Wenger all set for League Cup changes in January jam

LONDON: Arsene Wenger believes Robin van Persie will play a vital role in Arsenal’s season, but has yet to decide whether to start the striker in today’s League Cup semi-final second leg against Ipswich.

Second Division outfit Ipswich will arrive at the Emirates with a 1-0 advantage from the first leg and with a new manager following the appointment of Paul Jewell.

But they will face an Arsenal side who have enjoyed an improved run of form since that first meeting with Arsene Wenger’s side having scored nine goals in their three games since they slipped up at Portman Road.

Van Persie has played in two of those games, scoring five goals including the hat-trick that saw off Wigan last time out and moved the London club up to second in the Premier League.

The Dutch international’s display drew warm praise from Wenger but with the striker having missed three months of the season with an ankle ligament injury, the Arsenal boss is keen not to overplay Van Persie at a congested stage of the season.

“Robin is an important player in our squad. He can finish, provide and the understanding with our offensive players is very good so of course, he will be very important,” said the manager.

“Some players have played many games, but van Persie has been out for a long time. He and Cesc Fabregas had a long breather and we hope he can benefit from that.”

But he made it clear there will be changes. “We will rotate, we have no choice,” he said. “We play nine games in January, it’s the most we have ever played.

“When you look at the fixtures we had in December it means we need to rotate from game to game. But we have fantastic players on the bench and it is very important because we cannot always play with the same eleven.”

Wenger believes the van Persie’s numerous lay-offs will ultimately help him develop as a player.

“What he has gone through has been difficult. A player who is injured is fragile. He feels useless and is without his job. He is without his happiness,” said the Frenchman.

“On the other hand, it has made him a lot stronger mentally because he had to fight against disappointments. This is what makes you strong in life.

“Robin is now completely sharp and fit and strong.”

With Arsenal still in the hunt for four trophies, Wenger is anxious his side avoid further mistakes and secure their place in the Wembley final with the minimum of fuss.

“We have a good level of confidence and we are highly focused,” he said. “We want to do well in every competition and I am confident we will be highly focused on Tuesday.”

Jewell looked on as caretaker-manager Ian McParland oversaw Ipswich’s first leg victory but he has since taken charge of two games, recording one defeat and one victory.

The former Bradford and Wigan manager admits his side face a daunting task if they are to protect their single-goal lead in the tie but claims his players will be lifted by the weekend win over Doncaster.

“It’s important for me to get off to a good start here,” he said.

“You can feel the confidence within the club but it’s only one game and we’ve got to go to Arsenal on Tuesday. It’s still a long-term project and there’s no magic wand.” 

  

Sevilla striker says he’s ready to gun down Real

MADRID: Brazilian international forward Luis Fabiano warned Real Madrid that Sevilla are psyched up for tomorrow’s King’s Cup semi-final first leg as they look to reach the final and retain the trophy.

Fabiano scored a hat-trick in Sevilla’s 4-1 home win over Levante on Saturday and now the Cup holders have Madrid in their sights.

“Every game is a final now and we have to continue playing like this,” said Fabiano. “It will be a great game against Real (Madrid) and we have to go into the match to get a victory against them and try to go on to retain the Cup.

“They are a great team but we can beat them. We want another title and to leave Madrid empty-handed.”

Madrid, who defeated Real Mallorca 1-0 at home on Sunday, have a terrible record in the King’s Cup with their last success way back in 1993 while Sevilla lifted the trophy in 2007 and 2010.

Sevilla coach Gregorio Manzano was delighted with the comfortable win over Levante and said his side could cause Real problems.

“Things turned out how we wanted and it was a relatively comfortable win,” said Manzano.

“We have started the second half of the season on the right foot and have to push on now.

“We have to try and recover this defensive intensity because, with the firepower we have, we are sure to be successful if we defend well.

“In the last seven years Sevilla have reached five (King’s Cup) semi-finals and we will try to win this one and the Cup.

“Real are trying to win this competition having not done so for many years and we want to be there (in the final) again. We want to try and take a good result to Madrid (for the second leg).

“We have 180 minutes and we will fight to reach the final. We are talking about one of the best teams in Europe and we need to do everything marvellously.”

Sevilla lost 1-0 at Real in the league and lie 22 points behind their opponents in the standings.

However, Manzano is not reading too much into the statistics.

“We are below them in the league by so much because they are more consistent,” said Manzano.

“However, both sides respect each other and we can surprise Real Madrid in a knockout match.

“It is not a league match and Sevilla are a good knockout side. We want to reach the final. It is not just about beating Real Madrid. We want to beat any rival just as much.”

The winner of the Madrid-Sevilla semi-final will face Barcelona or Almeria, who face off tomorrow in the first leg at Camp Nou, in the final at Valencia’s Mestalla. 

  

Mourinho Real-ly lucky to see his gamble pay off

MADRID: Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho admitted his team selection gamble on Sunday in the crucial clash against Real Mallorca was a high-risk strategy.

Real edged a 1-0 win to stay four points behind Barcelona with French striker Karim Benzema grabbing the only goal to end a week when his lacklustre performances had caused friction between Mourinho and general manager Jorge Valdano.

But it was a poor first half on Sunday and an unhappy Mourinho responded with a double substitution with Xabi Alonso and Mesut Ozil coming on for Fernando Gago and Kaka.

“My decisions were risky, but I allowed the midfielders who will play in Sevilla (in the midweek Spanish Cup semi-final against the holders) to rest tonight,” said Mourinho.

“(Sami) Khedira is injured, but he will play on Wednesday. I wanted to avoid being in a difficult situation by half-time against Mallorca.

