We’re not immature brats, says Gallas

MILAN: Tottenham defender Willia Gallas sprang to the defence of his France team-mates following harsh criticism from former France coach Raymond Domenech.

French players went on strike during the World Cup in South Africa last June, refusing to train one day after Nicolas Anelka had been sent home for insulting Domenech.

France suffered a disastrous tournament, failing to win a game and losing to both South Africa and Mexico, finishing bottom of their group.

Domenech was replaced after the tournament but this week claimed the players were “irresponsible little brats“.

“I’m not answering his criticisms,” said Gallas after Tottenham’s 1-0 win over AC Milan in the Champions League.

“I’d just say that before speaking he should look at himself a bit, that’s all.”

And Gallas refused to accept responsibility on behalf of the players for their behaviour which was viewed across the country as a humiliation.

“It’s too easy to judge the players, given the staff he had, I can tell you that it was very difficult for us, that’s what I can tell you,” he added.

“We were judged too easily, the blame was put on all the players, it’s true that it was our decision to strike, but why? You should ask the right questions, why did we strike? I have nothing to reply, what I can say is that we’re not immature brats, a long way from that.”

However, he did admit that the players hadn’t expected such a fall-out from their actions.

“In the moment we didn’t think it would go that far.”

Gallas has not been a part of the France squad since the World Cup but insisted he has not retired from international duty.

Meanwhile, Franck Ribery said Domenech should have spoken to the players about their World Cup mutiny, not months later in the media.

“I don’t know why he says these things. I find it a shame. The World Cup has gone, I don’t want to talk about Domenech any more,” fit-again Bayern winger Ribery told L’Equipe.

“I am very motivated to get back in the France team with a new staff and new coach. In South Africa Domenech didn’t talk to us. He should have done it immediately, not only now. He should have said it to our face, it’s not good.” 

 

Wenger’s gamble pays off as Arsenal gun down Barcelona

LONDON: Arsene Wenger hailed Arsenal’s heroes as his massive gamble on Andrey Arshavin paid off in amazing style.

The Gunners came from behind to clinch an historic 2-1 win over Champions League favourites Barcelona.

Robin van Persie and sub Arshavin hit late goals after David Villa had opened accounts for the Spanish side in the 26th minute.

“I wanted to really go for it.,” said Wenger.

“I took a gamble and we finished with Wilshere (Jack), Fabregas (Cesc), Nasri (Samir), Bendtner (Nicklas), Arshavin and Van Persie.

“The tie is still open but we will go to the Nou Camp and play our game again because you cannot go there and defend. My gamble could have back-fired and we could lost 2-0 or 3-0 - but it worked.

“I am proud for Arsenal Football Club. Everyone urged us to play differently to our nature so it is a good result.

“This result gives us a chance to go to Barcelona with belief. We know it will be a very difficult game but we will prepare well. We will be highly focused and we go to win.

“It is a special lift for my team. Our players have shown exceptional strength and togetherness.

“We took advantage of one special piece of skill from Van Persie and the second came after some good build-up play. It was a special night.”

After Villa’s goal, Lionel Messi and Co had an off-night in front of goal as the Gunners grew in confidence.

Wenger added: “We believe we now have a chance. Barca are still favourites but we know we can beat them, which we did not know last year.”

“But after tonight we know that we can beat them. And we didn’t know that last year,” said Wenger, referring to last season’s quarter-final, which saw Barcelona crush the Gunners 4-1 in the second leg, 6-3 on aggregate.

“Tonight’s result gives us a chance to go to Barcelona with belief. We know that it will be a very difficult game but we will prepare well and be highly focused and try to play our natural game,” Wenger said.

“It gives a special lift to my team. Our players have shown their strength and togetherness and this result will reinforce that.”

Wenger’s counterpart Pep Guardiola said his side had paid the price for failing to convert more than one of the half-a-dozen openings their famously slick passing play presented.

