Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri believes his side, and not fierce rivals Inter Milan, should have advanced to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia.
The Azzurri had several chances to score during the match but eventually bowed out at the quarter-final stage after a heartbreaking 5-4 penalty shootout loss on Wednesday.
“All one needs to do is look at the amount of shots on goal by Napoli to see how wrong this result is,” Mazzarri said.
“I also have some serious doubts over some of the refereeing decisions. There was a handball against [Hugo] Campagnaro which wasn’t awarded. As for the offside goal, it was offside, but only by a few millimetres.”
“These are situations that a coach cannot control, therefore it is useless to speak about them. I am disappointed how the match went, but not with my players. I have nothing to tell them off for, but we did deserve to win.”
Inter boss Leonardo admitted his team had struggled at times but was thrilled to set up a last-four clash against either Juventus or Roma.
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“I am very satisfied with the performance of my team, on several occasions they coped with being on the back foot. I think our win on penalties is highly deserved,” he said.
“I saw a very even game. At certain points Napoli tried to win the game as they were playing at home. It’s true, at one point we were struggling in the middle of the field but I didn’t see a big difference between the sides.”
Lazio coach Edy Reja was left to rue a single costly mistake after his side drew 1-1 at home to Chievo on Sunday.
The hosts led through Hernanes’ goal in the 45th minute at the Stadio Olimpico but despite enjoying the bulk of the possession they failed to find a second goal.
Bostjan Cesar made them pay with an equaliser from one of Chievo’s few chances in the 64th minute.
“Chievo did well to press the ball for the entire 90 minutes and this made it difficult to create numerous goal-scoring chances,” Reja said.
“My side did everything they could to search for victory and unfortunately we conceded on a corner. We need to work harder to avoid these momentary lapses in concentration.”
“They only had one chance on goal and scored and when this is the case it is always hard to stomach the result.”
Lazio, who have drawn twice and lost twice in their last five games, are now seven points off the lead in Serie A, leading to unrest among the club’s expectant supporters.
But despite failing to secure the win, Reja is confident his team are beginning to move in the right direction.
“I thought we deserved victory this afternoon but this is football,” Reja said.
“We are improving in terms of intensity and level of performance and this is important at this stage of the season.”
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Chievo boss Stefano Pioli praised his players for gaining a hard-fought draw at the home of one of the title challengers.
“Lazio forced us to defend, but we managed to hold on tight,” Pioli said.
“In terms of spirit of sacrifice and quality, my players deserved the point.”
Aston Villa have entered a race with Bordeaux to sign Le Havre’s defensive midfielder Gueida Fofana, after having watched their £1million swoop for the youngster in January collapse – according to a report in the Daily Mail.
The 19-year-old travelled to Birmingham in December last year, however the player’s wage demands quickly spoiled a potential deal with Gerard Houllier’s side.
The Villa boss explained his frustration in not acquiring the French youngster, and remains speculative of any future deal.
‘The Fofana deal is not done and I doubt it will be done,” said the former Liverpool boss.
‘For the moment, an agreement has not been reached. He’s got potential. He’s a 19-year-old player, very mature, with a strong personality,’ he said.
Fofana has scored two goals and made close to 50 league appearances with Le Havre, a club which saw him emerge through the youth ranks and into the senior squad in August 2009.
He has also played his way through the French youth squads, featuring on numerous occasions at U-16, U-17, U-18, U-19 and U-20 level.
The Frenchman signed a new three-year-deal with Le Havre on 28 January 2011, following the collapsed deal with Aston Villa.
