Cassano joins AC Milan for holiday training

MILAN (AP) - Italy forward Antonio Cassano has joined AC Milan for holiday training in Dubai ahead of a likely official move from Sampdoria when the transfer window opens in January.

A picture on Milan's website Monday showed Cassano posing with Rossoneri coach Massimiliano Allegri and two airline stewardesses.

Cassano hasn't played for Sampdoria since insulting club president Riccardo Garrone with a profanity-laced verbal tirade in October.

Sampdoria has apparently approved Cassano training with Milan.

While Milan already has Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robinho and Alexandre Pato in attack, the club has been looking for another forward after Filippo Inzaghi was ruled out for the season following knee surgery. Serie A resumes Jan. 6
  

Ancelotti: Chelsea 'sleeping,' not totally focused

LONDON (AP) - Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is "worried" his team is "sleeping" after a 3-1 loss to Arsenal extended its winless streak in the Premier League to nearly seven weeks.

Ancelotti says his team trained well during a two-week break caused by bad weather, but concedes his team wasn't "focused 100 percent" in Monday's match at Emirates Stadium.

The Italian answered questions about whether owner Roman Abramovich might lose patience and fire him. Ancelotti says he doesn't know what will happen but acknowledges the Russian "will not be happy about this moment."

Chelsea has not won any of its last six league matches, its last victory coming against Fulham on Nov. 10. Chelsea is fourth in the standings, only a point ahead of Tottenham.
  

Arsenal beats Chelsea 3-1 in Premier League

LONDON (AP) - Arsenal scored three goals in 10 minutes to overwhelm defending Premier  League champion Chelsea 3-1 on Monday and keep the pressure on unbeaten leader  Manchester United in the title race. Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott hit the target for Arsenal, which last beat Chelsea  in November 2008 and hadn't previously scored against the same opponent since May 2009. Despite Branislav Ivanovic pulling one back with a 57th-minute header, Chelsea couldn't come  back against a team it had beaten in their last five encounters in all competitions. "We concentrated on pressing, everyone was pressing - we didn't give Chelsea any space at  all," Walcott said. "Everything went well. We made Chelsea look average at times. We played  some great football and wanted to do it for the fans because in recent years against Chelsea  we've been disappointing." The loss compounds the problems facing manager Carlo Ancelotti, whose side began the  season with five wins in succession but has now failed to win in the league since Nov. 10. Arsenal is two points behind United in second place, while Chelsea is six points off the lead  and has slipped to fourth just behind Manchester City. The win ends Arsenal's miserable run against United and Chelsea, who have shared the  Premier League trophy between them since 2004. Arsenal had previously failed to beat either  team in their last 11 encounters in all competitions. "Belief was the difference," Fabregas said. "The difference between a good team and a great  team is very little. We did what a great team does. We were fantastic. The league is so tight, anyone can win it." Chelsea came close to breaking the deadlock after eight minutes through Didier Drogba's wide  attempt, but the visitors then struggled to impose themselves in the first half - even with  midfielder Frank Lampard making his first start since August. But they did stubbornly prevent Arsenal from getting close to Petr Cech's goal despite all its  intricate linkup play. Cech wasn't tested until Samir Nasri sent a tame, dipping free kick at the  goalkeeper in the 22nd minute. When Walcott broke free down the right flank four minutes later, Robin van Persie's failure to  support the winger meant the attack came to nothing. Likewise, Van Persie could have done with a teammate in front of goal instead of blasting  over from a tight angle following a neat interchange between Fabregas and Nasri. A deft chip from Nasri was heading for the top corner in the 41st before being tipped over by  Cech. Arsenal finally had something to show for its attacking bombardment in the 44th. Wilshere  slipped the ball into the penalty area, and Fabregas nudged it to Song as he was being  fouled by Paulo Ferreira, allowing the Cameroon midfielder to shoot into the bottom corner. Arsenal's lead could have been greater by halftime, and the hosts' domination failed to  spark a reaction from Chelsea. However, the advantage increased six minutes after the  break, Arsenal completing a sweeping move to make it 2-0. Walcott seized the ball after Michael Essien inadvertently gave it away and ran forward  before releasing Fabregas, who tapped it into an empty net. Walcott and Fabregas combined again inside two minutes for the third. This time, Walcott  snatched the ball off Florent Malouda and sent it to Fabregas, whose return pass allowed  the England winger to score. Ivanovic later scored a consolation goal by heading Drogba's free kick beyond goalkeeper  Lukasz Fabianski.

Indonesians take notice as Malaysia roll into Jakarta

NATIONAL coach K. Rajagopal, now fondly known as ‘King Raja’, is not only a celebrity at home but also in Indonesia.

