Gerrard: Reds are in the title race
Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool's chances of winning a first league title since 1990 are being boosted by the fact favourites Chelsea and Manchester City are continuing to fight on multiple front.
Ronaldo: I can't believe it's so close
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Brazilian legend Ronaldo has penned an open letter to the international footballing community, expressing his excitement for the FIFA World Cup which kicks off in 100 days' time.
Only 100 days. It’s hard to believe it’s so close. It seems like only yesterday that Brazil was confirmed as the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ Host Country. I remember the excitement I felt once I realised that my country was going to stage the most important football event on the planet.
Even though I won’t be out there on the field, I’m starting to get the same butterflies in the stomach as I used to do when a big game was coming up. After all, the World Cup will be a kind of “Final” forBrazil, in terms of the country establishing itself on the global stage. The spotlight will be on us, and it’s a great chance to show the world just what’s so special about Brazil and the Brazilian people.
With the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics taking place here in Brazil, we have the chance to prove to the world not just how much we love sport, but also how strong we are economically. Brazil is a world leader in biotechnology and one of the biggest meat, mineral and soya producers on the planet. Thousands of tourists and foreign journalists will arrive on our doorstep shortly, anxious to discover the real Brazil.
Although Brazil is a country of great social divisions, we have made significant progress in tackling this problem in recent years. We are a diverse but unified society, a land of talented, determined, creative and innovative people – characteristics that are captured perfectly by Neymar’s dizzying, magical dribbles, the music of Tom Jobim, and the scientific achievements of Miguel Nicolelis, whose exoskeleton research has given paraplegics hope that they may one day walk again.
Brazil is a place of great happiness and joy, and we will welcome World Cup visitors with open arms. But until then, we must keep working.
Brazil 2014 Local Organising Committee Board Member Ronaldo
Brazil is such a colourful country, blessed with breathtaking natural beauty. Tourists that come here for the World Cup should prepare themselves for an unforgettable experience. Whether it’s from visiting the beaches of the north-east, witnessing the vastness of the Amazon River, or taking in the dazzling blend of ocean and mountains that makes Rio de Janeiro such a special place, every visitor will take home a treasured personal memory.
Brazil is a place of great happiness and joy, and we will welcome World Cup visitors with open arms. But until then, we must keep working.
As a 2014 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee Management Board member, I have been lucky enough to observe up close the dedication and skill of the workers who are helping to construct this unique event. In all 12 host cities I’ve witnessed the commitment of the thousands of people who are striving to create the best World Cup possible.
We faced some tough tests during the preparations. Last year, we hosted the best FIFA Confederations Cup in history. That’s not just my opinion, but also that of fans, journalists, and even FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.
Less than six months later, we successfully organised another challenging event: the Final Draw at the Costa do Sauipe in Bahia. And after we discovered in which cities the games would be played, the 32 national teams that will dispute the tournament, discussed their operational plans with members of the LOC, FIFA, and the Brazilian government.
This exchange of ideas and opinions between organisers and national teams is an ongoing process, and another key event, the National Teams Workshop at the Costao do Santinho in Florianopolis, took place last month. Subjects such as safety, transport, and how the teams are to be looked after were discussed in detail.
Now we’re really on the home straight. Since the beginning of the year two new stadiums have opened: the Arena das Dunas in Natal, and the new Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre. They’re beautiful, just like the Arena Amazonia, the Arena da Baixada, the Arena Pantanal and the Arena Corinthians, which are also almost ready.
By the time the World Cup begins, all the stadiums will have carried out test events. These are of vital importance so that the tournament organisers can make final adjustments to their plans.
Category: Fifa
Milan cannot stop Juventus in their tracks
"It would take a tank to beat this Juve," said AC Milan coach Clarence Seedorf after a 2-0 loss on Sunday; "Let's hope we don't meet any panzers," smiled Antonio Conte.
Serie A leaders Juventus ended a difficult week with another 2-0 triumph, prevailing at AC Milan on Sunday after flying back from Turkey, where they had won by the same margin at Trabzonspor AŞ in the UEFA Europa League.
Tévez's powerful long-range shot earned him praise from Gianluigi Buffon. "His goal was amazing, and it is not the first one he has scored like that," said the goalkeeper. "Certainly, we could breathe a bit easier after that – we took our chances but we also had a bit of luck tonight." The 30-year-old Argentinian is now the joint top scorer in Serie A, and the Rossoneri may regret not having signed Tévez in January 2012 when a deal seemed imminent.Seedorf's side looked to be in control in the first half, but the visitors broke the deadlock a minute before the break through Fernando Llorente, and added another when Carlos Tévez scored his 14th league goal of the season after 68 minutes. "It would take a tank to beat this Juve," said Rossoneri coach Clarence Seedorf. "Let's hope we don't meet any panzers, then," replied Juventus coach Antonio Conte with a smile.
