Lampard arrives in Italy to finalize Inter move

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has arrived in Italy to finalize a move to Inter Milan, Italian media reported on Saturday.



The England midfielder is understood to have agreed a four-year contract with the Nerazzurri, Calcio Italia said.

Inter will reportedly pay $15 million for Chelsea to lure Lampard to the Giuseppe Meazza.

Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho, who took over at Inter following the sacking of Roberto Mancini, has made no secret of his desire to re-unite with Lampard.

He is also believed to be tracking Deco and Didier Drogba, who played under his guidance at Barcelona and Chelsea respectively.

Readmore »»

Abou-Treika Wants Speedy Recovery for Fans Sake

Injury-prone Mohamed Abou-Treika is eager to recover in time for Ahli's crunch meeting against Zamalek for the sake of the Egyptian champions’ faithful.



Ahli fans will be desperate to see their favorite man step onto the pitch when the Red Devils host arch-rivals Zamalek in the Champions League group stage next month.

Their hopes are reasonable, definitely.

Those kinds of matches always prove to be a special occasion for the classy playmaker.

Against Zamalek in particular, Abou-Treika makes the difference through his dazzling skills, neat passes and accurate shots.

"I will be very sad if I fail to participate in Zamalek match because Ahli fans are not used to missing my presence in season curtain-raisers," Abou-Treika said.

"Hopefully, I will be fully fit come the anticipated clash. It will be then up to the technical staff to decide whether to field me," he told Ahli official website.

The 29-year-old notched eight goals against Zamalek, an impressive record for a player who has arrived at Ahli just four years ago.

Abou-Treika, who is suffering from a recurring knee problem, was apparently frustrated with Manuel Jose’s insistence to prevent him from training while not fully fit.

Nevertheless, the former Tersana man showed nothing but gratitude to the Portuguese coach.

"I tried several times to convince Jose to let me participate in training. My efforts were to no avail."

"Jose kept on telling me that any risk could lead to dire consequences. He insisted that my football career is much more important than playing any match.

"I was unhappy to be denied the chance to train, but at the same time I appreciated Jose’s caring about me. To be honest, he always does the same things with all players."

Important Encounter



Abou-Treika believes a win over Zamalek in the upcoming Champions League encounter would bring Ahli huge benefits.

"A win over Zamalek in the group stage opener will help us approach the second game against ASEC Mimosas, which is also a very tough one, in the best possible way."

"It will also boost the players’ morale before we face Zamalek once again in the Egyptian Super Cup few days after the African clash."

Abou-Treika insists that beating Zamalek is never easy despite Ahli’s superiority over the White Castle in recent seasons.

"Zamalek are a prestigious team, we have to fully respect them," he commented.

"They strengthened their squad after signing some players with great quality. Zamalek’s new technical staff will be also keen to prove their worth.

"Our opponents are very motivated to win silverware, so we shouldn’t expect an easy ride."

Readmore »»

Does Europe Need Better Scouting?

I wonder how football pundits in Europe have just discovered that there is someone called Andrei Arshavin worth watching in Russia.



A scout is someone responsible for detecting hidden talents all over the world for the intention of selecting a suitable player for his respective club.

But when those talents become visible to everyone, the scout's role simply erodes.

Arshavin has been magnificent for club and country throughout the past couple of years, but he burst onto the scene only after starring in two EURO 2008 games.

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger admitted he would have wanted to sign the Russian sensation if he was 21 or 22 years old.

The French manager went on to explain why Arshavin and Co. are only being noticed now.

"Mainly I would say that you discovered Russian players only at this tournament because you see them playing less. All the others you know."

Arshavin was named Russian Footballer of the Year in 2006, after which he sparkled for Zenit, leading them to a sensational UEFA Cup triumph last season.

The quality of the player is the fact that matters, not where he plays.
So for a genuine football follower, the dexterous striker is no emerging talent.

"It's not only me. There are many good players in my country, but people are now discovering us," said Arshavin.

The same applies to Roman Pavlyuchenko, who scored twice against England in the qualifiers, but was only discerned when goals started to flow in Austria and Switzerland.

Another EURO 2008 revelation is Holland midfielder Orlando Engelaar, who is now on the wishlist of clubs in the Premiership and the Bundesliga.

However, Engelaar is 28, he was not that impressive for the Oranje in the EURO finals, but caught attention because he played regularly.

There is no question that top competitions should introduce new faces to the world of football every now and then, but is also unfair to those who cannot get an opportunity to shine.

The 1996 competition in England was followed by an exodus of home-based Czech Republic players to top European leagues.

