Lack of strikers forces Carlo Ancelotti to put trust in youngsters for festive fixtures

Chelsea are facing a striker shortage for the crucial Christmas programme after Carlo Ancelotti confirmed yesterday that he has given permission for Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou to attend Ivory Coast’s African Cup of Nations training camp on Sunday.

In addition, Nicolas Anelka’s hamstring injury is worse than suspected and a scan yesterday revealed a slight tear that will keep him out for several weeks, leaving Ancelotti with Daniel Sturridge and Fabio Borini as his only available strikers for the West London derby with Fulham on Monday.

Chelsea’s festive fixture list, beginning with Saturday’s visit to Birmingham City, does not inspire trepidation but their squad is stretched to breaking point. Anelka and Michael Essien are injured, while Drogba, Kalou and John Obi Mikel will leave for the African Cup of Nations this weekend and may not return until the start of February.

Ancelotti had been hoping to keep Drogba and Kalou until after Chelsea’s FA Cup third-round tie against Watford at Stamford Bridge on January 3, but a recent conversation with Vahid Halilhodzic, the Ivory Coast coach, has disabused him of that notion. Under Fifa rules, national associations have the right to call up their players 14 days before a tournament and Halilhodzic is sticking to his guns despite a plea from Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager.
“Officially the players have to go 14 days before the start of the African Cup of Nations,” Ancelotti said. “That starts on January 11. I spoke with the manager two weeks ago. He would like to have the players, all of them who are involved in the Premiership, on December 27. We cannot go against Fifa rules.”

Drogba’s early departure has been compounded by the injury to Anelka, whom Ancelotti had been relying on to steer him through a difficult period. Only yesterday Ancelotti revealed his intention to deploy the Frenchman as a lone striker next month, but must instead turn to Sturridge and Borini, because Anelka is unlikely to be fully fit before the Barclays Premier League match against Hull City on January 9.

Ancelotti is adamant that both youngsters have his confidence despite never having scored for the club,and claims that the lack of bodies will not force him to seek reinforcements in the transfer market next month.

Sturridge has been limited by injury to five appearances since signing from Manchester City last summer, but did play a vital role in winning the controversial penalty converted by Frank Lampard against West Ham United on Sunday. Borini has played six matches this season as a substitute.

Sturridge will make his first Premier League start for the club alongside Drogba on Boxing Day and is likely to be partnered by Borini when Fulham visit Stamford Bridge.

“It’s not a good moment for his injury, but I think that Anelka will be back quickly,” Ancelotti said. “Sturridge has an opportunity to show his qualities. He played against West Ham very well in that second half and maybe against Birmingham he can play from the beginning.

“We have a lot of confidence in all my strikers. I didn’t ask for new players, we have good solutions internally, even if we lose the African players. ”

Chelsea’s Christmas results in recent years have been mediocre, but Ancelotti is confident his side can maintain their four-point lead in the Premier League.

“These are important games, but we are in a good position at the top,” he said. “We’re not in our best moment because we didn’t play well in the last few games, but because of this we have to stay concentrated to try and win our next matches.

“We play strong teams having very good results. The players are focused. They know it’s a very important moment in our season. Also, because we have some injuries, maybe it’s necessary to give something more.”

Source:The times

Andrew Strauss hits timely hundred as England take control

Buffalo Park (first day of two; South Africa Invitational XI won toss): an England XI have scored 317 for five against a South Africa Invitational XI

As successive England batsmen milked the equivalent in standard of an undergraduate attack on Friday on a pudding of a pitch, it became hard to imagine that the start of the first Test against the fiercest bowlers South Africa can muster stood only five days away.

Andrew Strauss completed a hundred, Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott reached fifties and the bowlers toiled for most of the day before taking a wicket. The first three “dismissals” go down in the book as “retired out”, with the top order ending what amounted to outdoor nets when they chose.

Given recent rain, they were doubtless grateful for anything, but as preparation for the challenge of Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel on what is sure to be a quicker surface in Centurion on Wednesday, its value had limits. The biggest gain must be in confidence, and at least batsmen are now out of one-day mode.

Only Ian Bell, playing on in the final half-hour, missed out and Pietersen will be as happy as anyone despite becoming the first batsman to be dismissed. An innings of 71 was his highest score since returning after Achilles tendon trouble and he looked in sound touch from his first two balls, both driven to the ropes.

Those two strokes brought him level with Trott, who had taken 70 balls to reach eight. It was a real grind for the Warwickshire player whose loose drive two days earlier appeared to have persuaded him that abstinence was the key. He stuck to his new plan as faithfully as the chairman of a Victorian temperance movement.

Cook played as straight and solidly as he had in the first warm-up game and Strauss gradually widened his range, crashing balls through the off side before easing himself through the nineties. The problem faced by all batsmen was in piercing the infield as the ball refused to come on to the bat. Bowlers were not of express pace, but they plugged away.

Andy Flower, the England team director, said: “We are making the most of the practice we were given so far. Obviously we would have preferred a bouncier pitch, but they have done a really good job getting this ready, so no way would I criticise the groundsman. But, yes, we are expecting bouncier pitches for the Tests.