“In general I’m happy with the performance – the result is the thing I don’t like,” Guardiola said.

“It was a fantastic match for anyone who likes football. When two teams want to play attacking football its always nice. We’re try to turn the tables on them at our place.”

Guardiola predicted another classic could be on the cards in three weeks time as his team try to overturn the first leg deficit.

“They are going to attack and we are going to attack,” Guardiola said.

“So if you have nothing better to do, I invite you to come to Barcelona because it’s going to be a great match.”

 

Ranieri defiant as Shakhtar Samba stars stun Roma

ROME: Roma coach Claudio Ranieri insisted his team were not in crisis despite losing for the third game in a row in the 3-2 Champions League defeat at home to Shakhtar Donetsk here.

The Italians were made to pay by Shakhtar’s speedy Brazilian forwards who combined for three goals and ensured the Ukrainians have a handy lead to take back home in three weeks time.

But following on from league defeats to their title rivals Inter Milan and Napoli that virtually ruled them out of the scudetto race, this defeat leaves Roma’s season hanging by a thread.

But Ranieri, who vowed not to resign, remained defiant.

“Do you see a team in crisis? I don’t see a team in crisis, I see a team that is playing, fighting, that created many chances,” he said.

“We played very well and I have nothing to reproach the players for despite losing.

“The lads pushed hard, in the first half after we scored we should have been more careful but we conceded after 45 seconds.

“That’s easy to say but it’s different on the pitch. There was a double deflection on their first goal.

“Maybe we needed to be more clinical but Shakhtar knew how fast they were, the three forwards: Jadson, William and Douglas Costa were very quick and have a lot of quality, we should have closed them down better.

“But there are games where things don’t go well. We could’ve equalised at the end with our captain (Francesco Totti).

“But patience, I can’t complain with how we played or how much we gave.

“You can’t just look at the result when you evaluate the game, you also have to look at the other team.

“They topped their group and they beat Arsenal, this is a great team with great players.”

However, Ranieri did admit that his team is having problems in defence having conceded 10 goals in their last three matches.

“When I came here last season I said we had to improve our defence and we finished the season with one of the best defences in the league,” he said.

“But this season we have lost some of that solidity so those criticisms (against the team’s defence) are justified.”

Roma were jeered heavily at the end of the game and even when the players went over to their fans to thank them they were still whistled.

Shahktar’s Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu said he couldn’t understand the fans’ behaviour.

“It’s an excellent result, we deserved it. We prepared very well and made the most of the anxiety that has been created around Roma’s players,” he said.

“The fans were angry at the end with all these jeers but the players gave their all on the pitch.

“They were influenced by who their team was playing but we’re a good team, we won two groups, we beat Arsenal who just beat Barcelona.

“The players and coach knew they were playing against a good team even if the fans didn’t.” 

 

Redknapp heaps praises on Sandro and Palacios

MILAN: Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp paid tribute to his defensive midfielders after his side’s historic 1-0 victory at AC Milan in the Champions League.

Spurs have built a reputation for being attacking entertainers in Europe this season, finishing the group stages as joint top goal-scorers, averaging three goals a game, while also conceding the highest number of goals amongst the teams qualifying for the knock-out phase.

Their arrival in Milan was eagerly anticipated with Italian memories still vivid of their thrilling 10-man comeback from 4-0 down against Inter Milan earlier in the competition before narrowly losing 4-3.

However, it was a controlled and disciplined display from central midfielders Sandro and Wilson Palacios that set the foundations for this victory.

“It was a great night, a fantastic performance, we set out how we wanted to play and the players responded, they couldn’t have given it any more. They did exactly what was asked of them and we got a great result that was deserved,” said Redknapp. “I thought (Sandro and Palacios) did a fantastic job. Sandro is a lad with no real experience.

“He’s played two or three games for us but he and Wilson responded to each other, they got after them, pressed, closed them down, didn’t give them space to play. That was very important for us, they did a great job.”

