Japan’s winning FIFA Women’s World Cup team has received thanks from the nation’s prime minister upon their return home.The players and coaching staff flew into Narita International Airport after beating the United States 3-1 on penalties in the final in Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan thanked the side as the nation continues to recover from the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck in March.
“This has given the whole nation – but especially those in the disaster-affected north – courage, and I would like to thank them deeply from the bottom of my heart for this,” he said.
The players and staff met the Prime Minister and presented him with a signed jersey at the airport.
Coach Norio Sasaki said it was a huge achievement for his team, who became the first Asian nation to win the competition.
“I think the fact that they are here and invited by the prime minister is a reminder of what they have done,” he said.
“They have, for the first time in the history of women’s soccer in this nation, given so much courage and touched so many people – that is why they are here.”
Next up for Japan is the final stages of qualifying for the 2012 Olympics in September, when they will meet China, North Korea, South Korea, Thailand and Australia.
Wojciech Szczesny has stated that Arsenal are not over-reliant on Robin van Persie, and despite his goalscoring prowess are not a one man team.
The Netherlands international has been in red hot form this season, and has scored 31 goals in his last 30 games.
Despite the attacker playing a key part in the North London club’s revival from a slow start this campaign, the Polish stopper feels that the Emirates Stadium team have a lot more to offer than one in-form striker.
“I don’t think we are over-reliant on him,” the keeper told The Sun.
“We’ve got some fantastic players in this team and we work as a team. The whole team stuck together when we went 1-0 down against Fulham, we stuck together well.
“I don’t think we are a one-man team — we are a great all-round team,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger has admitted that he will field a number of fringe players against Manchester City in the Carling Cup on Tuesday night, resting the likes of Van Persie.
“I believe that some players are on the fringe of being really limited. I will rest some players, but I still want to play a team that has a chance to win the game,” the French coach told Arsenal Player.
“Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Emmanuel Frimpong will play, but I consider them to be first-team players.
“Park Chu-Young is adapting to the level he is facing here and he has another opportunity against Manchester City to show that he can do it.
“Yossi Benayoun has been absolutely fantastic, but we have so much choice in midfield and we play with three strikers. The chances for the midfielders are not so big and that is why he has not played as much as he deserves.
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“The attitude of all the players that came in has been great, everybody helps focus the team to win and he does that as well,” Wenger concluded.
Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier has defended making eight changes to his side before Wednesday’s 3-0 loss at Manchester City in the FA Cup.The French manager opted to leave the likes of Marc Albrighton, Ashley Young, Stewart Downing, Nigel Reo-Coker and Robert Pires warming the bench at City of Manchester Stadium, effectively conceding the fifth-round tie to a near-full strength City.Yaya Toure, Mario Balotelli and David Villa all found the net for the hosts, who advance to face Reading in the quarter-finals.Houllier, who came in for criticism for his team selection after the match, felt his top players would have made little difference against City.”I knew that you would ask that,” Houllier said when quizzed on the thinking behind his eight changes.”We started the team with Emile Heskey and Gaby Agbonlahor and Nathan Delfouneso, who is an Under-21 international, so that attack was practically three internationals.””We have quality and we use it. I don’t think Ashley Young or Stewart Downing would have avoided the first goal, which was very unfortunate.””After being down to 1-0 it was difficult. We have to acknowledge that we were beaten by a team that is better than ours at the moment.””I don’t think we had a bad game. I admit that we didn’t hurt them enough (but) the score is very flattering for them.”City boss Roberto Mancini defended Houllier against criticism, saying he would have done the same if it were not for injuries.”Gerard has experience. He knows it is impossible to play with the same players every three days,” Mancini said.”I don’t have seven or eight players to bring in. If I did, I would do the same.”Mancini was particularly pleased with the efforts of Italian striker Mario Balotelli, who played up front on his own and netted City’s second goal on 25 minutes.”I took a risk to play only Mario up front, but Mario played well and scored a fantastic goal,” Mancini said.”I was very pleased with the overall performance. This game was very important for us.”
Barcelona defender Maxwell believes Saturday’s home match against Almeria is vital if they are to retain the La Liga title this season.If Barca defeat Almeria and Real Madrid lose against Athletic Bilbao, the reigning champions could go as much as 11 points clear of second place.
Almeria have conceded 16 goals over three previous meetings with Barca this season, losing 8-0 at home in the league, before suffering defeats of 5-0 and 3-0 over two legs of the Copa del Rey semi-final.
