06/26/2007
Henry, star among the stars
The arrival of Thierry Henry in Barcelona causes the unanimity. The French player is moved to find itself in a club which joins together some of the best players of the world. Players who, with Messi with Eto' O while passing by Ronaldinho, are also pleased to find at their sides an attacker of this quality, without fearing less world the competition which will result from this. Because, to believe of it Frank Rijkaard, the trainer inhabitant of Barcelona, competition there will be. The Netherlander ensures indeed that it does not intend to give up its famous 4-3-3, in spite of the arrival of Thierry Henry who modifies his offensive arguments notably. If, as all seems to indicate it, Yaya Touré, arrived new recruit of Monaco, becomes the appointed defensive medium, it will have to be shouldered by two mediums able to contribute to recovery as with the construction of the play, profile which corresponds to players like Iniesta, Deco, Xavi or Motta.
Blow, the four large attackers will have only three stations to be divided. Who of Messi, Ronaldinho, Eto' O or Henry will make bench? For Rijkaard, the question will hardly arise, because with a program as charged as that with Barça, four players for three stations is not a luxury, since it will be necessary to turn regularly to let blow all and sundry. Without speaking about the wounds which, last season, had struck two of these stars, Eto' O and Messi. Remain that, for the great appointments, the choice will be inevitably painful…
Blow, the idea of an evolution of the tactical system of Rijkaard has also its followers, a kind of 4-2-3-1 making it possible to align the poker of offensive ace together blaugrana. In this case, recovery would return to a double pivot where Yaya Touré would be associated Deco or Iniesta for example, with Messi, Henry and Ronaldinho being able to evolve/move behind Eto' O at a peak. A tempting formula and very offensive.
Another possibility, to start again the idea of a departure of Samuel Eto' O. The Cameronian attracts many covetousnesses indeed. And its public attacks against Rijkaard and Ronaldinho, last February, had contributed to waste environment within the team and in particular at the end of catastrophic season of Blaugrana. As many reasons which plead for a departure. However, Eto' O ensures that he wants to remain and he promised with his president Joan Laporta to in the future avoid all new skid. Blow, Laporta affirmed that Eto' O would remain the next season. A promise which could however be contradicted for little that an offer can allure at the same time the club and the player. Samuel Eto' O does not hide that, if it were to leave, its preferred destination would be London, where a certain Arsene Wenger would undoubtedly be charmed to accomodate it. Releasing from the blow the pressure on the choice of the line of attack inhabitant of Barcelona…
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12/06/2006
Brazil's Ronaldinho looking for one more title in Japan
TOKYO: Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho will be the main attraction when European champion Barcelona takes on its fellow continental title holders at the Club World Cup.
The Dec. 10-17 tournament features the top club teams from soccer's six confederations.
"I'd love to win the Club World Cup," Ronaldinho told the FIFA.com Web site. "This year, I wanted to win the (Spanish) league, the Champions League, the World Cup (in Germany), and the Club World Cup. Unfortunately it proved beyond us in Germany, but that makes me even more determined not to miss out in this tournament."
European champion Barcelona will be joined by South American champion Internacional of Brazil, Mexico's Club America representing North and Central America's CONCACAF, African champions Al Ahly of Egypt, Asian champion Chonbuk of South Korea and New Zealand's Auckland City FC, the Oceania champion.
Ronaldinho, winner of the last two FIFA player of the year awards, has had a stellar year for Barcelona, leading the Spanish side to the Champions League title. At the World Cup, Brazil was eliminated in the quarterfinals by France.
Ronaldinho said a finals showdown with his former Brazilian archrivals Internacional would be a difficult encounter.
"It would be a very tough game, but one we'd do our very best to win," said Ronaldinho. "I'm sure that their fans would whistle at me and put pressure on me."
Barcelona will be without the services of Argentine forward Lionel Messi, who injured his foot in a match against Spanish team Real Zaragoza last month and will be sidelined for up to three months.
Striker Samuel Eto'o is also injured and will not play here.
Auckland City opens the tournament on Dec. 10 against Al Ahly, while Barcelona plays its first in the semifinals on Dec. 14 against the winner of the first-round match between Chonbuk Motors and Club America.
Some 26 teams have won the Club World Cup, which began in 1960 as the Intercontinental Cup. The tournament was known as the Toyota Cup from 1980 to 2004 when it featured the top club teams from South America and Europe before it became the expanded Club World Cup in 2005.
Last year, South American champion Sao Paulo took the title after defeating European heavyweight Liverpool 1-0 at International Stadium Yokohama.