Redknapp also paid tribute to the desire and spirit of his players, in particular playmaker Luka Modric who defied doctors’ advice to make a substitute appearance.

“I’m delighted to be part of it all and I’m delighted with the players, I couldn’t have asked for more than they gave,” he added. 

 

Roma sale to go through in one month, Riise says sorry

ROME: Roma are due to be sold to American investors in 30 days, the club’s current owners Italpetroli announced on Tuesday.

A consortium led by the Italo-American Thomas DiBenedetto, owner of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, will purchase the Serie A side for 200mil, according to a figure given by the Italian press.

“It has been decided to procede to a period of exclusive negotiation with the DiBenedetto AS Roma LLC company which has presented the most competitive offer we have received,” Italpetroli, the company owned by the Sensi family, said.

The Sensi family, for whom Rosella Sensi is the Roma club president, owes money to Unicredit bank and in July 2010 entered an agreement giving the bank the right to sell its assets, amongst them Roma, to recoup the debt.

Meanwhile, “crisis” and “nightmare” were phrases bandied about by media yesterday to describe Roma’s defeat, with John Arne Riise’s slip for the third goal seen as symptomatic.

The last-16 first leg loss at home came after three games without a win in Serie A while the likely sale of the indebted club to an American consortium has added to the uncertainty surrounding under-fire coach Claudio Ranieri’s future.       

Ranieri has vowed not to quit and Riise, whose mistake let in Luiz Adriano for the Ukrainians’ third goal, tried to take the blame.

“I feel bad, my error was incredible. The fans are angry with me and I say sorry to everyone, team-mates included,” said Riise.       

“I was ready to come back on but Ranieri told me I was coming off, I think for the error. I hope the fans know that I always give everything.” 

 

Spurs midfielder Modric a doubt for AC Milan match

LONDON (AP): Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric has been ruled out for two weeks after undergoing surgery to remove his appendix, making him a doubt for the club's Champions League match at AC Milan on Feb. 15.

Tottenham says the Croatia international has been "diagnosed with acute appendicitis after contacting our medical staff complaining of abdominal discomfort."

Modric will miss three English Premier League matches for Spurs, which is fifth in the table, and could also miss the first leg of the team's Champions League last-16 meeting with Milan at the San Siro.

Along with fellow midfielders Rafael van der Vaart and Gareth Bale, Modric has been one of Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp's best players this season.

  

Champs League game named in match-fixing trial

BOCHUM: The Champions League was on Friday dragged into the Europe-wide betting scandal here after a group stage match was named in the trial of six men accused of match-fixing.

The Group E match between Hungarian side Debreceni VSC and Italy’s Fiorentina on Oct 20 2009, which finished in a 4-3 win for the Italians, has been named as one of those allegedly fixed by the group.

Bochum’s public prosecutions office has linked the main defendants, who are named only as Ante S. and Marijo C., to the Champions League game where six goals were scored in the first-half alone.

This is the first time a Champions League game has been named in the trial which is said to have involved 3.5mil worth of bets and affected 47 matches across the continent.

A 2010 World up qualifier between Liechtenstein and Finland in 2009 has also been named in the trial.

  

Marseille’s Diawara cleared by UEFA

MARSEILLE: Marseille defender Souleymane Diawara has been cleared by UEFA after kneeing Spartak Moscow’s Brazilian striker Welliton during a Champ­ions League game last month, the French club said on Friday.

The Senegalese international can return to league action today against Bordeaux and can play the Champions League last 16 clash against Manchester United.

Diawara gave the Spartak Moscow player a slight tap with his knee after Welliton fouled Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda for which the Brazilian received a red card.

Diawara had also received a three-match ban for stamping on Brazilian winger Nene last November.

“It would have been too much to miss the last 16 mainly after the three-match ban (for the Nene foul),” said Diawara.

“Now it’s a clean slate, forgotten and it won’t happen again.”