Category: News

K-League wrap: Seongnam down Ulsan

21 April 2013 12:32

Seongnam climbed to eighth place in the K-League on Sunday thanks to a 1-0 win away at fourth-placed Ulsan.

A goal from Kim Seong-Jun just after the hour mark was enough to hand the visitors all three points at Munsu Cup Stadium, lifting Seongnam above Gyeongnam, who were held to a 1-1 draw at home to lowly Gangwon.

Serbian striker Milan Bubalo opened the scoring for Gyeongnam from the penalty spot in the 64th minute, but Romanian Ianis Zicu levelled – also from the spot – six minutes later to earn Gangwon a point that lifted them off the bottom.

And Busan I’Park needed a 92nd-minute goal from Lim Sang-Hyub to salvage a 2-2 draw from their visit to Chunnam Dragons.

Lim had given his side the lead just before the half-hour mark, but two goals in eight second-half minutes – a Hong Jin-Ki strike and a penalty from Brazilian Wesley – put the Dragons in front before Lim’s late intervention ensured the honours remained even.

Sigurdsson backs Bale to thrive

21 April 2013 12:14

Tottenham midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson believes team-mate Gareth Bale can handle the pressure of leading the club’s top-four charge.

Bale has scored 22 goals in all competitions during a season that has seen him nominated for both the PFA Player and Young Player of the Year awards, increasing speculation linking him with an off-season transfer.

However, with the Welshman due to undergo a late fitness test ahead of Tottenham’s clash with Manchester City on Sunday, Sigurdsson is confident Bale will not let the hype disrupt his “fantastic” form.

“He has probably got used to all the hype. He just gets on with it, he performs every week,” Sigurdsson told the Mirror.

“He is not bothered about being written and talked about.

“Obviously, a Champions League spot would be fantastic for the club and for Gareth. If you’ve got top players, there is always going to be speculation about them leaving or staying.

“Gareth deserves all of the credit he gets because he has been fantastic. He’s been scoring many goals this season.

“Everyone has been looking at him and comparing him with the great, great players. He is a fantastic player, that’s why there has been so much high praise.

“If anything, he is too childish. He’s a nice guy, a normal guy who is cracking jokes with everyone. Everyone likes him.”

The match at White Hart Lane on Sunday will also see Sigurdsson cross paths with former Swansea team-mate Scott Sinclair, who has struggled for playing time since swapping South Wales for Manchester.

“It’s difficult when the champions come in for you – it was probably impossible for him to say no to them,” he said.

“So I feel a bit sorry for him about how little he’s played.

“Sometimes you just don’t get a chance at a big club like Manchester City. But I’m sure he’ll do well in the future.”

Suarez insists he´s staying put

21 April 2013 11:45

Luis Suarez claims he is confident he will be at Liverpool next season following speculation he is set to exit the Anfield club.

Suarez has enjoyed a sensational second full season in England, notching 29 goals in all competitions even as Brendan Rodgers’ side have failed to challenge for a top-four place.

That dazzling form has reportedly attracted interest from Europe’s elite, and in a recent interview in his homeland, the Uruguayan was quoted as saying he would “welcome” approaches from Champions League clubs.

But the 26-year-old has now moved to distance himself from such speculation, and insisted he believes his immediate future lies at Anfield.

“Sometimes the club can decide they don’t want you, though you want to stay. Or a player could say he wanted to leave and still end up staying,” Suarez told The Sunday Times.

“In football things never turn out the way you plan them. The only thing I have in my head is I’m here and have a contract. I think I’ll be here next season, yes.

“What I said (in Uruguay) was I’m very happy here, so is my family, which for me is very important. I’m at a club any footballer would want to be playing at, who share my goal of playing in the Champions League.

“If it’s not this year then it will be the next. I want to see out my contract – but also in football you never quite know what’s ahead.”

Suarez’s superb performances have established him as one of the front-runners for the PFA Player of the Year award, along with the likes of Gareth Bale, Juan Mata and Robin van Persie.

But the Uruguayan believes his controversial image will hinder his chances of winning the coveted award.

“Everybody’s got their own opinion about players. And everybody’s got their own way of doing things on the field,” he said.

“I understand defenders probably aren’t going to vote for me because I’ve got my particular style, which can be considered a bit niggly.

“The way I am and the way I carry myself is all part of how I play – almost to divert defenders’ attention, to put them off.”

Watzke talks up Real quality

21 April 2013 11:16

Hans-Joachim Watzke says any Real Madrid player could earn a place in the Borussia Dortmund first team.

The two clubs will meet for the third time in Europe this season when they take to the field for the Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday, with the Bundesliga outfit already having beaten Real 2-1 at home and securing a 2-2 draw in Madrid during the group stage.

Speaking in an interview with Sportstudio, Dortmund chief executive Watzke admitted that any of Jose Mourinho’s players would be valued at the Westfalenstadion.

“Every Real Madrid player would fit in at Borussia Dortmund – they are all world class,” he said.

“(Cristiano) Ronaldo too, of course. However, he would have to work a little bit more in the defence.”

Dortmund are a distant second to new Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich this campaign but their European ambitions are very much intact, something Watzke attributes to the strength of the squad underpinned by their transfer policy.

“If you invest in the quality, you automatically gain depth,” he said.

“Our only limit is that we won’t agree to a monetary loan to sign players, but other than that, there are no restrictions.”

No hard feelings for returning Torres

21 April 2013 11:01

Chelsea’s Fernando Torres says he will always be grateful to Liverpool as he prepares to face his former team on Sunday.

Torres upset many Liverpool fans when he left for west London in January 2011 in a record British transfer worth 50 million pounds, but he insisted he looks back on his time on Merseyside with great affection.

The Spanish striker will be back on his old stomping ground this weekend when Rafael Benitez takes his Champions League-chasing side to Anfield.

“I owe Liverpool a huge amount – to the people, to the men in charge, to the city. A huge amount” he told the Times of India.

“Liverpool is a fundamental part of my life. They don’t remember me that way, but time will change that. I could not have chosen a better place to go when I left Atletico Madrid.

“That’s why I only have good things to say about the Liverpool people and the supporters particularly. I had a great three and a half years there.

“They made me feel really good there. I will never say anything bad about that club, that city.”

However, with Chelsea targeting a top-four finish, Torres admitted the need to take three points against his former club overcomes any sentiment.

“This is the final part of the race; we have everything still to play for and it depends on us,” he said.

“We want to win a trophy – the Europa League – and we need to secure a top-four position so we can be back in the Champions League next season. We need to be ready.”