And Brazilian fullback Maxwell wants Barca to record yet another win over Almeria ahead of the showdown at second-placed Real’s Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on April 16.
“It is a vital game,” Maxwell said.
“Three points that we can’t afford to drop. We want to get to the Bernabeu with an eight-point advantage – or more. But we will play our own game.”
“I think that Almeria have good players and a new manager (Roberto Olabe) who can motivate the team. We have to be alert to their strengths and try and take three more points.”
Barca thumped Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.
Maxwell believes the Ukrainian champions were undone by their insistence on taking the game to their hosts at the Camp Nou.
“They are a very strong team, very physical and run a lot,” Maxwell said.
“People might have thought that it would be easy, because they don’t recognise the names, but we knew that it would be very tough, and that everyone would give their all.”
“I think that they came out to attack so strongly that we were able to get such a comprehensive result.”
Real lead Tottenham 4-0 in their Champions League tie, and with Barca also firmly in control, a Champions League semi-final between the bitter rivals is now a distinct possibility.
Nevertheless, Maxwell insists Almeria’s visit remains the priority.
“You always look at what might be ahead, but you can’t not focus on the match at hand,” Maxwell said.
“It doesn’t benefit us to look too far ahead. We have the Almeria game and the Champions League second leg, and then we will look at the next game.”
Liverpool arrives in North London looking to secure a win double in the capital. After the setback at the Britannia last week Kenny Dalglish will be hoping for a positive response tomorrow against arguably one of their main rivals for the Champions League spot.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of blogs that include the unfair treatment of Carroll; the reasons behind £51m splurge, while Henry and LFC should think bigger.
We also look at the best Liverpool articles around the web this week.
Shall we take Comolli’s lack of transfer plans with a pinch of salt?
Treatment of Liverpool ace is unfair and unjust
Caption Competition: Liverpool new boy up to his old tricks
The reasoning behind Liverpool’s £51m splurge
Managers should stop short of conspiracy theories
The ideal retirement place for former Liverpool stars
Should Henry and LFC be thinking bigger?
Do transfer deals suggest the age of the ‘selling club’ is over?
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Best of WEB
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IS THIS LIVERPOOL’S BEST STARTING ELEVEN? – Live4Liverpool
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Kenny Dalglish Is Ruining Liverpool – The Tomkins Times
Is Jamie Carragher Still a Certain Starter for Liverpool? – Anfield Index
Liverpool FC Summer 2011 – Who went where – This is Anfield
TIME FOR THIS LIVERPOOL LEGEND TO BE PHASED OUT – Live4Liverpool
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has stated that he wants to avenge his side’s defeat by Manchester City with a positive result against Aston Villa on Wednesday night.
The Gunners were beaten 1-0 by the current Premier League leaders at the Etihad Stadium last weekend, with the French coach stating that his team’s title chances were now over.
Despite this, the North London club are eager to get back to winning ways against Alex McLeish’s men.
“We are a team who wants to respond quickly now and keep our spirit and determination,” Wenger told Mirror Football.
“Then we have a bright future, but it’s important that if we keep that spirit and determination we can go from strength to strength.
“We are not the same team we were two months ago. In the next two months of course we want to be different again.
“They are always passionate games against Villa. We have been criticised a lot since the beginning of the season but you can say what you want but where we go something happens.
“There is always entertainment, even the game on Sunday. It was a game where the two teams went for it – then football becomes a fantastic sport and we will do the same at Aston Villa,” he concluded.