South Korean side Chonbuk Motors advanced to the tournament with a 3-2 aggregate win over Al Karama of Syria in the 2006 Asian Champions League.
source : http://www.iht.com
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12/05/2006
Ronaldinho magic inspires Barca win
An irresistible first half of football from Barcelona crowned by strikes from Ronaldinho and Eidur Gudjohnson saw the champions move into the knockout stages of the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Werder Bremen at Camp Nou.
Ronaldinho settled nerves inside the stadium with a perfectly thought out free-kick on 13 minutes, after he had been felled by Pierre Wome just outside the penalty area.
Sensing the Bremen wall would jump, the Brazilian stepped up and side-footed a shot under the wall and in at the far post.
Goalkeeper Tim Wiese was left incensed at his team-mates for allowing the ball to run under them, but credit must go to Ronaldinho for his anticipation and intelligence.
Five minutes later, and the Catalans were well and truly on their way. Ronaldinho turned inside from the left, and fired a delightful crossfield ball in behind the visitors' defence for the marauding Ludovic Giuly to latch onto. He took one touch, before laying it square for Gudjohnsen to blast home from close range.
By now, Barcelona were rampant, with Andres Iniesta and Deco in total control of affairs in midfield.
Indeed it was the latter who almost provided the spark for his team's third, collecting a clearance from Carles Puyol, before charging forward all of 60 yards and releasing Gudjohnsen.
The big Icelander showed remarkable agility and superb close control, skipping past three Bremen defenders, though saw his shot come back off a post to Giuly, who managed to shank the ball wide only eight yards out and with the entire goal at his mercy.
As the half wore on, Bremen managed to gain a foothold in the game, and had the travelling support out of their seats in anticipation when Wome fired in a teasing ball from the left, though it rolled agonisingly across the face of goal as Marco Almeida and Miroslav Klose were both unable to reach it.
After a scintillating first 45 minutes, the Catalans emerged rather subdued in the second half, and Bremen found their passing and rhythm.
Diego began to exert his influence on the game, and was a constant threat with his vision and movement.
He twice tested Victor Valdes in the opening ten minutes of the half, with the goalkeeper doing particularly well to hold onto the second effort after it took a late deflection off Almeida.
But Barcelona gave a reminder of their danger on the hour mark, as Ronaldinho released Gudjohnsen with another perfectly weighted ball in behind the defence. This time though, the former Chelsea man was guilty of hesitancy, as he allowed Naldo enough time to get back and charge down the shot.
The tempo of the game fell away a little as Barcelona sat further back to protect their lead, though failed to keep tabs on the lively Klose.
The German Player of the Year sprinted in behind the defence with 10 minutes to go, but none of his team-mates went with him, and his pull-back rolled into an empty penalty area before the Azulgrana scrambled it clear.
Bremen threw everything at their opponents as the clock wore down, though Rafael Marquez and Puyol stood firm for the champions, who will now go into the pot for the draw for the last 16.
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09/26/2006
Crespo does a Ronaldinho to silence critics
Rome - Hernan Crespo did his best Ronaldinho impression to score the goal which gave Inter Milan a precious 1-0 win at Roma, their likeliest rivals for the Serie A title.
Wednesday's victory not only lifted Inter above Roma into third place on seven points, two behind leaders Palermo, but also silenced the critics who said the club were in crisis after an unconvincing start to the season.
Crespo is known for his clinical finishing rather than his dribbling skills, but he showed some neat footwork to skip past Philippe Mexes before firing home the only goal just before half-time.
Crespo, 31, said it had been a long time since he had scored a similar goal, casting his mind back to when he was with Parma between 1996 and 2000.
"I haven't scored a goal like that since my Parma days," said the Argentina international.
"I have to say I enjoyed it a lot. I will never be Ronaldinho, but I always give 100 per cent."
Crespo was delighted to give the perfect response to the critics who rounded upon Inter after their disappointing 1-1 draw against Sampdoria last Saturday.
"Too much was said after the Sampdoria game, and we gave a great demonstration of character by winning at the Olympic stadium," he said.
Inter had the chance to double their lead when Mexes pulled down Crespo in the box shortly after the break, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic's weak penalty was easily saved by Alexander Doni.
The late sending-ff of French midfielder Patrick Vieira took some of the gloss off Inter's night.
Following the relegation of Juventus and the points penalties handed out to AC Milan and Fiorentina for match-fixing, Inter are strong favourites to retain the Italian title.
They finished third last season but were awarded the Scudetto after the scandal fall-out. - Sapa-AFP .
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=2831&art_id=qw1158833342920S163
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09/13/2006
Ronaldinho and Real looking for health checks
Madrid - Barcelona and Real Madrid, the Spanish league champions and runners up last season, will be hoping to bounce back after their less-than-convincing starts to the season two weeks ago.
Barca won 3-2 at Celta Vigo but their winner only came two minutes from time and they will be looking to be firing on all cylinders against visitors Osasuna on Saturday.
