Inter, Roma meet in crucial game to stay alive in hunt for title

ROME: Champions Inter Milan and Roma face a crucial clash at the San Siro this weekend as both sides try to stay in the scudetto hunt.

Inter pipped Roma to the title by two points last year as they finished as the top two for the fourth time in five years – with Inter winning the championship every time.

But this time around both have been left lagging in leaders AC Milan’s wake and defeat in tomorrow’s game could prove terminal for either side’s trophy hopes.

With just 15 games left, this would be a bad time to start losing touch with the teams above but Roma club captain Francesco Totti insists there is still a long way to go.

Asked about his own lack of goals this season – he has scored just three times in 19 league games – Totti claimed he would soon click into gear.

“There’s still a long way to go in the championship and my goals will come,” he said.

“It’s a vital match, if we get a result on Sunday we’ll be able to remain hot on AC Milan’s heels, even though right now we’re nine points back with a game in hand.”

Milan have stumbled several times since the turn of the year but both Roma and third-placed Inter have failed to take full advantage, themselves slipping up when there was the opporunity to close the gap.

However, things are going a lot better for both of them than for Italy’s most successful side, Juventus.

Following the disaster of last season when Juve finished seventh and went through two coaches, they spent big in the summer and hired Luigi Delneri to revive the club’s fortunes.

Things started out well enough this season but they have completely lost their way since the turn of the year, losing five out of eight games in all competitions, including their last three.

They come into the weekend games in eighth place, and have a tricky trip to Cagliari looming on the horizon.

They lost 2-1 at Palermo in midweek, increasing the pressure on Delneri, who responded by blaming refereeing decisions.

“The club will evaluate at the end of the season if I’ve done well or not,” he said.

“We need to push on from the desire we showed (against Palermo) but then if there are two or three penalties that don’t get given it becomes difficult, also for the coach.”

Milan travel to Genoa looking to maintain the five-point lead at the top they extended in midweek despite a 0-0 draw at home to Lazio.

Napoli failed to capitalise as they produced a listless display in losing 2-0 at Chievo.

However, they return home to host struggling Cesena on Sunday while Lazio entertain Chievo.

Of the other sides challenging for a Champions League finish, Udinese host struggling Sampdoria, who have lost their way since Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini left in the January transfer window, and Palermo travel to lowly Lecce. 

  

Evra’s omission from French squad purely tactical, says Blanc

PARIS: France coach Laurent Blanc on Thursday omitted former skipper Patrice Evra from his squad to face Brazil in a Feb 9 friendly at Stade de France – but insisted his reasons were purely tactical.

Manchester United defender Evra had been available for selection after serving a five-match suspension following his leading role in last summer’s player strike during the World Cup at Knysna in South Africa.

But Blanc had been under some pressure to prolong his spell in the cold after French Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno demanded last week the World Cup rebels apologise before donning the national shirt again.

Blanc nonetheless insisted he would make his own decision and not succumb to outside pressure on who he should and should not select for the French football squad.

“I made my choice according to sporting criteria,” Blanc insisted.

“There is a lot of competition for that post involving players who play for great clubs.

“I base my criteria on sporting qualities and take into account Eric Abidal’s showing in the last game which was very good.”

Blanc added that “the behaviour of the 23 (in South Africa), not just that of Evra, was unworthy. There followed bans – and they have been served. What interests me is putting together the best team possible.”

He added: “The door remains open.”

While leaving out Evra – fellow rebel Franck Ribery has also served a ban but is currently injured – Blanc called Arsenal central defender Laurent Koscielny into the squad for the first time.

Koscielny, who joined the Gunners last year from Lorient, had been the subject of overtures from the Polish Federation – his grandfather is Polish – but has recently insisted his dream is to don the blue of France, where the 25-year-old was born.

  

Pandiani: Cocky Ronaldo has a screw loose

MADRID: Real Madrid star striker Cristiano Ronaldo “has a screw loose“, Osasuna forward Walter Pandiani blasted on Wednesday after the pair clashed during Real’s shock weekend loss.

