• Home
• 2010 World Cup
• Fixtures
• Tables
• Links
• Contact Us
• Write for Us

• 2010 News
• 2010 World Cup Fixtures
• Betting
• Car Hire
• Hostels
• Hotels
• Kits
• Live on TV
• Ringtones
• Stadiums
• Tickets
• Travel

Subscribe

Lippi recalls Marchionni for key qualifiers.

Marcello Lippi has named the 23 players for the upcoming world cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria on the 5th and 9th of September respectively. Surprise inclusions into the squad include viola midfielder Marco Marchionni, Claudio Marchisio, Domenico Criscito and Nicola Legrottaglie. It was a surprise inclusion for Marchionni who was signed by Fiorentina in the deal that saw Felipe Melo move to Juventus over the summer. With, Gattuso injured in the Derby della Madonnina (Milan derby) on the weekend, it was thought that Marchionni’s team mate Montolivo would be called up by Lippi.

Montolivo’s form has not been good in in recent matches and even in the recent Confederations Cup as I mentioned in my previous post, so it is no surprise to see Lippi try other options. Although the recent poor form of Andrea Pirlo has been forgotten by Lippi, as he has put his faith in the world cup winner to anchor the midfield with Roma’s maestro Daniele De Rossi.

I am little disappointed blucherchiati strikers Giampaolo Pazzini and Antonio Cassano have been overlooked as both form a prolific partnership together for Sampdoria and it would be incredible to see this replicated for the nazionale. Perhaps Lippi could have replaced Pepe with Cassano and Rossi with Pazzini in the squad?One only has to look at Cassano’s most recent match on against Udinese to wonder why such an incredible talent is continually overlooked.

The popular roman based sports paper Corriere Dello Sport is trying its best to conjure up public support for the inclusion for Cassano, with various articles, polls and videos all essentially asking the same question. In fact the poll on the site currently is asking if Cassano should be called up for the Azzurri, and as it stands an overwhelming 93% of the 1833 respondents believe he should be given an opportunity. Although a small sample, I found by reading many comments on the site that public opinion is definitely against Lippi on this decision in particular.

Perhaps another notable exclusion was Luca Toni, who has struggled with form for both club and country over the past year. With Bayern Munich bringing in new strikers over the summer and Toni not changing clubs during the transfer period, it seems he is surplus to requirements for the bavarian club.With little playing time in a foreign league it is doubtful if Toni will get a recall anytime soon. It must be said with Toni in the team they seem to rely on long aerial balls to the tall striker, forgoing attacking runs or playing the ball to the feet. Toni is good at what he does don’t get me wrong, but this strategy was caught out many times during the confederations cup. These two games are a chance for the team to redeem themselves after the disappointing exit from the Confederations Cup, and most importantly obtain pick up 6 vital points towards qualification.

The 23 players called up by Marcello Lippi for the games against Georgia on September 5th  in Tiblisi and Bulgaria at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin on September 9th include the following:

Goalkeepers: Buffon, De Sanctis, Marchetti

Defenders: Cannavaro, Chiellini, Criscito, Grosso, Legrottaglie,Santon, Zambrotta

Midfielders: Camoranesi, D’Agostino, De Rossi, Marchionni, Marchisio, Palombo, Pepe,    Pirlo

Forwards:  Di Natale, Gilardino, Iaquinta, Quagliarella, Rossi.

Lennon and Crouch earn England call ups

Fabio Capello announced his squad for the friendly against Slovenian and the World Cup qualifier against Croatia and found a place in the squad for both Aaron Lennon and Peter Crouch but none for Michael Owen.

Manchester United defender Wes Brown was also recalled, while Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard returns after injury.

Owen last played for England in March 2008 and has started only once for Manchester United this season as the former England regular looks to get himself to the top of his game.

Injuries prevented Capello from including two veteran internationals in Portsmouth’s David James, who has bone bruising, while Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is also not yet fit enough to return as he recovers from a thigh injury.

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott is also unavailable again as he has not played yet this season because of a back injury, meaning Lennon, Shaun Wright-Phillips, James Milner, David Beckham and Ashley Young provide the wing options.