"It wasn't easy today," Conte concluded. "Let's say Milan were like half a tank – they had enthusiasm and they played with a very high tempo in the first half. We had some problems, then Llorente scored and we changed our tactics during the break. Some say that Milan are not as strong a side as they once were, but if you look at my first two years at Juve, we got a draw and a loss against them at San Siro, so it wasn't easy at all."
With second-placed AS Roma 11 points behind them – albeit with a game in hand – following 0-0 against FC Internazionale Milano, and SSC Napoli a further six points back in third, it is hard to imagine Juventus missing out on a third successive title. "For sure, 11 points is a good lead," said Buffon. "But still, I don't underestimate Roma, especially because we are still in Europe and they are not, so sooner or later we might pay in terms of fitness problems."
Conte knows that is a concern. "Everything went fine for us in the league, but there are players who have never been rested, like [Leonardo] Bonucci, or [Paul] Pogba, who only had a two-week break in the summer after playing in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, so I am staying alert," the former Italy midfielder noted. "We have an 11-point margin, but there's still a long road ahead. It would be something special to win a third Scudetto in a row."
Category: Serie ARamos: "In the second half we dominated and deserved more goals"
"A change was needed to add intensity to the game; after the break we went out with more aggression", said the defender.
Ramós played in the draw against Atlético de Madrid and gave his impressions on the match after the final whistle: "Any points are good. In the first fifteen minutes we were very switched on, but because of the first goal perhaps we were guilty of relaxing and they were able to take advantage. In the second half we dominated and we deserved more goals. One point isn't enough because Real Madrid are expected to win every game".
"Clearly a change was needed to add intensity to the game. After the break we went out with more aggression and we won the 50/50 balls, which we were not doing before”.
Position in the Liga
“We come away from here with a point, from a difficult opponent and ground, and we're still top. We have a lead and we'll try to increase it. We'll have to wait because the Liga is very long”.
Finally he responded to the questions about a hypothetical penalty not given to Atlético: “That's football, there are thousands that aren't given and thousands that are. That's what the referee's for, sometimes he gets it right and sometimes he doesn't. It's not our job to make the call”.
"Clearly a change was needed to add intensity to the game. After the break we went out with more aggression and we won the 50/50 balls, which we were not doing before”.
Position in the Liga
“We come away from here with a point, from a difficult opponent and ground, and we're still top. We have a lead and we'll try to increase it. We'll have to wait because the Liga is very long”.
Finally he responded to the questions about a hypothetical penalty not given to Atlético: “That's football, there are thousands that aren't given and thousands that are. That's what the referee's for, sometimes he gets it right and sometimes he doesn't. It's not our job to make the call”.
Category: Liba BBVAGerrard: Reds are in the title race
Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool's chances of winning a first league title since 1990 are being boosted by the fact favourites Chelsea and Manchester City are continuing to fight on multiple fronts.
A tilt at the Premier League trophy had not been part of manager Brendan Rodgers' plan this season and, despite their impressive form, the party line at Anfield has been that they are not getting carried away.
That, though, is becoming an increasingly difficult mantra to stick to, with Saturday's 3-0 victory at Southampton seeing them climb above Manchester City and Arsenal into second place.
Just four points separate them from leaders Chelsea, and Liverpool's travelling fans chanted 'We're going to win the league' at St Mary's - something Gerrard believes is a realistic goal given their full focus is on the league, unlike their rivals.
"Well, I think it's very nice that people are talking about us and we are in the title race - there's no getting away from that," the Reds captain said. "We're in it.
"But it's important that we stay calm, keep taking it game by game and try to win as many as we can.
We are a big threat because we've got no Europe and we can be fresh every game.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard
"Man City and Chelsea are still the favourites if you like because they've got that experience of going to win it.
"But I think they both know, listening to Jose Mourinho and Manuel Pellegrini, that we are a big threat because we've got no Europe and we can be fresh every game.
"It does suit us at the moment being underdogs. What suits us as well is that we've got a lot of time to prepare.
"We've worked on this formation all week. We chose to play a diamond and I think it shocked Southampton.
"We broke, played on the counter-attack superbly well and could have got more goals."
Luis Suarez was at the heart of most things going forward, capping his 100th league appearance for Liverpool with a man-of-the-match display.
The 27-year-old netted his 24th goal of the season to open the scoring at St Mary's, before providing the assist for Raheem Sterling and earning the penalty from which Gerrard added extra gloss.
"I've run out of words to describe him," Gerrard said of Suarez. "We're blessed in this country to have some really top forwards, top, top attacking players.
"But for me, without being biased, he's the best. I've said it many times, I look at Messi and Ronaldo and, yeah, they're world-class players.
"But outside of that, you've got (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic and Luis Suarez who are pushing those two really close.
"Performances like this, where he hasn't scored for four or five games, but he's getting assists, he's causing so much problems. He's relentless. He's a winner, he's a killer and we're lucky to have him."
Category: Barclays Premier League
