Snak

Chelsea to sell Oscar to Barcelona?

Barcelona are ready to revamp their squad ahead of next season, should they fail to overturn the four point deficit that now separates them and chief rivals Real Madrid in at the top of the La Liga table in Spain. According to reports on ibtimes.com, a new-look Catalan side would be spearheaded by Chelsea and Brazil midfielder Oscar.

The American website insists that patience is lost on the careers of ´old heads´ Xavi Herandez and Andres Iniesta, despite the latter still being 29 years old, and that Oscar is the man they want to rebuild around.

The same source believes that similar moves may materialise for Stamford bridge duo David Luiz and Ramires, with Barca said to be keen to purchase the entire triumvirate. A counter move by French side PSG for Oscar, worth £41.5 million, is also cited but the extent to which these moves may occur is thought to be little at the moment.

One thing is for sure, should Barcelona or any other club buy these three Brazilians, then Chelsea would have an awful lot of money to spend as a result.

Pele: Messi can´t do it for Argentina

Brazil legend Pele has cranked up the pressure on the man many believe is the world´s best player ahead of this summer´s World Cup in Brazil.

Lionel Messi, the Barcelona and Argentina maestro, has won almost all their is to win in the domestic game at the Spanish club, but has often failed in the past to reproduce that form on the international stage and Pele has suggested that there are two different players in one.

"When you see him play with Barcelona, he is Messi," the King told reporters, "but when you see him play for Argentina, he is another Messi."

"With Barcelona he is surrounded by two or three excellent players like Xavi and Iniesta to help him. With Argentina it is different because it is more difficult to connect with his teammates . It´s a complately different Messi."

The Argentine´s international form has improved over the past year or soand one would assume that he were to be written off at one´s peril.

@ NPATO

Tim Vickery Column: That Brazilian conveyor belt of talent

Brazil continue to craft talented players week in, week out with Grêmio producing two fine defenders recently but can they find another with important Copa Libertadores matches coming up and how will the latest conveyor belt of youngster cope with expectation.

One of the greatest things about covering Brazilian football is the opportunity to get an early glance at the future stars of the global game. The production line of talent never stops working, there are always promising new players appearing. Some will fall by the wayside, others will become household names all over the world, and it is fun to spot them early and follow their progress.

Let us take the example of Gremio. Last year. For their Libertadores campaign, they repatriated left back Andre Santos from Arsenal . The team were knocked out of the competition relatively early, he was not a spectacular success and moved on to Flamengo – leaving space for Alex Telles to make the position his own.

The youngster had a splendid season in the Brazilian Championship, being voted in most surveys as the best left back in the competition. I was lucky enough to be in the stadium when he scored his only goal for Gremio, a cracking effort that won a vital game against Botafogo. He will not be scoring any more for the club – not for a while, at least. Alex Telles has already left Gremio, and is now playing for Galatasaray in the Champions League.

Back in Porto Alegre, though, he hardly seems to have been missed. His sale has given the chance for Wendell to be promoted, and the 20 year old has already made a big impression – so big, in fact, that he too has already been sold. In the middle of the year he joins Bayer Leverkeusen in Germany. And so the conveyor belt keeps moving on.

Wendell’s young team-mate, support striker Luan, has made an even bigger impression. Thrown in the deep end in the Copa Libertadores, where Gremio have been drawn in a very difficult group, Luan is making things look easy. What is striking about him is not only his natural ability. It is capacity to operate in a collective context, his vision of the game and the maturity of the decisions he is taking on the field. Two months ago he was an unknown. Now, he is surrounded by huge expectations.

All of this is quite extraordinary. There is no other country in the world, not even Argentina, where promising players are revealed with such frequency. Spend a month away from Brazil and you are already out of date; new players will have emerged in your absence. Of course, by no means all of them will fulfil that early promise. There is no other profession which contains such a huge step up; within a matter of weeks a youngster can go from being an anonymous youth team player to someone whose work is being assessed by thousands inside the stadium and millions following via the media. This brings brutal changes in lifestyle, psychological pressures, new financial opportunities and a change in daily routine that can be thoroughly disorientating. It is no surprise that lots of these players find these changes too difficult to assimilate. There is a huge gap between promise and reality.

Luck, as always, plays a part – and not just in terms of injuries or first team opportunities. There is also the crucial point of who the young player is surrounded by and what their motivation might be.

