlisted for FIFPro World XI Player Awards

FIFPro (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballers Professionnels), the worldwide representative organisation for all professional footballers, today announced the 55 players shortlisted for the 4th FIFPro World XI Player Awards.

In August and September this year the 45,000 professional footballers belonging to the 42 professional organisations across the world that form FIFPro received voting forms in a secret ballot to nominate their peers for inclusion in their “World XI” - choosing the four defenders, three midfielders, three forwards and goalkeeper they most admire.

It is striking that, out of the 55 nominees, the majority were playing in England and Spain last season. The English Premiership attracted the most nominees with 21, followed by the Spanish Primera Division with 18. Italy’s Serie A attracted 8 nominees, the Bundesliga in Germany 4, the Premier League in Russia 2, and the Premier League in Scotland and Portugal provided 1 each.

Barcelona heads the list for the most nominations with 9. Chelsea follows with 8, Manchester United have 7, Real Madrid 6, AC Milan 5, Bayern Munich 4, Arsenal 3, Liverpool and Inter 2 and there is 1 each from Juventus, Internazionale, Sevilla, Valencia, Villareal, Tottenham Hotspur, Olympique Lyon, Celtic, FC Porto, CSKA Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg.

11 PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYERS UP FOR BALLON D’OR
The Premier League has 11 players short-listed for the Ballon d’Or, more than any other league.

The Premier League leads the way in terms of player representation at this years Ballon d’Or with 11 players in the mix. Spain’s La Liga comes a close second with 10 players selected from the condensed list of 30 by France Football Magazine.

Disappointingly, just three England Internationals are selected - Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard - for the Golden Ball Award.

Manchester United and Portugal star Ronaldo is the favourite to win the award which will be announced on the 2nd December 2008.Whilst England have the three nominee’s, Champions of Europe Spain have seven players in the list - Fernando Torres, Cesc Fabregas, David Villa, Sergio Ramos, Marcos Senna, Iker Casillas and Xavi.

The Serie A players has three players nominated - Kaka, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gianluigi Buffon.

List of 30 Nominees:

Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal), Togo.
Sergio Agüero (Atletico Madrid), Argentine.
Andreï Archavine (Zénith Saint-Pétersbourg), Russia.
Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Germany.
Karim Benzema (Lyon), France.
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus Turin), Italy.
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Spain.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Portugal.
Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Ivory Coast.
Samuel Eto’o (FC Barcelone), Cameroon.
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Spain.
Fernando Torres (Liverpool FC), Spain.
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC), England.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan), Sweden.
Kaka (Milan AC), Brazil.
Frank Lampard (Chelsea), England.
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelone), Argentina.
Pepe (Real Madrid), Portugal.
Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich), France.
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), England.
Marcos Senna (Villarreal), Spain.
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Spain.
Luca Toni (Bayern Munich), Italy.
Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United), Netherlands.
Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburg SV puis Real Madrid), Netherlands.
Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid), Netherlands.
Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Serbia.
David Villa (Valence CF), Spain.
Xavi (FC Barcelone), Spain.
Youri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscou), Russia.

Written by Jackson Ng Ghim Pheng True Blue Chelsea Fan on October 23rd, 2008 with no comments.
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