England squad for 5 September friendly against Slovenia and the 9 September World Cup qualifier against Croatia:

Goalkeepers: Foster (Manchester United), Green (West Ham), Robinson (Blackburn)

Defenders: Johnson (Liverpool), Brown (Manchester United), Upson (West Ham), Terry (Chelsea, capt), Lescott (Manchester City), A Cole (Chelsea), Bridge (Manchester City)

Midfielders: Wright-Phillips (Manchester City), Lennon (Tottenham), Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Barry (Manchester City), Lampard (Chelsea), Carrick (Manchester United), Gerrard (Liverpool), A Young (Aston Villa), Milner (Aston Villa)

Strikers: Rooney (Manchester United), Heskey (Aston Villa), Defoe (Tottenham), C Cole (West Ham), Crouch (Tottenham).

Road to South Africa 2010 - Crucial Double Header For USA

Team USA plays its seventh out of 10 matches in the final qualifying round for the 2010 FIFA soccer World Cup in South Africa against El Salvador at the Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah on  5th Sept 2009.  In the previous meeting between the two teams, the U.S. came from behind on goals by Jozy Altidore and Frankie Hejduk to take a point away from home with a 2-2 draw in San Salvador, El Salvador in March. If they manage to win, this will be the 10th straight home win for Team USA. After the 2-1 loss to Mexico, it is important that Team USA wins this fixture and cements its position in the league table. This will be a busy time for the U.S team as they will be playing an away game against Trinidad & Tobago on Sept. 9 in Port of Spain.

As a reminder, the U.S.is currently in third place in the final round qualifier out of the six teams in the group, having collected 10 points from the first six games. Costa Rica leads the table with 12 points, while Honduras is in second place based on a superior goal difference to the United States. The top three teams automatically advance to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, while the fourth place team as to participate in a two-leg playoff against the fifth placed team from the South America.

Head coach Bob Bradley has named a roster of 24 players for the pre-match training camp.  The U.S. team began gathering today in Aug. 30 in Utah for training. The team has thankfully recovered from the scare of H1N1 virus after Landon Donovan was diagnosed with the infection the day after the loss to Mexico. Prophylactic treatment was administered as a preventative measure to all players, coaches and staff members that were part of the team delegation.

Coach Bradley will be keen to keep his unbeaten record at home in World Cup qualifying matches.
Tim Howard will take his place in goal after missing the previous fixture against El Salvador when he was serving a one-match suspension. He has posted an impressive seven shutouts in 12 all-time World Cup qualifying appearances. Other players to watch will be Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Brian Ching and Landon Donovan.

Captain Carlos Bocanegra’s experience will also count in these tense final stages of the qualifying rounds. He is the team’s leading most capped player with an impressive 116 international appearances. Landon Donovan has recovered from the influenza A infection that caused a scare on the day after the loss to Mexico. His goal in the 2-1 qualifying win against Honduras on June 6 in Chicago lifted him to the top of the team’s all-time scoring list in World Cup qualifying with 11 career goals.

19 year-old Jozy Altidore is also expected to play a leading role in the upcoming games. Fan will remember his hat-trick in April against Trinidad & Tobago. He leads all U.S. scorers in the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign with five goals. He  also scored the first goal to spearhead Team USA’s comeback in the 2-2 draw in El Salvador.
Charlie Davies will also be expected to do well, as he has scored two goals in three appearances in the qualifiers.

Players without World Cup qualifying caps in coach Bradley’s list for the camp include midfielder Kyle Beckerman, forward Robbie Findley and Robbie Rogers. Defender Oguchi Onyewu will be unavailable for the match against El Salvador, as will be serving a one-match suspension due to yellow card accumulation.

The matches will be telecast live in ESPN Classic. Fans will be expecting two wins after the disappointment in Mexico. These two matches will be followed by the final games in October, an away fixture against Honduras and the home game in Washington D.C against Costa Rica.

Sanjay Prabhu

Richard’s Dunne deal?

One of the Republic of Ireland’s better known and successful defenders, Richard Dunne appears to have agreed a move to Aston Villa. Although the contract has yet to be signed, it does appear to be a formality.

He was seen at Villa’s training ground on Friday, and Martin O’Neill spoke publicly about the move and how much of an addition he will be to the squad. So much so that he has offered him the captaincy immediately.