The former international is called ‘Pak Raja’ by the Indonesian media and has been enjoying celebrity status since Malaysia made waves to enter the final of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) championship.

On Sunday night, Rajagopal and his boys put a hand on the Suzuki Cup after beating Indonesia 3-0 in the first-leg final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

The team took the earliest flight out of Kuala Lumpur (9.10am) for Jakarta yesterday for the second-leg final tomorrow.

The coach and players were given a heroes welcome on board flight MH711.

The flight captain made the announcement that the Malaysian team was on board and they wished them success in their mission to succeed in the tournament, which they have never won since its inception in 1996.

Rajagopal as cool he can be was still cautious of the remaining 90 minutes.

“We are reaching a climax in the tournament and don’t want to ruin it. We will stay focused and get what is required in the second-leg to win the Suzuki Cup,” he said.

“Of course, we don’t plan to sit on the three goals and let them come at us to score.”

Some of the Malaysian passengers on board also congratulated Rajagopal and his boys for their heroics to down Indonesia, who had earlier thrashed them 5-1 in the group stage.

The players looked exhausted and most of them slept on the more than two-hour journey.

On arrival at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta, the team were greeted by a small band of Malaysian supporters (students) with the “Jalur Gemilang” and several banners.

“Can you imagine what football can do to someone?” said Rajagopal, who was being photographed by Indonesians.

The players had not had enough rest but yet they were sporting to granted interviews by the media and also obliged well-wishers, who wanted to be photographed with them.

The team will get a deserved rest before they get down to serious business in their final workout today.
  

‘Baby-face Assassin’ set to get big break

SUPERSUB Mohd Ashaari Shamsuddin, nicknamed the ‘Baby-face Assassin’, has scored on his return to the national team after a lapse of two years.

The Golden Boot winner in the M-League this season was a last-minute inclusion for the AFF tournament following injuries to regular forwards Mohd Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak, Ahmad Fakri Saarani and S. Chanturu.

On Sunday, coach K. Rajagopal gave Mohd Ashaari his first break to play in the tournament.

And he went on to score the second goal in Malaysia’s 3-0 win over Indonesia in the first-leg final.

“I am lucky to get this break and I hope to get more playing time,” said the soft-spoken lanky striker from Terengganu.

Norsharul Idlan Talaha created the chance when he beat his marker and found an unmarked Ashaari lurking in the box to hit a first-timer past goalkeeper Markus Harison.

In fact, Ashaari is set to get a big break to start in the second-leg match tomorrow following the exit of Mohd Amirulhadi Zainal because of suspension for two yellow card offences.

“If given the chance, I will give my best.

“The goal against Indonesia has raised my confidence.

“I have come from a long layoff and I hope to get back on the right track,” he said.

Ashaari scored in his first senior international outing against India two years ago.

Then, he also came in as a substitute to level the score at 1-1.

He made a name for himself two years ago when he emerged as the top scorer in Sukma (Malaysia Games) with 11 goals to help Terengganu win the gold medal.

In the same year, he scored nine goals for the Turtles in the Super League.

Indonesian fans still in a daze after heavy defeat

INDONESIAN football fans are in a daze following their national team’s shocking defeat by Malaysia in the first-leg final of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) championship.

Many had expected the more polished Indonesian side under coach Alfred Riedl to run riot over the young Malaysians in the same way for a 5-1 victory in a group match in Jakarta on Dec 1.

Indonesia had gone on a flawless run to reach the final. They also thrashed Laos 6-0 and eliminated fancied Thailand 2-1 in Group A. And in the semi-finals score 1-0 win over surprise package the Philippines in both legs.

But Malaysia brought them down to earth. The big defeat for Indonesia had somewhat taken away the excitement and thrill from the fans, who had placed high hopes on the team to claiming a first-ever AFF championship title .

There was not much fanfare around town in Jakarta yesterday. But there were the old faithful, the petty street traders, who put Indonesian jerseys on sale in the vicinity of the entrance to the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

The Indonesian fans are expected to be back in force at the stadium tomorrow to provide their team a final push as they bid to overturn a 0-3 deficit.

The AFF confirmed that a total of 70,000 tickets had been sold to the fans. The would also be three giants screens near the stadium to view the match for the Suzuki Cup.

No time to relax, says skipper Safiq

SKIPPER Safiq Rahim has reminded his team-mates not to take their feet off the pedal for another 90 minutes when they play against Indonesia in the second-leg final of the Suzuki Cup Asean Football Federation (AFF) championship in Jakarta tomorrow.