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Marseille moved to second in Ligue 1 with a 2-1 triumph over Saint-Etienne at the Stade Velodrome on Saturday.The match was poised as a battle between fourth and sixth prior to kick-off, with Marseille leading Saint-Etienne by four points as both sides search for a Champions League berth for next season.After a goalless opening hour, Marseille broke the deadlock in the 68th minute through Lucho Gonzalez, who found the back of the net after Andre-Pierre Gignac had cut the ball back into his path.Striker Loic Remy doubled the hosts’ advantage 11 minutes later when he tapped in a partially-blocked shot, before Christophe Landrin pulled a goal back late for the visitors.Valenciennes produced a late fightback to secure a 2-2 draw away to Caen.Benjamin Nivet and Sambou Yatabare put Caen two up at the Stade Michel d’Ornano, and they were on track for a vital victory to lift them above Valenciennes on the table.But Gregory Pujol set up a dramatic finish with an 80th minute goal, before Steven Langil broke Caen hearts when he equalised in the 88th minute for the visitors.Brest ensured Monaco would remain in the relegation zone with a 2-0 win at the Stade Francis-Le Ble.The home side went ahead in the 14th minute through Jonathan Ayite, and the striker netted his second late on after Monaco’s Adriano Pereira was dismissed in the 89th minute.Sochaux shot back to form with a 3-2 away win over Lens, turning around a run of one win in seven league games.Both sides played more than half the match with 10 men, but it was all Sochaux early as Nicolas Maurice-Belay and Modibo Maiga netted in the opening half-hour.Lens pulled a goal back in the 36th minute via Issam Jemaa, before Sochaux’s Kevin Anin and Lens’ Toifilou Maoulida were sent off in the 42nd minute.Alaeddine Yahia put Lens back on level terms in the 59th minute, as they looked for a point that would have moved them above 18th-placed Monaco.But Ryad Boudebouz produced the winner for Sochaux in the 66th minute.Auxerre and Arles drew 1-1, a result that helps neither side in their respective relegation battles, with Arles still rooted to the bottom of the table 14 points behind 19th-placed Lens.
When you’re getting ready to watch your team play, either in the stands or on television, isn’t there always one song that really gets the blood boiling? Either way, you can be stood next to somebody, joining them in a chorus of ’Never Walk Alone’ in the Kop at Liverpool preparing to really get behind the team, or alternatively, you could belong to the section of Manchester United fans (amongst others) whose ears bleed at the very sound of the Rogers and Hammerstein show tune.
Club anthems have become a huge part of football. Certain songs have become synonymous with football clubs and they are recited by fans as proudly as owning and wearing any merchandise. So what are the best cult football chants? We all think our team’s are the best, but let’s be honest, a lot of them don’t hold up to some of the really great songs. I use the term ‘great’ loosely – after all, we won’t all appreciate seeing our biggest rivals’ anthem listed as one of the best around. But below are my top 10 cult football chants from around the Premier League. Some may be connected to the club, others a legend of the game but all in all, these are the ones I think are most renowned in English football. If you feel I’ve unfairly excluded one of your favourite football tunes, feel free to argue your case in the comments section below! Oh, and just before you ask: no, ‘pass and move like the Liverpool groove’ does not count.
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The youngest player ever to play for the USA national side, Freddy Adu was touted as one of the hottest youngsters in the footballing world. However, just a few years since gracing the international stage for the first time, it’s fair to say things have taken a turn for the worse for the boy from Ghana.
After growing up in Tema, Ghana, Adu was already showing a sign of things to come when he started playing against men three times his age. However, his biggest piece of luck came just after he turned eight and his mother won the lottery. She decided to uproot and move her family to Maryland in the USA.
Adu settled in the USA and started at school. During his time at school, he joined the football team and helped them to several honours whilst playing for them.
His next break came whilst playing with the U.S Olympic Development Programme, an under-14 tournament that attracted Italian sides such as Juventus and Lazio. 10-year-old Adu impressed at the tournament and, as well as his team winning, he finished as top goalscorer and was voted MVP. His performances prompted Inter Milan to make a six-figure offer for his services – an offer that, at the advice of his agents, his mother turned down.
Break into the MLS
In January 2002, he joined the IMG Soccer Academy, U.S soccer’s full-time academy. His development here allowed him to be included in the 2004 MLS Superdraft. Although Dallas Burn owned the top pick, he was allowed to move the DC United to allow him to play closer to home. The move, in November 2003, took place a couple of months before the official draft. At the age of 14, he was officially the youngest U.S athlete in 100 years to sign a major league professional contract in any sport.
On April 13 2004, he made his debut for United in a game against the San Jose Earthquakes – making him the youngest professional sportsman in the U.S since 1887. A few weeks later, he hit is first goal during a 3-2 defeat to Metrostars.
His first season was a successful one for such a young player. He scored five times, provided three assists and appeared in each of the 30 regular season games for United. He also helped them win the MLS Cup.
Globe trotting didn’t pay off
His second season was also successful, as he continued to find himself regularly involved in first team duties. Before 2006/07 season, he was allowed to join Manchester United on loan. However, as he was unable to gain a work permit, he was only allowed to train with the first team, rather than play in matches. He returned to DC United after his loan expired and continued to impress in the first team.