Whereas Paul McShane, the other Irish defender involved in a weekend transfer, has seen his career slip over the years, Dunne could be described as a polar opposite.

Originally somewhat of a joke figure in the Irish team, and was famously christened The Honey Monster due to his apparent fondness of fast food and a faster lifestyle.

So fast in fact that he almost crashed out of professional football due to the bad performances and even worse discipline. Dunne has since often stated how ex Manchester City boss saved his career by putting him on a strict diet and fitness regime.

Although ex-City coach Keegan didn’t last too much longer at City, Dunne went on from strength to strength and soon became club captain and a central figure at the club.

Current City boss Mark Hughes however, has brought in Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott over the summer, and it appeared that Dunne would be the third choice for two spaces in the defence.

Dunne is held in very esteem in the English game and only for the fact that City are newly mega rich and can buy practically any player they want, one feels he would still be at the club.

The Dubliner also knew he would most likely be warming the bench in the run in to vital World Cup qualifiers and a possible appearance in the finals that would surely be the last of his career, so the proposed move to Villa seems like a good move for both parties. He will be guaranteed first team football in a team pushing for Europe and being led by one of the most talented and popular managers in the English game, Martin O’Neill.

For such a pivotal member of the Irish squad and the heart of the defence, it will be definitely be welcome news to all those involved to see the ink dry on the contract early next week.

Irish defender nets new deal

With the transfer window coming to an end, it will be a busy a 48 hours coming up across Europe. Whilst most of the big clubs seemed to have put the chequebook away until January, there will no doubt be a flurry of activity for the teams looking to push towards the European spots and even more so, those looking to avoid relegation.

Two Irish centre halves appear to found themselves new clubs. Paul McShane sealed a deal bringing him back to Hull City, where he spent most of last season on loan.

McShane’s star has fallen dramatically in the past few seasons. After a memorable debut for Ireland and marking the giant 6ft 8inch frame of Czech Republic’s Jan Koller out of a game at Lansdowne Road, he has become somewhat of a liability in the Irish defence.

His performances have become error strewn and he appears to suffer from severe losses of concentration. At times he can appear over eager and lunge into late tackles. While on other occasions, he can seem to let whole games pass him by.

McShane, who was once heralded by Sir Alex Ferguson as one of Manchester United’s centre halves of the future, then moved to Sunderland under the Roy Keane revolution. When things didn’t work out there he spent the majority of last season on loan with Hull, a team who narrowly avoided relegation on the last day, it is a sign of how far he has fallen.

Hopefully the permanent move will give him some stability, however Hull already look in deep trouble. Although he will be joining up with fellow Irishmen, Stephen Hunt, Kevin Kilbane and Caleb Folan, it could bode well for team bonding.

It could also however, be work the opposite way and Ireland could be left with four recently relegated and depressed players on a plane to Johannesburg. Which isn’t good for any squad morale.

Maradona tells Pele he is second best

Argentina coach Diego Maradona on Wednesday put Brazilian legend Pele in his place, insisting the latter was the second best player ever after himself.

A FIFA internet poll in 2000 saw Maradona, who will lead the albiceleste against the five-times world champion Brazilians in a September 5 World Cup qualifier, come out on top and he said on Wednesday that ought to settle the issue.

“What matters is that when the people voted, he came second behind me. Nobody can take that away from me,” insisted Maradona, who said the fact he had played with success in European club football, unlike Pele, ought to be the clincher - even if Pele won three World Cup titles to his one.

Maradona told FIFA.com that he believed he deserved the accolade of number one player ever.

“Do you know what? I played in European football for ten years while Pele played in South America. Yes he won World Cups and everything, but playing in Europe is something else entirely,” he said.

“Not that that makes me much better than him or anything like that. When I played, the man-markers in Spanish and Italian football were like hunting dogs. They never left me alone,” said the Argentine.

“What matters is that when the people voted, he came second behind me. Nobody can take that away from me. And there was another vote in Brazil in which he came second behind Ayrton Senna. He needs to stop coming second.”

Next month, Maradona will need to put one over today’s generation of Brazilians who lead the way in continental qualifying.

