0-1 M. Gomez 90’
Inter Milan 0 – 1 Bayern Munich (HD 1280x720p)
Archive for Febbraio 23rd, 2011
Inter Milan’s 2010 Champions League final hero Diego Milito has urged his team-mates not to underestimate Bayern Munich ahead of their rematch with the German side on Wednesday.
Milito, 31, netted both goals as Inter beat Bayern 2-0 at the Bernabeu last May to end their 45-year wait for European football’s biggest prize.
The Argentina striker’s performances at home and abroad last season earned him plenty of plaudits and he was crowned UEFA Club Footballer of the Year for his role in Inter’s Treble success.
On Wednesday, his Inter side take on Bayern again in the Champions League last-16 at the San Siro, but he will play no part as an injury-ravaged season continues to take its toll.
Despite his absence, Milito believes the Nerazzurri have what it takes to beat Louis van Gaal’s side again, though he warned that a talented Bayern team must not be taken lightly.
“Leonardo has given us the consciousness to be a strong group and I believe that this has been fundamental,” Milito said. “The team is solid right now. Winning the Club World Cup has given us a special boost.
“Now there is Bayern. You need a lot of attention against players like Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Thomas Muller and Mario Gomez. From central midfield to attack, they are a team to respected.”
Inter captain Javier Zanetti echoed his team-mate’s warning, but insisted that while they are expecting a difficult test at the San Siro, they are confident of emerging from the tie victorious.
“They are different from the team we played in May and it will be a different game from the Champions League final, but we’re in great shape, just as we were back then,” Zanetti said. “Bayern are a good team, but we must try to play our game and win. Play with our heads and stay tight to hit them on the break.
“It’s a shame Diego isn’t here, but we have to focus on our football all the same and achieve a positive result over 180 minutes. We must be careful not to leave Bayern too much space, but we are ready. We’re aware of our strength. This is the Champions League: We want to keep going.”
Leonardo stressed that the last-16 clash will be a totally different affair to last season’s final at the Bernabeu and said he is confident that his Inter side will play like champions.
“I saw the game in Madrid,” Leonardo said. “I supported Inter. I supported the Italian team. I felt satisfaction on seeing Inter win. Inter and Bayern are teams who have the resources to face any given moment and face each other as equals.
“It’s obvious that the players who are in the best condition will go out on the pitch. Serie A is one thing, the Champions League another thing entirely. We have alternatives. Less with respect to Serie A, but we do have them.
“The behaviour of this team will be that of a champion. This team are the holders. We can fight with anyone. We’ll fight with all our strength.
“This team has the ability to face real difficulties and this makes me feel strong. It’s a moment completely different to last year’s Final and every game has its own story.”
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Joe Cole has no interest in a summer exit from Liverpool – despite enduring a difficult debut season at Anfield after joining as a free agent last July.
The England international’s first Premier League match for the Reds ended in disaster when he was shown a red card against Arsenal, and it has been downhill ever since.
Cole, who left Chelsea last summer when his contract expired, has been limited to just eight starts in the league due to hamstring and knee injuries, while he found himself relegated to the Lancashire Senior Cup squad in January in a bid to recapture form and fitness.
But the 29-year-old received a boost last week when Kenny Dalglish confirmed that he still had a future at Liverpool – and Cole is eager to grasp the opportunity.
“It’s not gone how I would have liked, but that’s life,” Cole told Liverpool’s official website. “Things like that happen and you’ve just got to push on through the difficult times. I’ve had plenty of good times in my career and I’ve had my share of difficult times, and I’ll always come through.
“I’m determined to be a success here. I’m working hard every day. The main thing is the club – it’s all about Liverpool. I’m pleased it [the team’s form] has turned around and we’re going in the right direction, and if Liverpool can keep going there, I’d love to be part of it.”
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Carlo Ancelotti has demanded Chelsea back up their strong performance in the Champions League by repeating the showing against Manchester United in the Premier League next week.
Chelsea moved to within touching distance of the Champions League quarter-finals and eased the mounting pressure on manager Ancelotti with a 2-0 victory over FC Copenhagen in their last-16 first leg at a frozen Parken Stadium.
The result, sparked by a brace by Nicolas Anelka, kept alive their one remaining hope of silverware this season following a miserable few months that have seen last year’s double winners all but surrender their Premier League title and crash out of the FA Cup. It got better for Chelsea when Tottenham were beaten 3-1 at Blackpool on Tuesday night, giving their London rivals the chance to reclaim fourth place in the league if they beat United next Tuesday.
“We don’t have to be happy for Tottenham’s defeat, but it was good news for us,” said Ancelotti. “Now we have to play against United and try and put in the same performance.”
But Ancelotti has grown tired of declaring Chelsea have emerged from their form slump only to see the odd victory become false dawns as more disappointment follows. This time he refused to comment when asked whether the ‘bad moment’ was over, demanding instead that his team answer that question on the pitch at Stamford Bridge.
Asked if their miserable run was over, Ancelotti said: “I don’t want to say. I’ve suggested that once or twice before. We had a lot of motivation for this game, but now we have to continue it. United will be a fantastic opportunity for us to maintain the same level of football.”
Ancelotti defiantly declared on Monday that “Chelsea has not died”, and he added after Tuesday’s match: “We are still alive. I had an idea before the game, and I maintain the same idea now. We are not dead. It’s just one game, though. I want to see my team play again, again, again.”
Ancelotti hailed his strikers as the best in Europe after a game in which Anelka scored twice and Fernando Torres did everything but find the net.
Ancelotti said of Torres, who again missed several chances to open his Chelsea account: “His performance was really good. There’s a little bit of disappointment because he could have scored. But it doesn’t matter. His movement with Anelka was so good. Anelka was able to score and Torres had a lot of opportunities that he created with his movement. He will score in the next game.”
Copenhagen boss Stale Solbakken claimed too many of his players underperformed and admitted he got his tactics wrong.
“To be honest, some of my best players maybe didn’t have their best days,” said Solbakken, who admitted blundering by starting former Chelsea star Jesper Gronkjaer on the wing. “Maybe we will never be as good as Chelsea but, on another day, we could have been a lot closer to them. Chelsea were two goals better than us; no discussion.”
Credit: http://soccernet.espn.go.com
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