But what would have happened if the team failed to the EURO finals? Does that mean that the likes of Pavel Nedved, Karel Poborsky, Vladimir Smicer and others would have remained in anonymous?

A decent footballer does not have to wait so long to bare the fruits of his efforts and get a better move.

Or else UEFA should be considering the prospect of holding the competition every two years (against popular demand), so that more hidden talents could be unlocked.

Readmore »»

Germany v Spain preview

Glory is within touching distance for Germany and Spain as the duo contest the Euro 2008 final on Sunday evening at the Ernst-Happel Stadion in Vienna.



The European Championship showpiece promises to be an absorbing encounter with Germany's undisputed ability to dig deep when called upon set to clash against Spain's free-flowing panache.

Joachim Low's side have stuttered at times in Austria and Switzerland, emerging as runners-up in Group B following their setback against Croatia.

They demonstrated their attacking qualities with gusto to down Portugal in the quarter-finals but were forced to rely on a late, late goal to advance past a spirited Turkey.

No-nonsense



Spain, meanwhile, under the guidance of no-nonsense head coach Luis Aragones, all-but cruised through Group D before disposing of world champions Italy on penalties in the last-eight.

Russia promised to offer a sterner test, but the Spaniards proved too strong, brushing their opponents aside with a 3-0 triumph.

It will be Spain's first major final appearance since they were beaten by host nation France in the 1984 European Championship.

In the intervening period, Germany have featured in five finals, lifting the World Cup in 1990 and the European crown in 1996.

Aragones - who is set to step down as Spain boss after the final - will be desperate to finish on the most elevated of highs by ending the country's 44-year wait for international success.

However, he will have to make do without star striker David Villa, who is the current top scorer at Euro 2008 with four goals, after the Valencia forward suffered a small rupture in his right leg muscle against the Russians.

Villa out



Villa's absence paves the way for Cesc Fabregas, with the Arsenal schemer poised to make his second start of the tournament.

Fabregas, who netted the winning penalty against the Azzurri, has been in inspired form from the substitutes' bench at Euro 2008, and is likely to play off lone striker Fernando Torres as part of a five-man midfield.

Andres Iniesta and David Silva are expected to continue to operate on the wings, while Xavi will be partnered by enforcer Marcos Senna.

Carles Puyol and Carlos Marchena are set to marshal Spain's central defence in front of goalkeeper Iker Casillas with Sergio Ramos and Joan Capdevila in respective right and left-back roles.

For Germany, Low is expected to stand by his system rethink, with the disappointing Mario Gomez unlikely to be recalled to the starting XI after he was dropped following the group stages.

Clinical frontman Miroslav Klose is poised to lead the line with Chelsea's Michael Ballack to provide support from deep.

Lukas Podolski, who has netted three goals at this summer's finals, and Bastian Schweinsteiger will then occupy the flanks.

Two from three



In the centre, Low must choose two from Torsten Frings, Simon Rolfes and Thomas Hitzlsperger as his side's holding men.

The Germany head coach will be looking for an improvement from defensive pairing Christoph Metzelder and Per Mertesacker after previously shaky displays from the duo.

Stuttgart-bound Jens Lehmann will start in goal, while semi-final saviour Philipp Lahm and right-back Arne Friedrich will complete the back-line.

Readmore »»

Beckham is collecting markers for a change..

After having spent all his football playing life trying to get away from markers here is Becks trying to collect them for a change.For a few dollars more...

Readmore »»

Iraq crashes out of the World Cup qualifiers

In the midst of Euro fever, there was sad news for the millions of Iraqi fans as their national team crashed out of World Cup qualifying contention beaten by Qatar.

A draw would have sufficed to get them to the final round of qualifiying.

For the Iraqis, their national team was one of the few unifying forces that brought the various warring sects together, laying down their differences to answer the call of their common passion.

Just ten days ago, the team was flying high as they eliminated China from the race through a 2-1 win through goals by Nashat Akram and Emad Ridha. A few weeks earlier, the Iraqis had defeated the Socceroos, arguably the toughest team in Asia, 1-0 through a sizzling free kick by Emad Mohammad.

Readmore »»

Viva Espania - Spaniards singing in the rain..

Guus Hiddink couldn't get his Russian Ballet started last night and it was Flamenco all the way.Where was Andrei Arshavin ? He changed superhero identities last night.For the last couple of games he was the kind of superhero who was leaping over tall defenders and goalkeepers in a single bound.Yesterday he was the kind of superhero who runs around being invisible.It was the reign of Spain in the rain.Goal video below.

Readmore »»