Ronaldo and Pandiani reportedly exchanged angry words during half-time in Osasuna’s 1-0 victory over Real Madrid, which left Real’s arch-rivals Barcelona seven points clear at the top of the league.

According to media reports, Ronaldo sparked the row by asking Pandiani how much he earned, and the Osasuna player replied by mentioning the trophies he had won.

“You have to be more humble. When he wins the Supercups, the King’s Cups that I have in Spain then maybe I will listen to him,” Osasuna’s Uruguayan striker told a news conference.

“As a footballer he is a phenomenon but to do the things he does, maybe he has a screw loose,” Pandiani added.

“With his gestures and his cocky way of acting, he is the one who creates all the problems every weekend.”

Pandiani advised Ronaldo to learn from Barcelona’s Lionel Messi who he described as “the best in the world.” 

  

Ballack likely to sit out friendly against Italy

BERLIN: Captain Michael Ballack is expected to be left out when the Germany squad is named for next week’s friendly against Italy as he works his way back to fitness.

Germany coach Joachim Loew will name his team to play the 2006 World Cup winners in Dortmund next Wednesday and while youngsters Mario Goetze and Mats Hummels are set to be retained, Ballack is expected to be left out.

Having fractured his leg last September, the 34-year-old made only his first start last Friday for Leverkusen since the injury and is working his way back to fitness.

In his absence, Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm is expected to lead the side.

Germany manager Oliver Bierhoff has said the match against Italy is important for the Germans to build on the confidence of finishing third at the World Cup in South Africa.

“For moral and self-confidence, the game is enormously important to us,” he said.

“We want to keep improving on the impressive performances.

“We don’t want to lose that momentum, so we will be going flat out in this game.”

Ballack looks set to feature in next month’s games against Kazakhstan, a Euro 2012 qualifier on March 26 in Kaiserslautern.

He is also expected to play a part in the home friendly against Australia on March 29 in Moenchengladbach.

Against the Italians, Loew looks set to select Dortmund’s young guns Goetze and Hummels, who both impressed in Germany’s goalless draw with Sweden in a friendly last November.

First-choice stars like striker Miroslav Klose, Lahm and Mesut Ozil are expected to feature after Loew rested many of his stars against Sweden.

Despite Klose being relegated to Bayern’s bench recently, the 32-year-old has scored 58 goals in 105 appearances and is ten goals behind Gerd Mueller’s all-time record for Germany. 

  

Mascherano: Cup can wait, stay focused on league title

BARCELONA: Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano has warned his team to put any thoughts of the King’s Cup final with Real Madrid to one side and focus fully on the visit of Atletico Madrid in La Liga this weekend.

Mascherano has only been a bit part player for Barca since his summer move from Liverpool but has been a regular in the Cup side which has reached the final after eliminating Almeria this week. Real knocked out Sevilla in the other semi-final.

The Argentine has been unable to uproot Barcelona’s key midfield trio of Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets who have been the engine room of the team which has now opened up a seven-point gap at the top of the table following Real’s defeat by Osasuna.

“We need to forget about the final now as otherwise we will have problems in other competitions,” said Mascherano.

“It is important that we arrive at this game (the Cup final) in a good position but as the rival is Real Madrid everything will be built up.

“We are not machines but humans and any weekend we can lose although I am not concerned at the moment because I do not see signs of relaxation, in fact quite the opposite.

“Atletico are a strong side and we will take nothing for granted. They won the Europa League last season and beat the world champions (Inter Milan) in the Super Cup.”

With Barcelona having dropped so few points it will be a tough task for Real Madrid to claw back the difference in the league but they start against Real Sociedad.

“Now we have to focus on the league and then the Champions League,” said midfielder Angel Di Maria. “We have done what we have had to do in the Cup to reach the final and we will try to win every competition we are in.”

Di Maria also played down the fact that team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo has now not scored in four games.