Argentina currently lie fourth in South American qualifying for the 2010 World Cup finals with 22 points, just two ahead of Ecuador but five behind Brazil.

Only the top four sides qualify automatically for the finals in South Africa.

Australia’s World Cup Stars Get Back To It

With the 2010 World Cup happening in South Africa next year this year’s domestic season takes on extra meaning. Players will be looking to sure up their spot in the side and also find that they arrive at soccer’s ultimate showcase in peak form.

One player who should be ready and firing at the World Cup. He has been in great form for both Everton and the Socceroos. He led Everton to a fifth place finish in last year’s English Premier League and the FA Cup. He also always seems to be scoring when representing Australia. Most recently he scored twice in Australia’s 3-0 win against Ireland.

Another player who Australia will be expecting great thing of is Fulham’s Mark Schwarzer. The shot stopper was Fulham’s player of  the year and was responsible for helping guide them into Europe.

There has been a lot of speculation about the future of Lucas Neill. The Socceroos captain is currently at West Ham but one can only speculate how long that will remain for. He has been linked with a number of teams and it is important for his long term career that he settles down and puts this behind him. He doesn’t need to be worrying about off-field distractions.

One player who can demonstrate the benefit of this is Harry Kewell. The former Leeds United and Liverpool star left England for Galatasaray and seems to be thriving in the Super Lig under the guidance of former Dutch star Frank Rijkaard.  Kewell has developed a great understanding and partnership with Milan Baros and they have won a perfect three from three games. Kewell and Baros have both scored two goals as has Arda Turan.

Bruce Djite is also in Turkey and plying his trade there for Genclerbirligi. They have three draws from three games and sit mid-table. Djite is exactly the kind of player who is explosive and could break out at the World Cup and thus attract the attention of the bigger clubs from England, Spain, Italy and Holland. Don’t be surprised if he makes a name for himself in South Africa.

Someone who probably won’t be in South Africa is Mark Viduka. He isn’t playing club football and this is going to weigh heavily against his chances of World Cup selection. Most recently he was playing soccer for Newcastle United but he was released following their relegation from the English Premier League.

 

David Wiseman writes about the Socceroos. When not doing that, he is thinking about the upcoming Caulfield Cup.

Cup violence could harm World Cup bid

The team that are leading England bid for the 2018 World Cup bid were quick to condemn the violent clashes between the West Ham and Millwall fans on Tuesday and say that these actions could hamper England’s bid to host the 2018 tournament.

There were three pitch invasions during the match and large-scale trouble around Upton Park before and after.

“It is extremely disappointing,” said a bid spokesman.

“A tiny minority have deflected from the passion and dedication that millions of genuine fans show every week for our national game.”

England faces competition from Australia, Japan, the USA, Russia, Mexico and Indonesia, as well as joint bids from Netherlands and Belgium and Portugal and Spain, in the race to host the 2018 competition.

The decision on who will host the tournament is to be made next year but this will certainly not put England in a good light if hooliganism was a worry already.

“The scenes from Upton Park were a regrettable but isolated example of a culture that the football community has worked tirelessly to eradicate from our game,” the spokesman added.

The Football Association also insisted the violence should not be seen as typical of crowds in England.

“We are seen as one of the leaders, if not the leader, in the way that we have tackled hooliganism and disorder in our grounds over the past 30 years,” Adrian Bevington, the FA’s director of communications, told BBC Radio 5 live.

“We receive communication from South America, from Fifa, from Uefa and other European countries asking for advice.

“That doesn’t mean that we’re sitting here saying we’ve got it all sorted.

“Clearly on what we’re seeing last night shows there are still times when we have problems to deal with.”

Of the 37m people attending football matches in England and Wales in the 2007-08 season, 3842 were arrested for disorder connected to matches.

The figure represented an increase in those held, both overall and for violent offences, on the previous year.

But the number of arrests over the past four years are at the lowest since records began.

Croatia Ready for Belarus Re-match

Croatia boss Slaven Bilić announced his squad lineup ahead of their next World Cup qualifier versus Belarus on the 5th of September. It is a very strong lineup, as always, more than capable of bagging another 3 points. Ivan Klasnić returns to the squad and Sharbini features on the list. All of the players have started off their league seasons well and are ready to continue on their road to the World Cup next summer.
 