“Kevin’s innings was probably the most pleasing aspect because the other guys have been playing cricket and been in the runs recently. He has not had that, so getting in and getting that time in the middle was vital for him. You could see as his innings progressed how he looked more balanced and assured.”

As for clues to the composition of the Test side, Bell’s inclusion, with Paul Collingwood resting, suggested that England may yet plump for six specialist batsmen. However, much will depend on the faith the selectors have in James Anderson’s dodgy right knee, to be tested when he bowls today.

England XI: First Innings
*A J Strauss retired out 100
A N Cook retired out 52
I J L Trott retired out 50
K P Pietersen c Van Wyk b Vallie 71
I R Bell b Eccles 8
†M J Prior not out 19
L J Wright not out 1
Extras (b 5, lb 1, w 2, nb 8)16
Total (5 wkts, 88 overs) 317
J M Anderson, S C J Broad, G P Swann, R J Sidebottom and P D Collingwood to bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-101, 2-169, 3-274, 4-293, 5-304.
Bowling: Myoli 16-1-82-0; Eccles 16-0-79-1; Wiese 17-4-40-0; Pietersen 12-2-41-0; Adams 13-5-14-0; Vallie 7-1-32-1; Bossenger 7-0-23-0.

South Africa Invitational XI: A P Agathagelou, D J van Wyk, S E Avontuur, M Y Vallie, *W Bossenger, C Pietersen, D Wiese, K W Eccles, †M Mosehle, R A Adams, A Myoli, T Bavuma.

Umpires: B G Jerling and L J Willemse.

Source: The times

Rafael Benítez turns on his critics as pressure mounts

Rafael Benítez has come out fighting in the build-up to Liverpool’s crucial match against Arsenal tomorrow.

The Liverpool manager attacked two of his biggest critics and claimed that the priority of the club has shifted from silverware to debt management.

At a time when Liverpool are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the appointment of Bill Shankly, arguably their greatest manager, the Scot’s latest successor to the Anfield throne has intimated that Shankly’s oft-repeated mantra about Liverpool existing only to win trophies is no longer as relevant as it once was.

Benítez, clearly tired of shouldering all the blame for Liverpool’s season of woe, offered a rare insight into the financial restrictions he is working under at the debt-laden club.

He followed that up by ridiculing the managerial records of Graeme Souness and Jürgen Klinsmann, who led the criticism of the Spaniard after Wednesday night’s Champions League defeat by Fiorentina.

His frustrations came to the surface after a run of only three wins in Liverpool’s past 14 games. But they have been festering since last summer, when his spending power in the transfer market was all but wiped out by the servicing of the £250 million debt loaded on to the club by Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, the co-owners.

The American duo had to find £60 million to secure a new refinancing deal with the Royal Bank of Scotland and with interest payments costing in the region of £30 million every year, Benítez has been forced to cut his cloth accordingly, turning a net profit on transfers and missing out on key targets such as Stevan Jovetic, the Fiorentina forward, and Matthew Upson, the West Ham United defender.

Benítez also warned that the continuing era of austerity at Anfield may result in Liverpool’s fans having to wait still longer for the success they crave.

“We have to accept our situation and then try to do the best in the conditions that we have,” Benítez said yesterday. “Can we improve with these conditions? I think so, but it is a question of time.

“When I signed my five-year contract [in March], we knew that we had to work together, so we will try to do the best for the club. Sometimes you can do it and still perform on the pitch and sometimes you have to wait a little bit.

“One of the priorities this year was to reduce the debt, so the club is working very hard to do this. I think that our position will be much better. It was one of the most important things that we had to manage. Along with football issues, we had to manage them together.

“The people inside the club know what the situation is. It is difficult to explain to the media and the fans every single issue, but we have to keep working inside and trying to do the best for the club.

“We have to approach every game and every competition trying to win and also at the same time try to manage with the real situation of the club.

“I have a responsibility and I have to manage the things that we have at the moment and try to do my best with these things. Can it be better? Yes, it can be, but the main thing for me is being ready to do my job.

“Can we do something in January [when the transfer window opens]? We will see, but we are working very hard together.”

While Manchester City plot a further spending spree next month, Liverpool will be left scouring the bargain basement as Benítez looks to bolster his squad with quality, if not quantity.

The Spaniard needs a forward to provide back-up for Fernando Torres, but the likelihood is that he will have to trim up to four fringe players from his squad just to be able to fund the purchase.

In the past 12 months, Benítez has spent about £37 million on Glen Johnson, Alberto Aquilani and Sotirios Kyrgiakos, but brought in more than £50 million through the sales of Xabi Alonso, Álvaro Arbeloa, Robbie Keane, Sebastián Leto and Adam Hammill.

The club’s wage bill has also been reduced after the departures of Sami Hyypia and Jermaine Pennant, and by six further players going out on loan.

Benítez confirmed that, in net terms, he spent nothing last summer and reiterated that the situation may not improve in time for the next transfer window. “We were bringing money in and we spent some money,” Benítez said. “Can we do something in January? We will see, but you cannot guarantee anything.

