Archive for Marzo, 2011
Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli believes Fernando Torres’ £50 million departure has made the club a happier place as the striker “didn’t want to be here” towards the end of his Anfield career.
Chelsea smashed the British transfer record to take Torres to Stamford Bridge in January, after the Spain international handed in a transfer request and publicly stated his desire to leave the Reds.
The actions in the lead up to his move and subsequent snipes at his former employers – when he claimed: “there are more personal relationships and jokes between the players than there were at Liverpool” – angered many at Anfield, but Comolli insists that Kenny Dalglish’s side are better off without Torres.
And the former Tottenham director of football feels sure that Liverpool’s January business – selling Torres and signing Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll for a combined £57.8 million outlay – has improved the atmosphere at the club.
“Getting two players triggered the fact that we could sell one player who didn’t want to be here and get two who did want to be here,” he said. “When you have someone who doesn’t want to be here and you swap him for people who want to be here the atmosphere changes.
“It’s like there is a bright new sky with no cloud over our head from the day that happened. So it’s been only positive. That was really a relief for those reasons.”
Liverpool owner John W Henry also alluded to Torres’ exit being beneficial for the club earlier this week, saying: “It’s all very positive. Someone was saying that people weren’t happy here, but I think since that person left, people are happier.”
Comolli is confident that the Reds are now well-placed to move forward and believes progress can be made quickly under the new American owners Fenway Sports Group (formerly NESV).
“I know there is still a lot of work to do, we’re not where we want to be yet and it’ll probably take a few months to do that, but I am totally confident,” Comolli said. “All the signs are very positive and I can see only green lights, no red lights.
“We’ve had some ups and downs and hopefully there will be a lot of ups in the future. With the backing of the owners and the way they are committed, I’m sure we’ll have a bright future. I think we know exactly where we want to get to.
“It was a tough decision (to get rid of Hodgson) made by the club, but we have been looking forward since that and making other appointments with key individuals as we look to restructure the club. We are definitely looking forward to a bright future.”
Credit: http://soccernet.espn.go.com
Roma midfielder Daniele de Rossi has shocked the club by revealing that he has become disillusioned with life at the Stadio Olimpico, though the Italy international stressed his belief that “the wound will heal itself”.
De Rossi, 27, has been at Roma for his entire ten-year career and has enjoyed hero status among Giallorossi fans, who have supported him through some notable on-field indiscretions.
At the 2006 World Cup, De Rossi had the book thrown at him by FIFA after a violent elbow on USA striker Brian McBride. He was banned for four matches and lambasted in the Italian press for jeopardising Italy’s chances of glory in Germany.
But the Roma supporters stood united behind him and their faith was rewarded in the World Cup final, when he returned to successfully convert the third spot-kick in the Azzurri‘s penalty shootout success against France.
De Rossi, a tenacious defensive midfielder, has continued to be a fan favourite in the interevening years thanks to his all-action approach to the game, but he feels that the Stadio Olimpico faithful’s support is waning – as demonstrated by the way they reacted in the aftermath of his red card in Roma’s Champions League last-16 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk.
“They used to treat me as one of their own, they would tell me to throw in another elbow, but now the wind has changed,” De Rossi said. “Something here at Roma is changing. For a year and a half, the things I’ve heard that have given me the most pride have come from outside Rome. I have had moments at a low ebb, in which I wasn’t at my best. Do I feel wounded?
“Yes, but I don’t want to play the victim, I don’t want people to come and tell me how great I am. The wound will heal itself. Then, everyone makes his own assessments.”
The English press have interpreted De Rossi’s comments as a sign that he is seeking away from his boyhood club, with Manchester United linked to a swoop for the experienced Italian as a replacement for Owen Hargreaves.
De Rossi’s contract expires next summer and while his father Alberto, a youth team coach at Roma, says his son “would never want to face a future away from Roma, he admitted that “if he expressed himself [in that way], then there is a cause behind it.”
Roma have endured a turbulent season, with Claudio Ranieri sacked after failing to inspire a title charge and the club, now led by Vicenzo Montella, is subject of a takeover bid from American Thomas DiBenedetto, a minorty partner in Fenway Sports Group – the consortium that owns Liverpool.
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Holland captain Mark van Bommel has joined a lengthening injury list after pulling out of the Euro 2012 qualifier against Hungary in Budapest on Friday with a thigh injury.
The AC Milan midfielder will not travel with the rest of the Holland squad tomorrow as he has decided to undergo intensive treatment in a bid to be fit for the return fixture against Hungary at the Amsterdam ArenA on Tuesday.
Van Bommel told the Dutch federation website: ”It is annoying but harmless. We have made every effort for Friday’s game. That did not work.
”The fact that I am staying with the group indicates that we hope for significant progress.”
Coach Bert van Marwijk, who is not expected to call up a replacement for Van Bommel, was already without goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, winger Arjen Robben and forward Klaas Jan Huntelaar.
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Bayer Leverkusen still hope to tie goalkeeper Rene Adler down to a new contract, but have accepted that convincing him to stay may be tricky if Manchester United make a bid this summer.
Adler, 26, has been at Leverkusen all his career and has established himself as one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the Bundesliga over the past few years.
And with United scouring Europe for a replacement for retiring Edwin van der Sar, Adler’s name has been among those linked with a move to Old Trafford, with the likes of Manuel Neuer, David De Gea and Maarten Stekelenburg also reportedly on their radar.
United’s goalkeeping coach Eric Steele was sent on a scouting mission to Germany last weekend, where he saw Adler keep a clean sheet in Leverkusen’s 2-0 victory over Neuer’s Schalke.
Leverkusen remain hopeful of retaining Adler’s services and discussions about a contract extension are well under way, with general manager Rudi Voller staying calm over speculation linking Adler with a move away from the club.
“It’s a usual circumstance in football to have players being watched by other clubs,” Voller said. “We have the desire to sign a new deal with Rene Adler, this is a fact.”
But Leverkusen executive Wolfgang Holzhauser says he is concerned that negotiations would be difficult should United swoop for the Germany international.
“There have been talks between the club and Rene Adler already, however we are still far off an agreement at this point in time,” Holzhauser told Bild.
“If a club the size of Manchester United comes up, I feel signing a new deal with Rene Adler would not become easier.”
Credit: http://soccernet.espn.go.com
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