However, it has hardly been a week of ideal preparations for Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard, who lost 10 of his players to international duty.
| I just hope Ronaldinho returns healthy |
"I just hope Ronaldinho returns healthy," said Rijkaard through gritted teeth earlier this week.
The Dutch coach has been critical over the demands made on his star player by the Brazilian football authorities.
Osasuna were last season's surprise side in Spain and finished the season in fourth place but crashed 3-0 in the Nou Camp in the corresponding fixture 11 months ago.
This time around, they are determined not to leave Barcelona empty-handed.
| 'I am sure we are going to win titles this season' |
"I'm motivated to do well in this game because of the traditional rivalry (with Barca) that there was when I was at Real Madrid. I would feel the same regardless of who I was playing with if I was to face this team," said Osasuna's on-loan striker Roberto Soldado.
The highly-rated Soldado was the second most prolific scorer in the Spanish second division last season, playing for Real's reserve team, and also scored on several important occasions for the big boys.
For their part, Soldado's former club ground out a 0-0 score bore at the Santiago Bernabeu to Villarreal in their opening match and are out to get their first goal of the season against newly-promoted Levante on Sunday.
"Against Villarreal, we played against a team that knew each other well and we have new players that are still getting to know each other but I am sure we are going to win titles this season," commented Real's new coach Fabio Capello on Thursday.
Capello is optimistic that Ronaldo, who had an indifferent World Cup and who has been injured this summer, can still make the difference after three trophy-less years for Real.
"Very shortly we'll have Ronaldo back and I'm sure he's going to score 25 goals this season. What I've seen of Van Nistelrooy is also phenomenal. he's adapted very quickly to Spain," added Capello, commenting on his two main forwards.
Real's deadline day signing Jose Antonio Reyes, acquired on-loan from Arsenal, trained for the first time with his new team mates on Thursday and his appetite to make an immediate impact was obvious to everyone.
"I'm going crazy waiting to pull on the Real jersey," said the Spanish international striker on Thursday, his hunger whetted by being left on the bench for the entirety of Spain's two internationals during the last week.
Sevilla are the league leaders after the first week on the basis of their 4-0 thrashing of Levante.
Last season's Uefa Cup winners, who many pundits predict could make a serious challenge for their first league title since they won their one and only previous championship in 1946, defend their pole position at Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Fixtures
Saturday
Barcelona vs Osasuna
Atletico Madrid vs Valencia
Sunday
Real Betis vs Atletico Madrid
Getafe vs Racing Santander
Gimnastic Tarragona vs Celta Vigo
Levante vs Real Madrid
Real Mallorca vs Deportivo La Coruna
Real Sociedad vs Sevilla
Villarreal vs Recreativo Huelva
Real Zaragoza vs Espanyol.
http://www.iol.co.za
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08/07/2006
Ronaldinho not intrigued by Zidane’s head butt
Los Angeles, Aug 07: The man who is arguably the world's best soccer player might be the only person on the planet who hasn't seen the most famous moment of last month's World Cup.Brazil playmaker Ronaldinho has said that he has yet to watch video of France midfielder Zinedine Zidane head-butting Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the final - though he's heard about it from everyone he knows.
"To tell you the truth, I haven't seen anything," Ronaldinho told reporters while in Los Angeles ahead of yesterday's friendly match between FC Barcelona and Mexico's Chivas of Guadalajara.
Zidane was ejected for the head butt in the World Cup's final in an image broadcast worldwide. Italy went on to win 5-3 on penalties.
It was Zidane who played an instrumental role in knocking Brazil out in the quarterfinals.
"When we were eliminated from the World Cup, I went home and disconnected from the world. I didn't watch TV or read the newspapers," said Ronaldinho, who returned to the southern Brazilian town of Porto Alegre where he grew up.
But wasn't he curious to see it?
"Everybody told me about it, but I preferred to stay away from (everything related to) the World Cup," Ronaldinho said.
Ronaldinho said the head butt didn't diminish Zidane's "spectacular career".
"He deserves all the awards he receives," he said.
Ronaldinho has won Fifa's World Player of the Year award twice.
Zidane has won it three times.
Ronaldinho, who often has huge smiles during games, said he too sometimes loses his cool on the field.
"There is anger during games," he said. "In one moment or another, you can lose your head, or just not be able to take the pressure."
Bureau Report
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05/12/2006
Ronaldinho is man to watch at World Cup
All eyes will be on Ronaldinho when the 2006 World Cup begins next month.
No other player will attract as much attention as the Brazilian midfielder during the monthlong tournament in Germany — thanks to his nifty skills and dazzling moves, and to Bombom.
"He loved to play with me," Ronaldinho said. "When all my friends got bored, I would go play with him.