Malaysia exacted sweet revenge over Indonesia when they scored an astonishing 3-0 win in the first-leg match at the National Stadiuim in Bukit Jalil on Sunday.

It was payback from Indonesia, who thrashed Malaysia 5-1 in a group match at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Dec 1.

“We have got back even with Indonesia and now we have another 90 minutes to show that we are the better side. We are back at the same stadium and we must not get intimidated by their volatile fans and concede soft goals,” said Safiq.

The Malaysian backline, comprising Mohd Muslim Ahmad, Mohd Fadhli Shas, Mohd Asraruddin Putra and Mohd Sabree Mat Abu, were rated the weakest link in the squad at the star of the competition. But the quartet have gained in strength and with each match and have only conceded only one goal since the rout by Indonesia.

In the other Group A matches, Malaysia drew 0-0 with three-time winners Thailand before thrashing Laos 5-1. to advance to the semi-finals. Malaysia went on to eliminate defending champions Vietnam 2-0 on aggregate.

Safiq hopes the players will not be drawn into taking the return match against Indonesia easily just because they have three-goal cushion.

“It is a match to win the Suzuki Cup and we have to be on our toes. There can be no mistakes,” he said.

Kunalan bent on ending year on a high

WINGER S. Kunalan is bent on scoring a goal in the second-leg final of the Asean football tournament in Jakarta tomorrow.

“One more goal will kill them off. And I hope to be the one to score that goal,” said Kunalan, who is seeking to claim a first senior international goal since he took a regular spot in the national Under-23 squad for the Laos SEA Games last December.

“The last goal I scored for Malaysia (Under-23) was against Cambodia in the SEA Games. I wish to end the year with a goal to my name in this senior national tournament. It has been too long that I have not scored and getting one is a challenge that I will take against Indonesia,” said Kunalan.

If Malaysia score, they will gain the added advantage on away goals.

Kunalan was a menace to Indonesia in the first-leg match.

The nippy Negri Sembilan player gave the opponents anxious moments with his slick moves and turns when on the ball.

But Kunalan hopes to go one step better tomorrow – to score a goal for Malaysia.

“We lost to them 1-5 in the group stage. It was noisy then and I we will be out to silence them on Wednesday,” he said.

The pint-sized international from Semenyih was part of the squad who won the 2009 Malaysia Cup title for Negri for the first time in 61 years. Barely a month later in Vientiane, he was in the Malaysian team who won the SEA Games gold medal for the first time in 20 years.

Malaysia have not won the AFF title since the tournament was introduced 14 years ago.

Mourinho rules out national team duty

LISBON: Real Madrid boss Jose Mourino on Sunday ruled out the prospect of becoming a national team manager after being refused permission to take temporary charge of his native Portugal in the autumn.

Mourinho had been approached to replace Carlos Queiroz, but Real blocked the approach and Paulo Bento eventually took full-time charge of the national side.

It was a development which the former Inter Milan and Chelsea boss described as his “greatest frustration of 2010.”

“I believe that I will never coach a national team because it’s a question of mentality, of personality,” Mourinho told Portuguese media.

“I am a coach who works every day, is ready to play three times a week if necessary. But at that moment, I was motivated to do it.”

Real went into the winter break trailing great rivals Barcelona by two points in the Spanish title race, and Mourinho knows he is under pressure to deliver silverware as soon as possible.

“In all great institutions, the pressure is always huge. Ideally, I will stay until the end of my contract. But I know, and we all know, that I can’t stay one, two or three years without winning a trophy,” said Mourinho, who has a four-year deal.

“I have always known the rules of the game.” 

We’ll miss Korean duo, admits Celtic boss

GLASGOW: Celtic manager Neil Lennon admitted his Scottish Premier League giants will be hit hard when South Korean duo Cha Du-ri and Ki Sung-yeung miss a month of the campaign because of January’s Asian Cup.

Du-ri and Sung-yeung scored both goals in injury time on Sunday in a 2-0 win over St Johnstone before flying out for the Asian tournament in Qatar.

“Du-ri is very underrated and has not been in a losing team yet in the league,” Lennon said.

“He keeps getting himself in there. Again he’s one of those who maybe lacks a bit of composure with the final ball at times but his application is tremendous and it was a marvellous goal.

“Sung-yeung has been fantastic for me for the last 11 or 12 weeks and he is hugely influential.

“But I could have strangled the both of them before Du-ri scored. Sung-yeung I fancied to at least hit the target with two free-kicks and Du-ri kept getting into good positions and hit the first man.

“But I’m delighted with their two performances over the last couple of months and we will miss them.”

The pain of losing the pair may be softened by the news that former Arsenal and Sweden midfielder Freddie Ljungberg is to train with the Parkhead club with a view to signing.