Bilić has said that they will repeat their victory that they achieved in Minsk last month, but it will be a tough match as both teams are under the same pressure.

The lineup:
Vratari: Stipe Pletikosa, Vedran Runje, Danijel Subašić

Braniči: Vedran Ćorluka, Josip Šimunić, Ivica Križanac, Dino Drpić, Hrvoje Vejić, Danijel Pranjić, Hrvoje Čale

Vezni: Niko Kranjčar, Ivan Jurić, Ognjen Vukojević, Nikola Pokrivač, Jerko Leko, Luka Modrić, Darijo Srna, Ivan Rakitić, Anas Sharbini

Napadači: Ivica Olić, Eduardo Da Silva, Mladen Petrić, Mario Mandžukić, Ivan Klasnić

Pretpoziv: Drago Gabrić, Nikola Kalinić

Jill Guthrie 

Neill and Cahill Ruled out of Australian Squad

Australian captain Lucas Neill and star midfielder Tim Cahill have been omitted from next week’s friendly against South Korea, while Harry Kewell is also in doubt.

Coach Pim Verbeek has named Kewell in a 24-man squad for the September 5 clash in Seoul, but says an ankle injury might keep him at bay.

Neill and Cahill were not named, with Neill concentrating on efforts to find a new club, while a foot injury has forced Cahill’s omission.

Cahill was the two-goal hero in the national team’s last match a fortnight ago, when the Socceroos downed Ireland 3-0 in Limerick.

The Everton midfielder was sidelined for six months by a similar foot injury last year, but Verbeek said the latest problem was unrelated and not nearly as serious.

“It’s a totally different injury, at this moment it’s much better to leave him in England because I have enough other players,” Verbeek said.

“He’s okay, but it’s better for those players to stay in England and prepare themselves for the long, long season to go.”

The coach was similarly non-plussed about Neill’s so-far fruitless efforts to find a new playing home.

Verbeek scoffed at suggestions the ex West Ham skipper is chasing the big money.

“He’s a transferring player of 31 years old, he’s just waiting for the right moment to sign with the right club for the right deal and I think there’s nothing wrong with that,” he said.

“What other people are thinking of his decision, they don’t know what he’s talking about, what are his motivations and I have no worries at all.”

He said Neill was omitted so he could be free to talk to prospective clubs and undergo medical testing.

Kewell’s fitness will also need testing, after he was injured representing his Turkish club Galatasaray last week.

“He got a very nasty kick on his ankle, I was with him on Friday when he had his medical, it didn’t look good,” Verbeek said.

The word on Kewell is he may possibly play with Galatasaray in a European League game on Thursday and Turkish league match on Sunday, but Verbeek was uncertain what that meant for the Socceroos.

“The staff were confident, Harry was confident, but let’s wait and see what the reaction is when he plays,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jason Culina and Shane Stefanutto have been brought in as the only representatives from the A-League, along with Japanese-based striker Josh Kennedy.

Verbeek said other A-League players were in contention, but he did not want to disrupt the domestic competition by removing players not guaranteed to start the game.

Vince Grella returns from injury, with Michael Beauchamp, Mark Milligan and Michael Petkovic the other inclusions.

Verbeek said Kennedy and Celtic striker Scott McDonald were likely to play a dual role.
SQUAD FOR MATCH AGAINST SOUTH KOREA IN SEOUL, 5TH SEPTEMBER 2009

Michael Beauchamp, Mark Bresciano, Nick Carle, David Carney, Ante Covic, Jason Culina, Vincenzo Grella, Brett Holman, Danny Invincibile, Mile Jedinak, Josh Kennedy, Harry Kewell, Patrick Kisnorbo, Scott McDonald, Mark Milligan, Jade North, Michael Petkovic, Nikita Rukavytsya, Mark Schwarzer, Matthew Spiranovic, Shane Stefanutto, Dario Vidosic, Rhys Williams, Luke Wilshire
JD/AAP

Next Page »

Copyright © 2007 World Cup 2010 South Africa · Revolution Sports theme by Brian Gardner · Login