How does his family react to his progress? There are plenty of such cases in Brazil where, when the youngster starts showing real promise, his entire family stop work and construct all their economic hopes on his football ability – a pressure which can only be described as inhumane. They might want him to accept the first big money offer that comes in, regardless of whether it is in the long term interests of his career.

The same can apply with agents or investors looking for a short term profit, or clubs desperate for a sale in order to pay off a backlog of wages.

Thursday is a big day in the careers of the Gremio youngsters. The team have won their first two games in the Copa Libertadores, but the next three are the trickiest. On April 2nd they travel to Medellin for a difficult match away to Atletico Nacional of Colombia. And before that come home and away clashes against Newells Old Boys of Argentina, an attractive side spearheaded by Maxi Rodriguez, with the passing ability of Ever Banega and the experience of David Trezeguet in reserve. Winning the Libertadores is an obsession for Newells, who lost last year on penalties in the semi final to eventual champions Atletico Mineiro. The 2014 model Newells will be all out to prove themselves against Brazilian opposition, next week in front of their own fans in Rosario, and this Thursday in Gremio’s new Arena.

Can Luan continue to shine in these difficult circumstances? There is no guarantee that Wendell will be available for the first match. He is suffering from a thigh strain. It might be beyond even Brazil’s conveyor belt of talent to produce a new left back in time for Thursday.

Liga MX roundup Week 10: America, Chivas and Cruz Azul fall

Before the Clausura 2014 season even began, Atlante was so far ahead in the Liga MX relegation race that no team wants to lead, that the other squads at risk were almost an afterthought. Los Potros, many assumed, were going down.

So much for assumptions. With a 4-2 victory over Queretaro that vaulted them to sixth place in the league table, Atlante are now virtually even with Atlas, the other team now in danger in the drop zone. Veracruz and Jaguares are also at risk. The relegation many took for granted may not happen at all.

Ecuadorean Michael Arroyo is a big reason why Atlante is so close to salvation. He scored all four of the goals for the Iron Colts over Queretaro, allowing Atlante to dominate the match.

The other big surprise of the weekend’s games was at the top of the table. It wasn’t so surprising that Cruz Azul lost, really. The best of teams lose games on occasion. What was startling was that the team at the top of Liga MX was beaten so soundly by an opponent that has struggled to score even a single goal in its matches this season. The score was 3-0 and Tigres was so implacable throughout the match that the final goal, by Jose Francisco Torres, was scored while Tigres was a man down due to a red card for Carlos Salcido.

It’s as if Tigres finally got the memo that the season was underway and now the squad is fighting desperately to be a part of it. Ricardo Ferretti and his players still have some distance to go, but at 13th in the table, the playoffs are possible.

Cruz Azul, meanwhile, still lead Liga MX with 25 points, but perhaps the loss was an important reminder not to take any rival lightly.

Toluca was thus able to make up some ground on the leaders, via a 3-0 win over Puebla. The hallmark of this squad is how balanced their offensive attack is. It even varies week to week. Wilson Thiago Mathias, Raul Navas, and Carlos Esquivel all contributed to the victory over Puebla. Now the Red Devils have 22 points in the table.

Pumas, one of the league’s biggest surprises this season, faltered a bit over the weekend, however, losing 3-1 to Morelia. The Monarchs staged a big comeback at home after going down an early goal by Martin Bravo of Pumas, who remain fourth in the table even after the loss.

Pachuca was another big mover on the weekend, with a tidy 2-0 victory over Monterrey pushing the club into third place on 17 points. Both goals were scored by Enner Valencia, another Ecuadorian player performing well in Liga MX.

The old trope about a 2-0 lead being dangerous in soccer rang true for Club America in their match versus Santos Laguna. Las Aguilas were leading in the first ten minutes of the game thanks to a Rubens Sambueza goal and assist, but it all went downhill from there. The rest of the scoring belonged to the Laguneros, who scored four times. Team icon Oribe Peralta managed a tricky juke of his defender in the box before burying a shot for the winning goal. Peralta hasn’t been in the scoring groove for his club consistently this season, but this strike and the triumph over Club America should boost the veteran’s confidence.

For Club America, it’s humbling to be tied with Atlante on 15 points. Antonio Mohamed must return to the drawing board to get his club back to the usual dominance enjoyed by their fans.

For Guadalajara as well, it was a frustrating weekend with a 2-0 loss to the Xolos of Tijuana. Dario Benedetto and Jaime Ayovi pitched in with the goals, continuing Tijuana’s winning record versus the more-established club. Chivas has now gone nearly 300 minutes without scoring a goal.