“We have to work together, the financial department and also the manager of football. We are really pleased about the communication and sometimes you can afford things and sometimes you cannot.”

If either of the owners turns up at Anfield tomorrow they are likely to have to run the gauntlet of fans angry at the way the club have been run since being taken over by the Americans in February 2007.

It is another pair who attracted the ire of Benítez yesterday, however, with Klinsmann — who was once lined up by Liverpool’s owners as his possible replacement — and Souness, widely regarded by the club’s followers as the worst manager in their history, in his line of fire.

“The first time when they told me about him [Klinsmann], they told me that he was an expert in marketing, so I was surprised to see him as an expert in football, too,” Benítez said.

“Honestly, I don’t hear the comments. I switch Sky off. We have to win, we have a responsibility and have to concentrate on our job. If someone talks too much, that is their problem. The fans know the records they both have as managers is fantastic.”

The attack was laced with irony, but Benítez’s latest offensive undoubtedly found its target. After a spell in which it appeared that his heart for a battle had been all but wiped out by a series of disappointments, the Spaniard has come out fighting once again.

However, what his superiors at Anfield make of his latest salvo remains to be seen.

Top four is the target
Rafael Benítez says the return to fitness of his biggest stars has strengthened his belief that Liverpool will finish in the Barclays Premier League’s top four. The visit of Arsenal on Sunday will be the first time this season that the Liverpool manager has been able to pick his first-choice XI, with Fernando Torres, Alberto Aquilani and Steven Gerrard available.

“When you have your big names playing, it is easier for the others,” Benítez said. “They have confidence from that and it is easier to win games. We have been playing without two of the best players in the world in some games and if they are available and we have the majority of players available also, then I think we will win more games in a row and we will be in the top four.”

Tiger Woods quits golf 'to be a better husband'

Tiger Woods is to take an “indefinite break” from professional golf, he announced late last night, capping a tumultuous fortnight.

The troubled golfer said he was taking a “hiatus” from the sport so that he could “focus ... on being a better husband, father, and person”.

In a statement on his personal website, Woods, 33, said that he was profoundly sorry for the disappointment and hurt that he had caused his family. “It may not be possible to repair the damage I’ve done but I want to do my best to try,” he said.

The father of two continued: “After much soul-searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf.” Woods has not been seen in public since his car accident in the early hours of Friday, November 27. The crash, outside his Florida mansion, was said to have come after he and his 29-year-old Swedish wife, Elin Nordegren, had a furious row about an alleged affair with Rachel Uchitel, 34, a Manhattan nightclub hostess.

Neighbours had reported seeing Ms Nordegren standing by Woods’s crashed SUV with a golf club in her hand. The golfer, who was found bleeding and semi-conscious, was later charged with careless driving, which carries a $164 (£98) fine.

It also emerged that the world number one was investigated for driving while unfit after his wife told a Florida state trooper that he had been drinking before his car crash and had been prescribed addictive drugs.

The news unleashed a media firestorm and led to a deluge of reports that the golfer had numerous affairs with young women.

Among the 13 women to have emerged with claims of extramarital affairs with the sportsman were Jaimee Grubbs, 24, a Las Vegas cocktail waitress, Jamie Jungers, 26, a lingerie model, Mindy Lawton, 33, an Orlando pancake waitress, and Holly Sampson, 36, a porn actress.

While the storm raged around him, Woods remained silent and out of sight. In a statement released last week, he referred to “personal sins” and “transgressions” and apologised for letting his family down. In last night’s statement he used the word “infidelity” for the first time.

The golfer was last due to play golf on December 1 at the Chevron World Challenge title, but cancelled after the crash. He is the winner of 14 major golf events.

Woods’s once squeaky clean image has taken a battering and adverts featuring the golfer have vanished from American prime-time television amid blanket coverage of the lurid claims of his infidelities.

Gatorade, the energy drinks company, cancelled a contract with Woods as the financial ramifications of the scandal started to emerge. Woods signed a five-year deal with Gatorade in 2007 for an estimated $100 million (£61.7 million), which means that he stands to lose about $40 million.

Yesterday, he won a court order banning British media from reporting certain new details about his personal life. The legal action, by London-based lawyers, is the first serious attempt by Woods to try to limit the increasing damage to his reputation.

There has been speculation that one of the women who claims to have slept with the golfer was preparing to sell compromising photographs. Woods’s lawyers have cast doubt on the existence and validity of any images.

There were also suggestions yesterday that Woods’s problems may be part of a serious psychological addiction that only expert treatment can bring under control.

“One might suggest that Tiger Woods shows signs of being a sex addict,” said Judy Kuriansky, a psychologist and sex expert at Columbia University, New York. “From the outside it would seem he fits — and once you put a medical diagnosis on it, you have an excuse.”

Earlier this week Woods’s mother-in-law collapsed at his Florida mansion and spent half a day in hospital. Barbro Holmberg had arrived in the US from her native Sweden to be with her daughter.

Source:The times