His performances here earned him a call up to the national side, where he became the U.S’s youngest capped player at 16 years and 234 days in January. He has gone on to earn 15 more caps for the national side, scoring twice in the process, appearing in the 2008 Olympics, 2010 World Cup qualifiers and against England in a friendly.
In December 2006, he moved to Real Salt Lake as part of a swap deal for goalkeeper Jay Nolly. He made his debut on the opening day of the 20007/08 season against FC Dallas. During his time at Real, he captained the under-20 U.S national side at the 2007 FIFA Under-20 World Cup. During the tournament, he scored a hattrick during a 6-1 win against Poland.
His performances here prompted Portuguese side Benfica to make a $2 million offer in July 2007, which was accepted by Real. He made his debut in European football in a Champions League qualifier against FC Copenhagen in August 2007. However, this was a very rare high point of his career – this is where it all began to go wrong.
Despite paying a nominal fee for his services, Benfica did not give him as many games as I’m sure he would have liked. He was reduced to mainly substitute appearances and only started twice during the 2007/08 season.
Playing the “loan” role
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He was sent out on loan to French side AS Monaco at the start of the 2008/09 season, with the option of a permanent deal available. However, he was to suffer the same fate and struggled to break into the side. He returned to Benfica in July 2009.
With Benfica still unwilling to give Adu a chance in their first team, they agreed to loan him out again, this time to fellow Portuguese side Beleneses in August 2009. Yet again, it didn’t work out for him, and he was back at Benfica just after Christmas 2009.
Just a month after returning, he was off out on loan again. He signed an 18-month loan deal to Greek side Aris, where he linked up with fellow American Eddie Johnson, who was there on loan from Fulham. You can probably guess what happened next. After a decent start, he began to be phased out of the squad and left the club in the summer.
Despite trials with Swiss side Sion and Danish side Randers, he was unable to earn a loan deal. Recently, on February 1 2011, he joined Turkish second division side Caykur Rizespor on loan.
You can’t help but feel sorry for Adu who, at 21, is still young in footballing terms. Was it all the football at an early age that halted his progress, or was it the ill-fated move to Benfica that was to blame? You can’t help but think ‘what if he had been allowed to play for Man United?’ Would Fergie have been able to nurture yet another young superstar?
With Manchester United going well in the Premier League as well as having a relatively safe passage through to the Champions League quarter finals, only a small amount of tinkering needs to be done at Manchester United this January. However, that small bit of tinkering could be very effective. This January, it is time for Manchester United to enter the transfer market and purchase Steven Defour. Manchester United are still fairly light in the central midfield department and Defour will offer more creativity than Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher, and would not shy away from the combative role needed in the Premier League.
Sir Alex Ferguson is an admirer of Steven Defour, after breaking his leg last year, Sir Alex sent him a letter of encouragement, something the player hasn’t forgotten. This mirrors what the United boss did for Ruud Van Nistelrooy when his Manchester United dream seemed to have been destroyed by injury. Sir Alex Ferguson knows that Defour is one of the most exciting prospects in Europe and we will have to act quickly if he is to secure the services of the Belgian international. It is not for nothing that Defour has drawn comparisons with World Cup winner Cesc Fabregas. Like the Spaniard, Defour has exceptional vision and manages to combine creativity with an excellent work-rate. He is not only a playmaker, but also a bit of a ball-winner.
Steven Defour has to be considered a realistic target this January, and Manchester United should step up the chase for the Belgian. It is clear that Manchester United need to strengthen in the centre of midfield and although Anderson has come on leaps and bounds in the last month or so, Defour would compliment his boundless energy. The signing of a creative talent like Defour would allow Manchester United to rest Paul Scholes in ‘lesser’ games without losing too much of a creative threat. Manchester United need Paul Scholes in the big games this season, his age will start to creep up on him towards the back end of the season, so some much earned rest could benefit United’s domestic and European charge.
If Manchester United are looking for a talented, creative, energetic spark in the centre of midfield, Defour has to be their man. If they do not make their move somebody else will, and it will be one of the top clubs in Europe. Defour offers Manchester United some superb options, something the midfield has lacked at times this season. However, Defour could well be another option. Like Scholes, he displays a similar creative ability to make things happen and combines this raw talent with tenacity. Without a doubt, Defour would be a massive hit at Old Trafford.
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