"We would stay battling for the ball all day. I had to work hard on my moves to keep him from getting the ball."
Bombom — and a soccer ball — were by Ronaldinho's side at all times as he grew up in a poor family in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, at a time when he didn't even dream of playing in a World Cup.
"We were inseparable, he was my great companion," Ronaldinho said of Bombom, which means "chocolate candy" in Portuguese.
And when Bombom wasn't available, Ronaldinho would find other opponents to test his skills.
"When it was raining, I would stay inside the house dribbling past chairs and tables," he said. "I always spent most of my time as a kid with a soccer ball. That helped me become good at it."
Now 26 and in his prime, Ronaldinho will enter the World Cup as the tournament's biggest star.
He has won the last two FIFA player of the year awards, and has led FC Barcelona to two consecutive Spanish league titles and to the Champions League final.
Few dispute his status at the best player in the world.
Maradona said recently that Ronaldinho is in a different class from other players, and that it's "fun to watch him play."
Pele celebrates his countryman just as highly, saying Ronaldinho is the player who gives fans "the most joy."
Ronaldinho enchants everyone with his impressive skills and nifty tricks — from the no-look pass to the "elastic" dribble, in which he fakes moving the ball in one direction and suddenly pulls it back the other way.
"I'm always trying to invent new things," he said recently. "But my goal is to win the World Cup again, I really don't care about giving a show or scoring a lot of goals."
Ronaldinho will be the focal point as the Brazilians go for a second consecutive world title — and sixth overall. No other country has more than three.
He was a member of the squad that won the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, playing five matches and scoring two goals, including a spectacular free kick against England in the quarterfinals.
It was Ronaldinho's first World Cup, before he moved to Barcelona and into the elite of world soccer. He knows everyone will be expecting more from him this time around.
"It's normal, everyone's responsibility has increased because Brazil is the defending champion," Ronaldinho said. "But we are prepared, we'll do whatever is needed to win the Cup again."
Ronaldinho has 46 goals in 86 matches in Brazil's jersey, including a record 16 with the country's pre-Olympic team.
He led Brazil to titles in the 1999 Copa America and the 2000 pre-Olympic tournament, as well as in last year's Confederations Cup in Germany.
"Ronaldinho is in the best moment of his career," Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said. "It's impressive how he is able to play well match after match."
The always smiling Ronaldinho began playing professionally not long after his street-ball days in Porto Alegre. He debuted with two-time Brazilian champion Gremio in 1996 as a 16-year-old.
He moved to France's Paris Saint-Germain in 2000, and then to Barcelona in 2003 in a deal worth $37 million. In 2005, he helped Barcelona win the Spanish league for the first time in six years.
Despite all his accomplishments, Ronaldinho thinks he needs to get better.
He recently said he needs to "mature a lot as a player," and improve in some areas of his game, such as left-footed shots.
And to get better, he still relies on an old habit. Bombom is not around any more, but Ronaldinho has found worthy replacements.
"My dogs in Spain also love to play ball," he told the Zero Hora newspaper recently. "I keep dribbling (with) them all the time, too."
from:http://www.usatoday.com/
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Hand of God touches Ronaldinho's head
Diego Maradona is considering the possibility of coaching Argentina after the World Cup, and believes Ronaldinho is in a different class to other players.
Maradona made the comments shortly after arriving in Brazil late Friday for an indoor soccer friendly between former national team players from Brazil and Argentina.
"Yeah, I'm considering the possibility of coaching Argentina," Maradona said. "But it's hard to talk about this right now, when we have (Jose) Pekerman on the job and just before the Cup. This is something for the future."
Maradona's agent and former player, Alejandro Mancuso, confirmed the star's intentions.
"His name is always mentioned when there's talk about the national team's coach," Mancuso said. "He wants to do it, of course."
However, Maradona said Pekerman would likely secure his job for a long time if Argentina wins the World Cup in Germany. "Then I could become an option for the youth squads, or as a coordinator, we'll see," Maradona said.
The Argentine great hailed Brazil midfielder Ronaldinho as the best player in the world, and said he was playing at a different level to other players.
"It's a lot of fun to watch him play," Maradona said. "He does incredible things with the ball."
Ronaldinho, FIFA's player of the year for the past two seasons, helped Brazil win their fifth world title in 2002.
Maradona joined former national team players Mancuso, Jose Basualdo, Sergio Goycochea and Jorge Burruchaga during the friendly drawn 6-6 with a Brazil side including Dunga, Bebeto, Zetti, Aldair, Careca and Muller.
Maradona was named the game's most valuable player. It was the third match between the squads. Argentina won the first 8-4 in Brasilia, and the teams drew the second 7-7 in Buenos Aires. Another friendly will be played on April 29 in Cordoba, Argentina
from:http://www.hindustantimes.com/
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