“The 0-0 score was good because we knew we were going to make changes to the lineup in the second half.

“The double substitution helped the team make an immediate improvement.”

Mourinho also praised the Real fans for their patience and for not turning against the team.

“If the fans support the team it means they support the coach, because I am the team,” Mourinho told the club’s official website.

“I need the fans to be with the team, and they are. I cannot expect them to be incredibly happy tonight, but it is very complicated to play nine games in January at a very high level. The team still has its limitations, but it continues to win, which is what really matters.”

Goalkeeper Iker Casillas meanwhile leapt to the support of €35mil Benzema who grabbed the goal, but then missed a handful of chances to add to the scoreline.

“He will make all the front pages and news reports. He has an introverted character but he has opened up and has the whole support of the dressing room,” said the captain Iker Casillas.

“He is young and has a lot of talent.” 

  

Ballack makes return to help Leverkusen into second spot

BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen won 3-1 at Borussia Moenchengladbach with two goals from Gonzalo Castro on Sunday to move into second place in the Bundesliga and cut Borussia Dortmund’s lead at the top to 11 points.

Leverkusen’s win also marked the return to action of Germany captain Michael Ballack as a second-half substitute, after missing four months with a shinbone injury.

“It was a fantastic feeling to be on the pitch again,” the 34-year-old Ballack told reporters. “It was good to come on at 2-0 because it makes it easier for a substitute.”

The visitors looked to be cruising to an easy win when they struck in the 37th minute with Michal Kadlec’s curling free-kick before unmarked Gonzalo Castro doubled their lead with a close-range header just before halftime.

Gladbach, who twice hit the crossbar, struck back with arguably the best goal of the weekend through Austrian Martin Stranzl, who picked up the ball on the right and released an unstoppable shot over goalkeeper Rene Adler just past the hour.

But with the hosts, anchored in last place, out in full force in search of an equaliser, Castro grabbed his second goal of the evening, rounding off a quick break with a chip in the 73rd minute.

In the other match on Sunday, Hoffenheim grabbed a last-minute equaliser through David Alaba to salvage a 2-2 draw at home to relegation-threatened St Pauli, who thought they had won it when former Germany international Gerald Asamoah gave them a 2-1 lead in the 82nd minute. 

  

Russia officially appointed hosts of 2018 Finals

MOSCOW: Russia on Sunday made their status as hosts of the 2018 World Cup official when signing FIFA’s declaration of appointment.

The ceremony formally confirmed the decision by FIFA to appoint Russia as hosts of the 2018 edition of the football extravaganza.

The declaration was signed by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko and Alexei Sorokin on behalf of the local organising committee and Sergei Fursenko and Nikita Simonyan, who serve as the president and the first deputy president of the Russian Football Union.

Blatter congratulated Russia again on their victory and expressed his confidence that football’s biggest event will be hugely successful on its debut in Eastern Europe.

The declaration of appointment is a formal prerequisite for the local organising committee.

This body will be entrusted with the staging, hosting and the organisation of the 2018 World Cup and the FIFA Confederations Cup, which will be staged by Russia in 2017.

  

Ajax fall without Suarez

THE HAGUE: Ajax Amsterdam fell six points off the Dutch title pace on Sunday, a 3-0 loss at Utrecht coming on the day when banned striker Luis Suarez voiced his desire to play in England.

French player Edouard Duplan scored twice for mid-table Utrecht with Ismo Vorstermans sealing the three points.

Uruguayan World Cup star Suarez is currently banned for biting PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal in a league clash in November.

But being out of the action hasn’t kept the 23-year-old out of the headlines.

Suarez, whose infamous goal-line handball saved his country from World Cup elimination at the expense of Ghana, told the Sunday Times he was keen to move to England with Liverpool a likely destination.

  

Asian great Park Ji-sung poised for 100th cap

DOHA: One of Asia’s greatest players will add another accolade to his already impressive resume today when he wins his 100th cap for South Korea in their Asian Cup semi-final against arch-rivals Japan.

Manchester United’s Park Ji-sung, who rose to prominence under Dutch coach Guus Hiddink at the 2002 World Cup, said it meant all the more to achieve the feat at a top international event.

“Obviously it will be a great honour to play the 100th game for the national team in a major tournament like the Asian Cup,” said the 29-year-old.

Ji-sung, his country’s most iconic sportsman, joins seven other South Koreans to have reached the landmark, but still has some way to go to better all-time leader Hong Myung-bo, who played 136 times before retiring in 2002.

Should he continue playing, his next target will be Hwang Sun-hong, who won 103 caps.

But Ji-sung’s international future is unclear.

Before the Asian Cup, he strongly hinted that he would retire at the end of the tournament to focus on prolonging his United career.

His father told Korean media it would be his last major event, and on his arrival in Doha, Ji-sung told reporters: “It will be a very special Asian Cup for me.

“I do not have much time left in the international game. This makes me want to win the Asian Cup more than ever before.”

But Ji-sung is so influential that South Korea coach Cho Kwang-rae has been desperately trying to convince his captain to stay and help him build his current young, and very impressive, team into world beaters.

“I would like to congratulate Park Ji-sung on his 100 international caps,” said Kwang-rae yesterday.

“Park Ji-sung is a player with outstanding leadership, on and off the pitch. He’s done an excellent job for his country in the tournament so far and I want him to continue his excellent job until the very end of the Asian Cup.”

When quizzed by media last week, all Park had to say was: “At the moment I can’t say anything. I will talk after the Asian Cup.”

If he decides to quit, it will be be a huge loss not just for South Korea, but football on the continent in general.