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Archive for Febbraio, 2011
22
Feb
Montella takes Roma reins
Vincenzo Montella has been appointed as Roma’s new coach after the club accepted the resignation of Claudio Ranieri.
Montella, 36, has now taken the reins at the Stadio Olimpico, having spent 10 years with the club, scoring 118 goals in 267 Serie A games before retiring from the game in the summer of 2009 and joining Roma’s backroom staff as a youth coach. The former Italy international also played for Empoli, Genoa, Sampdoria and Fulham.
“A.S Roma have, today, given first team duties to Mr Vincenzo Montella until the end of the current season,” read a statement. “We are certain he will be able to put the team’s quality together with his professionalism, dedication, enthusiasm and experience.”
Ranieri quit the club on Sunday night following Roma’s capitulation at Genoa. They led 3-0 six minutes after the interval but went on to lose 4-3 and the club wasted little time in accepting his resignation.
”AS Roma announces it received yesterday evening the resignation of Mr Claudio Ranieri as coach of the first team,” the club added in a seperate statement. ”Following this move, the financial contract with Ranieri, whose deal was coming to an end on June 30, 2011, has ended by mutual consent. Roma wishes to thank Claudio Ranieri for the professionalism shown and the work done.”
The Genoa result came on the back of a 3-2 defeat at home to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, which leaves them needing to win and score at least twice in Ukraine to make it to the quarter-finals.
Roma have lost four games in a row – with further defeats to scudetto challengers Napoli and Inter Milan – and last won a match on Jan 27 when they won 2-0 at Juventus in the Coppa Italia, which had then completed a run of four consecutive wins.
But the latest dip in form has left Roma’s hopes of qualifying for next year’s Champions League in tatters as they sit nine points behind fourth-placed Lazio with a game in hand.
Recent reports suggested Ranieri had fallen out with key players amid Roma’s lengthy slide, which has left them down in eighth place. Defensive problems have been the key to the Roma collapse this season as they have conceded 11 goals in their last three games, including a 5-3 defeat to Inter.
Ranieri said on Sunday night: “I’ve always thought about the good of Roma and after a game such as today’s I believe it’s right to give a signal. After the final whistle I went into the changing rooms to thank the team and I decided to hand in my resignation.
“Today we began with the desire to fight for the victory for all those who love this shirt and this city. Every minute of my day is dedicated to Roma and I’ve always said that for me a defeat is especially painful. But seeing my lads fighting to the end and losing shook me to the core.
“I want to thank all the fans and the president [Rosella] Sensi. Together, despite the difficulties, we did a great job last year and this year.
“I am and always will be a man of the pitch and after a game such as today’s I believe it’s right to give a signal for the love of these colours and I hope that my decision will help spur on the team. Sport and football have values that for me and for those work hard and with passion are life itself.”
Having managed 10 clubs in Italy, Spain, and England, Ranieri returned to his spiritual home – his childhood club and where he began his playing career – in September 2009 and quickly improved their performances.
They got themselves back into the title race and eventually finished only two points behind Jose Mourinho’s Inter last season. Hopes were high that Roma could challenge this season with Mourinho gone, but things have rarely gone right for Ranieri second time around.
According to reports in Spain, Arsenal have once again plucked a talented midfielder from Barcelona’s youth set-up after agreeing a deal with 16-year-old Jon Miquel Toral Harper.
It is believed that Toral, who currently represents Barca’s cadete A side, has agreed to move to London and that Arsenal will pay Barcelona €350,000 in compensation.
The news echoes Arsenal’s signing of Cesc Fabregas from the Spanish club in 2003, while Fran Merida and Ignasi Miquel both had spells at La Masia on their CV before moving to North London.
While the imminent signing of Toral has been interpreted in some quarters as souring relations between the two clubs in the build-up to the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, it is believed that is not necessarily the case.
Toral’s mother is English and Barca showed little inclination to try and convince the player to stay once it became clear he wanted to end his four-year spell with the club and move to England.
Toral, who has represented Spain at Under-16 level, is described as a strong and technically-gifted midfielder, and he is represented by Barca coach Pep Guardiola’s brother, Pere.
It is reported that Arsenal were also hoping to sign 16-year-old Sergi Samper from Barcelona but he decided to remain with the Spanish champions.
Manchester United’s preparations for their Champions League fixture against Marseille on Wednesday have been hit by the news that Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand both failed to travel with the squad.
Captain Ferdinand has not played for United since sustaining a calf injury in the warm-up prior to the club’s 2-1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers on February 5, but the absence of Giggs is as yet unexplained.
Michael Owen (groin) and Jonny Evans (ankle) also failed to board the plane to France, while Anderson fails to make the trip having suffered a knee injury in the FA Cup win over Crawley which could see him sidelined for two months.
However, Brazilian defenders Fabio and Rafael are both included despite suffering injuries against Crawley, while the squad is boosted by the inclusion of youngsters Joshua King and Ryan Tunnicliffe.
In the absence of Ferdinand and Evans, Chris Smalling will partner Nemanja Vidic in defence, while it is reported that Wayne Rooney could move left to fill in for Giggs.
Marseille, meanwhile, have learned that France international Mathieu Valbuena has recovered from a knee injury suffered on January 22 and could play in the last-16, first-leg tie.
“I am operational and at the coach’s disposition,” Valbuena said. “It’s up to him to decide if he selects me or not.”
However, fellow international Andre-Pierre Gignac will definitely miss out after straining an adductor muscle.
Full Manchester United squad: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Lindegaard; Vidic, O’Shea, Brown, Rafael, Fabio, Evra, Smalling; Scholes, Gibson, Nani, Carrick, Fletcher, Bebe, Obertan, Tunnicliffe; Rooney, Berbatov, Hernandez, King.
22
Feb
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