CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TIPPING February 20, 2012 THE pick of Tuesday night’s Champions League action sees an under pressure Chelsea side travel to one of the toughest grounds in European football, the Stadio San Paolo. Andre Villas-Boas was supposed to be the new Jose Mourinho but as yet, he’s been unable to get his Chelsea team anywhere near the heights that their [...]
Villas-Boas calls for club to back him February 20, 2012 Under-fire Blues boss chooses eve of Champions League clash to request the support of the board NAPOLI vs CHELSEA CHELSEA manager Andre Villas-Boas has responded to fresh questions regarding his future by challenging the club’s hierarchy to underline their faith in his ability by providing him with public backing. A 1-1 draw at home against [...]
Madman Bielsa linked with Stamford Bridge hotseat February 20, 2012 FORMER Argentina and Chile coach Marcelo Bielsa has been sounded out about replacing Andre Villas-Boas at Chelsea, according to reports in Spain. Bielsa, whose eccentricity has earned him the nickname Madman, has only been in charge at Athletic Bilbao since the start of the season. But he is said to be willing to consider switching [...]
KNOW YOUR ENEMY: NAPOLI February 20, 2012 FORM They may be struggling to match the heights of last season’s top three finish but Napoli are currently on a decent run, having lost just once in nine Serie A games and not conceded in more than six hours. Friday’s 3-0 win at Fiorentina left them sixth in the table. EUROPEAN CLOUT Napoli are [...]
Top Europeans can lay down some early Ryder Cup markers February 20, 2012 THE RYDER Cup might still be seven months away but both team captains will be casting their eyes over events at the Match Play Championship in Tuscon this week. It might be early in the season but it’s certainly an opportunity, should the draw go to form, for one or two Europeans to gain a [...]
Arsenal urged to consider rights issue to protect £50m war chest February 20, 2012 STRUGGLING Arsenal were last night urged to consider issuing new shares in a bid to bolster their finances and free up cash for new players. The Gunners are poised to confirm more healthy financial results, with last summer’s sales of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri swelling their available cash to £50m. But that could be [...]
Lancaster ready tinker as key trio return from injury February 20, 2012 ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster admits he will shuffle his pack to accommodate the returns from injury of Manu Tuilagi, Toby Flood and Courtney Lawes ahead of Saturday’s crunch Six Nations showdown against Wales. Tuilagi (inset), who has not represented his country since leaping from a ferry in New Zealand following England’s World Cup exit [...]
Morgan eyes up Pakistan clean sweep February 20, 2012 ENGLAND batsman Eoin Morgan insists Alastair Cook’s one-day side can take a step towards mirroring the achievements of the Test team in reaching No1 in the world by completing a 4-0 series whitewash against Pakistan today. Back-to-back centuries for Cook, a combined total of 11 wickets for Steven Finn and a timely return to form [...]
Haye ready to talk but still wanted February 20, 2012 BRITISH heavyweight David Haye has promised to co-operate with boxing chiefs over his press conference brawl with Dereck Chisora – but was last night still wanted for questioning by German police. Both fighters face possible criminal charges and the threat of jail, as well as bans from the British Boxing Board of Control, following the [...]
MAKING A SPLASH | Chinese duo strike gold in London February 20, 2012 LONDON’S magnificent new Olympic Aquatics Centre hosted its first day of competitive action yesterday with China’s divers taking gold in a World Cup event chosen to test the venue. World champions Qin Kai and Luo Yutong won the men’s synchronised 3-metres springboard ahead of Russia’s Ilya Zakharov and Evgeny Kuznetsov, while Malaysia’s Brian Nickson Lomas [...]