“It’s not a trial or anything like that. It’s so he can have a look at us and we can have a look at him,” Lennon said of the player who was recently plying his trade with Chicago Fire in the MLS.

“He had a horrendous time with injuries at West Ham but the last 18 months he has played a lot of games in America.

“You never lose that quality and he might just have something that we need. He has been a quality player for a long, long time and he is vastly experienced.”
  

Robson: I am not resigning

BANGKOK: Former England captain Byan Robson put on a brave face on Sunday in explaining why he was clinging on to his job as Thailand coach after overseeing the country’s worst performances in recent years.

Furious Thai fans have demanded the resignation of the country’s football president and want answers as to why a side once tipped to become an Asian football heavyweight has stumbled embarrassingly in every competition since Robson took over.

The former Manchester United skipper, who replaced compatriot Peter Reid in September 2009, called his own news conference to explain the team’s dire form and admitted he would not give himself a passing grade in his first national team job.

“No, I don’t count anything as a pass until we win,” a stern-faced Robson said when asked to evaluate his performance as Thailand boss.

“I’m quite disappointed, I want to win and it’s results that matter.”

Under Robson, Thailand failed to reach the Asian Cup for the first time in 23 years and were bundled out of the South-east Asian Games and the South-east Asian championship – competitions they have long dominated – in the opening rounds.

Draws against strugglers Laos, Malaysia and the Maldives in the last three months were the final straw for angry Thai fans who had witnessed a major facelift under Reid, whose new-look, free-flowing team climbed rapidly up the FIFA world rankings.

Robson said he would not step down because he believed in his players and said the team had suffered due to the success of revamped domestic competitions, which had left his players exhausted and poorly prepared for national duty.

The former Middlesbrough, West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield United and Bradford City boss also rejected criticism he had spent too much time being a TV pundit and a global ambassador for Manchester United and said he was committed to his job.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m coach here fulltime,” he said.

Spurs are serious contenders for the title, says Redknapp

BIRMINGHAM: Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp insists his team should be viewed as Premier League title contenders following their victory at Aston Villa.

Rafael van der Vaart’s double was enough to give 10-man Spurs a 2-1 victory at Villa Park with the result moving the Londoners up to fifth and within a point of champions Chelsea, who took on Arsenal in yesterday’s late match.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has already claimed only his table-toppers, Chelsea and Arsenal can win the Premier League this season – but Redknapp, whose team face Newcastle today, thinks otherwise.

“We are massive outsiders,” he said. “We are 33/1 and that’s about right I suppose. But, as I keep saying, it’s open this year.

“It’s not impossible. You’ve got to believe you can achieve something. It’s there for someone to have a real crack at it.

“There is very little between the top five or six teams. We are playing as well as anybody. We’ve got people who could get in any team – Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Van der Vaart.

“We’ve got some quality players throughout the team. A good squad. We want to get in that top four again. That’s the main aim – Champions League football again.

“If you have a good run you don’t know where it will take you. It’s happened before.”

Spurs lost Jermain Defoe to a red card in the first half for an elbow on James Collins and Redknapp said of the incident: “I haven’t seen it since, but at the time I didn’t have any arguments.

“I certainly wouldn’t say I think he (Defoe) would go at the player intentionally though. Maybe it was just a little centre-forward’s challenge. The referee is a good referee, but he had a bad game.”

Van der Vaart, who also scored twice against Villa in October, was delighted to make such an impact on his return from a month out with a hamstring injury.

“It’s always a difficult game, they have a very good team,” he said. “It was a very good win away with 10 men.”

Villa manager Gerard Houllier remained upbeat despite daunting back-to-back trips to Manchester City today and Chelsea on Jan 2 awaiting his struggling 15th-placed side, who have lost four of their last five league games.

“I think it was a poor result, but not a poor performance,” the Frenchman said. 

Warnock happy to put up with Taarabt as QPR go top

LONDON: Neil Warnock promised to keep faith with temperamental star Adel Taarabt as QPR cemented their position on top of the Cham-pionship with a 4-0 rout of promotion rivals Swansea.

Warnock’s side made the perfect start to the frantic festive period as two goals from Taarabt and strikes from Jamie Mackie and Heidar Helguson opened up a four-point lead at the top.

Even the first half dismissal of Clint Hill, sent off along with Swansea’s Alan Tate following an off-the-ball clash, couldn’t disrupt QPR’s rhythm thanks to former Tottenham midfielder Taarabt’s superb display.

The Moroccan set up Mackie’s opener, won the penalty that Helguson converted and then struck twice himself in the second half.

“Taarabt was excellent, that’s what we know he can do,” Warnock said.