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Two sides that promised so much and have delivered little this season clash at Goodison on Saturday when Everton play host to Fulham.David Moyes’ Everton side finished in eighth place last season and just missed out on the Europa League play-off spots, with expectations heading into this campaign high for the Merseyside club.But after failing to record a win in their first six league games, Everton did not really get going until October and have been forced to play catch up as a result.In their most recent outing, they drew 1-1 at home against Birmingham on March 9, leaving Moyes’ side sitting in ninth place in the English Premier League on 37 points – well short of fifth-placed Spurs, who have 48 points and would be guaranteed a Europa League berth.Fulham, meanwhile, finished last season as runners-up in the Europa League after a 2-1 loss to Atletico Madrid in the final, though they then lost boss Roy Hodgson to Liverpool and replaced him with Mark Hughes.Supporters were calling for Hughes’ head during the Christmas period after a disastrous run of results left them in the drop zone, but the Londoners have steadied since then to be sitting in 11th place.In their most recent league outing, a 90th-minute penalty from Bobby Zamora helped them claim a 3-2 win over Blackburn on March 5. But with only three points between them and the bottom three, there is no room for complacency at Craven Cottage.Hughes’ squad looks relatively fresh for this time of the season, with only long-term casualties Steve Sidwell and Philippe Senderos guaranteed to miss out.Moyes will be sweating on the fitness of Spanish playmaker Mikel Arteta, who limped off with a hamstring complaint against Birmingham, while Tim Cahill is still bothered by an ankle injury and midfielder Marouane Fellaini is out for the season with an ankle injury of his own.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is adamant the Gunners were robbed of a trip to the Champions League quarter-finals by referee Massimo Busacca.Arsenal fell 3-1 at Barcelona in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday, crashing out of European competition on the losing side of a 4-3 aggregate.But the Gunners will rue Busacca’s controversial decision to dismiss striker Robin van Persie in the 56th minute, with scores tied 1-1 and Arsenal ahead 3-2 overall.Barcelona, who were dominant before Van Persie’s dismissal, used the man advantage to rack up another two goals through Xavi and Lionel Messi and seal up a trip to the last eight.While conceding Arsenal had been beaten by an excellent side, Wenger was steadfast in his belief that the result would have been different had Van Persie not been dealt with so harshly.”We lost against a good team,” Wenger told Sky Sports.”In the first half we resisted the pressure. I believe that straight away in the second half it would have been very interesting if it had stayed 11 against 11.””But that was not the case and at the end of the day we have many regrets.””We were beaten by a terrific side, certainly the best team in Europe. I am still convinced that in the second half we could have done a lot at 1-1 if it had stayed 11 against 11.””(Busacca) must never have played in games of football of that importance, with people shouting.””Even if he takes the chance, I don’t see why it was a second yellow card. He must never have played football at all to do that.”Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola admitted Van Persie’s dismissal would have been difficult for Arsenal to swallow, but said the Gunners were defeated by a far superior team regardless.”Arsenal are a very good team but they didn’t make three passes in a row,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.”So we created many, many chances. We kept a lot of control and played the perfect game, they defended very, very well but they didn’t pass more than three or four passes.””I can understand Arsenal’s reaction about Robin van Persie, because it’s difficult with 10 against 11.””But we are so, so happy with our performance. I think we deserve to be in the quarter-finals. In the two legs we have been better than them.”
Lazio boss Edy Reja has criticised supporters who mocked his side’s 1-0 win over lowly Cesena on Saturday.Lazio provisionally moved to fourth place and two points from the top three with victory in the Italian capital, though fans who attended the Stadio Olimpico were left unimpressed and jeered the players and coach.Reja believes the Lazio faithful are still stung from last Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Roma – their fifth straight derby defeat – but called on fans and the media to show more respect to his side.”We are coming off five consecutive derby defeats and our fans are disappointed, as we are too, so it wasn’t easy to lift the team’s morale at the start of the week,” Reja said.”Today we proved that we can react to difficulties and I’d say these players deserve nothing but applause.””Certainly they should have more respect from the media and some sections of the crowd.””There should be less criticism, considering these lads are having an extraordinary campaign with 36 points earned on home turf.”Lazio face a crunch game against Napoli on Saturday, and will perhaps have to make do without Francelino Matuzalem after the Brazilian midfielder was caught on camera elbowing Luis Jimenez.
Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has confirmed Thomas Sorensen will play in goal in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Bolton Wanderers.Asmir Begovic has been Stoke’s first-choice goalkeeper for much of the Premier League season but Sorensen has deputised in cup competitions.
“Thomas has lost his place but has played in the cup and been outstanding in those games,” Pulis said on Thursday.
“Thomas is a top goalkeeper, captain of Denmark and obviously he will want to play every week.”
“Asmir Begovic has come in and done smashing and that is what competition is all about.”