“At times things don’t go for you and it is also a while since I scored. Cristiano is playing well and has to be calm knowing that the goals will start coming again.”

Villarreal came away with a victory from Espanyol’s fortress like Cornella stadium and now are within six points of Real Madrid as they prepare to take on struggling Levante, while below them Valencia face Hercules.

With bigger clubs having under-performed this season, Espanyol have taken their chances and can further consolidate their European position against second-from-bottom Almeria.

Athletic Bilbao, who play Sporting Gijon, are two points behind Espanyol in sixth but traditional powerhouses Atletico Madrid and Sevilla are well off the pace.

While Atletico are at the Nou Camp, Sevilla face a tricky Andalusian derby against Malaga, who have a better squad than their bottom place would suggest, former Real Madrid trainer Manuel Pellegrini also having signed some experienced players in the winter transfer window.

However, while they have brought in players like Julio Baptista, Martin Demichelis and Enzo Maresca they still need the results to follow and have lost their last three matches.

Zaragoza’s outlook is considerably better after three straight wins but they are still not out of trouble and have another relegation dogfight with Racing Santander.

Despite their win over Real Madrid, Osasuna are also just three points off the relegation zone and they now meet Mallorca.

It has been a disappointing season for Deportivo la Coruna, who take on Getafe. Instead of pushing for a place in Europe they are likely to finish the season with the aim of avoiding the drop. 

  

No nonsense Van Gaal is what Bayern need, says Rummenigge

MUNICH: Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on Wednesday backed his club’s under-fire coach Louis van Gaal by insisting the extrovert Dutchman is exactly what the German giants need.

It has been a difficult few weeks for Bayern after captain Mark van Bommel quit to join AC Milan last week, just after Bayern president Uli Hoeness re-ignited his feud with van Gaal when he questioned the Dutchman’s methods.

Hoeness complained last October that van Gaal is difficult to work with.

But with Bayern third in the Bundesliga, Rummenigge has gone into bat for the Dutchman.

“He is exactly what we want,” Rummenigge told German magazine Sport Bild.

“You can’t reproach him, he has our trust.

“He’s not always a fun guy, or fun to deal with.

“His extreme honesty and openness can lead to friction, but he is an excellent football teacher and coach.”

Van Gaal has a contract at Bayern until June 2012, but the Dutchman has enemies within the game.

Former Bayern striker Luca Toni and defender Lucio both left Munich shortly after van Gaal’s arrival in June 2009 to play for Italian sides.

“Van Gaal hurt me more than anyone else in football,” said ex-Bayern captain Lucio who won the Champions League title with Inter Milan last season.

“He erased my positive memories of winning the title with Bayern in an instant.”

Toni was just as scathing.

“The players want to have a dialogue with their coach, they want to be motivated by him,” said former top scorer Toni, who now plays for Juventus.

“That doesn’t happen with van Gaal or (ex-Bayern coach Felix) Magath.” 

  

Four Serbian fans accept plea bargain

ROME: Four Serbian football fans have accepted plea bargains to avoid jail time over the violence that prompted a Euro 2012 qualifier between Italy and Serbia last October to be called off.

Some Serbian fans caused trouble inside and outside Genoa’s Marrassi stadium leading to the cancellation of the game after only six minutes of play.

Fans, including the infamous Ivan Bogdanov, the presumed ringleader, threw flares and bangers onto the pitch and at rival Italian fans.

Some had also tried to break down barriers separating them from the Italy supporters.

On Tuesday Strahinga Toljagic, 24, was convicted of threatening public officials and damages and given a two-year prison sentence.

Nedad Radovic, 30, Goran Stanic, 25, and Vladimir Dedic, 28, were all convicted of threatening public officials and sentenced to 22 months.

The terms of the plea bargain will see all four avoid prison time and instead be excluded from Italy for five years.

Bogdanov and three other Serb fans are yet to stand trial but have a variety of accusations levied against them.