“It’s one of those things you have to accept that sometimes he’s the opposite – like the other day (against Watford).

“I don’t think anyone in the Premier League will want him – who would put up with him?“

Cardiff moved above Leeds into second place with a 2-0 home victory over play-off challengers Coventry.

Dave Jones’ side clinched their second victory in eight matches through Seyi Olofinjana’s cool first half finish and Craig Bellamy’s deflected second half effort.

Leeds slipped to third place after squandering a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw with Sven Goran Eriksson’s Leicester at the Walkers Stadium.

Former England and Manchester City coach Eriksson said: “We didn’t start very well, we did not pass and we were not very good.

“Leeds were very aggressive in the first half and did not allow us to play our normal game. The good thing was we showed we could fight in the second half and that is why we did not lose.”

Reading moved to within a point of the play-off places with a crushing 4-1 win at home to Bristol City.

Burnley came from behind to beat Barnsley 2-1 and ease the pressure on under-fire boss Brian Laws, while Portsmouth and Millwall drew 1-1 at Fratton Park.

The matches between Crystal Palace and Norwich, Derby and Doncaster, Ipswich and Watford, Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest, and Preston and Scunthorpe were all postponed due to frozen pitches. 

United and City aim to maintain their title pace

LONDON: Manchester United and Manchester City will look to stay out in front at the top of the Premier League when they continue their push for the title today.

United, who top the table by two points from City, are away to Birmingham where Sir Alex Ferguson, having seen off a Sunderland side managed by one of his old boys in Steve Bruce 2-0 on Sunday, face another in a Blues team under the control of Alex McLeish.

Meanwhile City, who won 3-1 away to Newcastle on Sunday, are at home to Aston Villa.

Ferguson said Birmingham will have benefited from the postponement of their Boxing Day visit to Everton.

“Birmingham will be fresh. Going down there is always a difficult place, they’ve always had a strong home record, they’re difficult to beat on their own ground,” United manager Ferguson said.

“We’re well aware of that. Hopefully, we can get them (the United players) fresh, get their recovery sorted, make a couple of changes to freshen that part up and get the result we want.”

City manager Roberto Mancini is planning to ring the changes for the match against a struggling Aston Villa side.

“We have an incredible four games in ten days and we will make changes against Villa because we must recover in the 38 hours and that is not an easy thing to do,” Mancini said.

“All players must be ready to play that is why we have a strong squad,” the Italian added of his expensively assembled side.

Tottenham will look to back up manager Harry Redknapp’s claims they are title contenders when they face Newcastle at White Hart Lane fresh from a 3-1 win away to Villa where they played most of the match down to 10 men following the sending-off of England striker Jermain Defoe.

West Ham, who climbed off the bottom of the table on Boxing Day with a 3-1 win away to Fulham, will look to give their home fans something to cheer against a Blackburn side well beaten by Stoke last time out.

Wolverhampton Wanderers, now bottom of the table after a 2-1 loss at home to relegation rivals Wigan, are set to face a fresh Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday after the Reds’ Boxing Day match away to north-west rivals Blackpool was postponed because of a frozen pitch. 

Milner set to survive as Mancini ring the changes

NEWCASTLE: James Milner is likely to keep his place when Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini makes changes for today’s home match against Aston Villa after starring in a 3-1 victory away to Newcastle United.

Sunday’s success at St James’ Park saw City go second in the Premier League, two points behind leaders and local rivals Manchester United.

Although controversial striker Carlos Tevez scored twice it was the performance of England international Milner, who left Villa under a cloud last season, that caught Mancini’s eye.

“He was fantastic. All our players did well, but he stood out.”

Despite an impressive away win, which saw City revive their title challenge following a home defeat by Everton, Mancini made it clear the congested holiday fixture schedule would see him alter his expensively assembled side for the Villa match.

“We have an incredible four games in ten days and we will make changes against Villa because we must recover in the 38 hours and that is not an easy thing to do,” he said.

“All players must be ready to play that is why we have a strong squad.”

Villa supporters were furious with Milner over a move that earned him a huge pay rise and, as always, their travelling fans will make him a target for abuse at Eastlands today.

That will not concern him, however, and Mancini is not likely to consider resting the player he rated as their outstanding performer at St James’ Park.

The match against Villa is followed by another home game against Blackpool, offering City a genuine chance to collect six points and head into 2011 as the leaders of the Premier League.

Star striker Tevez is also expected to feature against Villa after showing at Newcastle that his dispute with City has not affected his form.

“He’s mentally okay. I’m happy that Carlos scored two goals, but I’m happy for all the players because they did very well,” said Mancini.