“We want to keep Thomas at the club and we’re currently in talks about his future.”
Pulis insisted Bolton are favourites ahead of the game.
Stoke are only in their third season as a Premier League side and Pulis said that gave Bolton a big advantage.
“To be honest, they have more experience than us in the Premier League – they’re more established than we are,” he said.
“They have more players who have played at Wembley and understand the stadium and the crowd.”
“But it’s a one-off game and you never know what might happen.”
“We will go there and give it our best shot.”
“The main thing is the players enjoy it and put on a good show.”
“It’s going to be a great atmosphere, the city is buzzing.”
This weekend’s league action could see Stoke dragged closer to the relegation zone but Pulis insisted he will not be distracted by that.
“We will just be concentrating on the FA Cup game on Sunday,” he said.
“There are a lot of ifs, buts and maybes you could think about but there is nothing we can do about the league results this weekend.”
“After that, we have a very tough Premier League game away to Aston Villa.”
“I would like to win the FA Cup and stay in the Premier League.”
Long-term injuries to defender Danny Higginbotham and striker Mamady Sidibe aside, Stoke have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the clash.
England is approaching the 45th anniversary of their last, and only, silverware, the 1966 World Cup, and nothing suggests this trend won’t continue for another 45 years. During the last decade, the ‘golden generation’ have persistently failed to deliver even a fraction of their hype, and even though nobody should ever have expected them to win tournaments, their lacklustre and uninterested displays are unforgivable considering the wealth of talent that has been available.
The major point of contention has always been how such an extensive pool of gifted players failed to perform to a standard capable of reaching even a semi-final of an international tournament, whilst simultaneously collecting trophies for their club sides. Of the side which started against Germany in last summer’s 4-1 knockout-round elimination in South Africa, there were a total of 13 Premier League titles and two Champions’ League trophies between the XI, which had all been accumulated over a six-year period prior to the World Cup. Had England’s captain, Rio Ferdinand, not sustained an injury on the cusp of the tournament, another four Premier League titles and a further Champions’ League medal would have been added in to the equation.
Throughout England’s decades of disappointments, Spain were also experiencing a similar level of frustration, as the likes of Fernando Hierro, Luis Enrique and Raul, amongst many others, regularly failed to exhibit their club form on the international stage. In 2006, a team with Carles Puyol, Sergio Ramos, Cesc Fabregas, Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso and David Villa won all three of their World Cup group games comfortably before losing to eventual finalists, France, in the knockout-round. Despite this, Spain had demonstrated the precocious quality that would two years later triumph in the 2008 European Championship in Vienna, before building on that success with a World Cup double in 2010.
So how have Spain, having seemingly developed parallel to England in terms of playing quality and subsequent infuriation, been able to alter a national footballing mentality so quickly and with results, whereas England remain in disarray with an arguably less able squad than previous years, a manager that barely anyone has faith in and almost no chance of achieving glory anytime soon? What is it that Spain have done differently, and what influences can England derive from their Iberian counterparts which will assist them in the pursuit of silverware?
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Clearly there is not an issue in terms of playing or coaching quality, but a mentality that is embedded in to not just English football in general, but the national side as well. Carles Folguero, who is the director at Barcelona’s La Masia academy, explained that Spain’s World Cup victory, “wasn’t so much the victory of a team, but the victory of an idea.” The England team of the post-Terry Venables era has not had an identifiable personality or characteristic that has remained constant throughout.
This is further rationalized by Pep Segura, who was technical director at La Masia before joining Liverpool’s academy two years ago: “The great thing about La Masia – the concept that I’d like to try and bring to Liverpool – is this. Barcelona’s La Masia represents the club’s policy. It’s a symbol of the club’s philosophy. When your policies keep changing when one day you say black, the next day white, then there will always be a problem in trying to establish a clearly defined concept of player development.” It is not as easy as the FA would have us believe that replacing a foreign coach who ‘doesn’t understand the English game’ with an English coach who ‘does,’ encompasses an idea or an identity that translates on to the pitch.
The fact is, Spain’s triumphant squad developed their technical skills in line with a philosophy they had learned from such a young age. Eight members of the Spanish squad graduated from La Masia and a further seven Barcelona youngsters recently represented the country’s under-19s at tournament level. English football used to have a recognizable culture that is no longer evident, and even though England are yet to return from foreign fields with any trophies, they reached two semi-finals between 1990 and 1996, which at the time indicated an encouraging future which for several reasons was wasted by Gerrard, Lampard and Beckham et al throughout the 2000s.
The most frustrating aspect of it all is that England have not, and will not, produce an assemblage of players anywhere near the standard of the ‘golden generation.’ In my view, it isn’t that Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole haven’t been bothered to ‘respect the Three Lions shirt,’ but that they had no formal instruction on how to play. Italians are renowned for playing defensive, counter-attacking football which is a concept implanted on each and every generation of Italian footballers. They don’t play attractive football that I enjoy watching but their philosophy has proved successful over time and is what won them the 2006 World Cup. Similarly, Germany haven’t been blessed with the greatest collection of players at any one time in the last ten years, but have continued an idea that has existed within the country for decades, even today when their squad consists of a number of foreign immigrants. They didn’t have to win anything for their supporters to be satisfied, but just perform at a consistent level which embraces their national ideology.
Pako Ayestaran, Rafael Benitez’s long-serving assistant at Valencia and Liverpool, alludes to this problem: “Every success story leaves clues behind, but as well as identifying them, you also have to be able to adapt them to your own philosophy and culture. So right now, English football needs to be faithful to its own culture, whilst recognising that there are different ways of playing football.” This quite literally hammers the nail on the head. Spain had no footballing individuality for a number of years, but discovered a personality in conjunction with a particular style of play. Even if they hadn’t supplemented such hard work with their recent trophy haul, the process would have been deemed a success for at least attempting to force a certain philosophy based on the country’s footballing traditions.
This is something England must look to achieve as soon as possible in order to remove the shackles of false promises and on-pitch indifference, because this country had a footballing ideology and character which was acknowledged universally, but was abandoned at the most recent time the playing staff endured a period of transition. The FA must of course shoulder the majority of the blame and should now make sure the emerging generation determine a fixed philosophy which they can approach future tournaments with. This has been the most significant obstruction to English football’s development over the last decade, and its repair will be the most important catalyst for a successful future. Even though the next set of English youngsters don’t possess enough overall quality to win an international tournament, they will play a substantial role in providing succeeding generations a thoroughly English blueprint to learn from and implement.
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If you think England need to rediscover an English identity, follow me on Twitter
More Premier League footballers are joining Twitter all the time. Just this morning Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere tweeted that fellow England U21 international and Aston Villa star Marc Albrighton has setup an account. So it appears that their lives aren’t busy enough, seeing as they have plenty of time to tell us what they’re doing!
I for one am not complaining, though, as it gives us a great insight into what they’re up to and how professional footballers feel at any given time. It isn’t just players that football fans should follow on Twitter either, there are plenty of great accounts that give you analysis, intruiging stats and plenty of laughs (check out the spoof accounts for that). So we thought we’d identify the TEN Twitter accounts that all footy fans should follow…
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Click on Rio below to see the Top TEN
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Hertha Berlin, the 2.Bundesliga champions, have signed Bayern Munich goalkeeper Thomas Kraft for their promotion season next term.Hertha sewed up the German second tier title with a 2-0 away win at Erzgebirge Aue on Sunday, and they have added the talented 22-year-old shot-stopper to their stocks for their top-flight season, with Kraft signing a four-year deal after completing a free transfer.
Kraft was touted to take over as Bayern’s number one custodian in goal, but several errors this campaign put doubt over whether he could maintain the position at the German powerhouse.
Bayern have also signalled their intent to sign Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, and Kraft took the opportunity to move to another Bundesliga club for next campaign.
“Hertha BSC is a big challenge for me,” Kraft told the club’s official website.
“General manager Michael Preetz and coach Markus Babbel have completely convinced me with their vision for Hertha.”
“I am really looking forward to going with Hertha on their way into the Bundesliga.”
Dutch ‘keeper Maikel Aerts spent the most time in goal for Hertha this campaign, and will be contending with Kraft for the number one spot.
Other goalkeepers on the club’s books include 39-year-old Marco Sejna, Sascha Burchert and teenager Richard Strebinger.