Though remote, Chivas runs a slight risk of relegation now, and their fans will anxiously keep an eye on that end of the league table. Atlas and Jaguares, two teams providing a bit of a cushion for Chivas from that danger, split points this weekend with a 2-2 result that didn’t really help either team to climb higher.

Veracruz, though still last in the table, did claim all three points via a 0-1 win over Leon. The defending league champions had a prime opportunity to lead the match with a penalty kick opportunity in the 63rd minute, but Matias Britos struck a low shot that was too easy for Tiburones goalkeeper Edgar Hernandez to grasp. Then Luis Alberto Sanchez scored a wonder goal from an extreme angle into the side netting of Leon’s goal in the 90th minute.

The race for the liguilla playoffs and the chance of the Liga MX championship and the glory of that title is well and truly on, with a number of clubs vying for those coveted eight spots. However, the fight to escape the ignominy of relegation is almost as crowded and just as compelling.

Ángel Correa: Is San Lorenzo’s Starlet Ready To Move To Europe?

Every time I appear on Sam Kelly’s Hand of Pod, it seems we have a question from a listener about San Lorenzo’s Ángel Correa. Is he as good as everyone says? Is he coming to Europe? Could he handle the pace and power of the Premier League? I write this article in a bid to answer each of these questions once and for all.

First things first: yes, it is true, Ángel Correa is pretty damned exciting. He is, along with River Plate’s Éder Balanta and Racing’s Bruno Zuculini, one of the most exciting prospects in the Argentine Primera División at the moment. While that statement does not carry the same weight it once did, the eighteen year-old’s performances in el Ciclón’s Torneo Inicial title win were so impressive that he has been linked with the likes of Barcelona, Manchester City and Arsenal.

While it is unlikely that he will move to a club of that stature, he is all but certain to transfer to a European team in June or July. Although that is as sure a bet as any one can place, it is much harder to guarantee that his switch will be a success.

As with all teenage sensations, Correa still has a lot to learn on the pitch, while his reserved personality and traumatic experiences off it mean that he is less-than-ideally prepared to adapt to the demands of new countries and lifestyles. In short, he will face as much of a struggle to acclimatise personally as he will to make the professional step up.

There is no denying that he is potentially a great player: a tricky, intelligent and versatile attacker whose greatest attribute is the ability to find space and make the most of it. His brilliant ball control allows him to free himself from the most impossible of situations and he also has a good eye for the final pass – an attribute which, somewhat unbelievably, sets him apart in contemporary Argentine football.

While his end product was at times lacking last season, his contribution has become markedly more consistent after the summer break. With five games of the Torneo Final played, he leads the Primera’s assists chart with three – and could easily have had more. He does not score many goals, but it is obvious that if he carries on like this he will develop the knack of finishing as well as creating. As such, giving Correa the ball has become San Lorenzo’s primary and sometimes only method of attack.

He can certainly be trusted with it. The most encouraging trait that scouts will have noticed is that he usually makes good decisions when the ball is at his feet: the understanding of when and how to release it that takes most players years to acquire is naturally present. While he still has to work on other aspects of his game, this basic intelligence would make him well-suited to the possession-heavy style of play favoured by most sides in Europe’s major leagues.

He is useful without the ball, too. Like the majority of young players in Argentina, Correa has been shaped by the post-Bilardismo belief that every player must show huevos, garra y corazón – balls, fight and heart – which means that no-one (at least no-one not named Juan Román Riquelme) is allowed to leave the pitch without having given everything for the cause, fighting for every ball as if it were the last.

There are reservations, of course, but most of them are products of Correa’s environment than of his performances. He does make youthful mistakes but usually it is the team that fails him rather than the other way around. Harsh as it may sound, it is hard not to feel that he is being hindered by the low technical standard of the football he is playing and the unhelpful tactical conventions of Argentine football.

For example, most number nines here, and especially those in San Lorenzo’s side, seem to pass exclusively with their backs to goal, rarely trying to spin their markers and create chances for their suppliers – players like Correa – to slip them in for one-on-ones with the goalkeeper. Typically, they look to receive the ball facing their half, lay it off to a wide player and amble into the box to get on the end of a cross, or simply make something out of nothing by themselves.

Additionally, central midfielders rarely venture into areas around the box or look to make the sort of quick, triangular combinations for which Correa searches, preferring instead to send the ball out wide and then hold their territory in the central third of the pitch, wary of opposition counter-attacks.

This means that Correa often receives the ball and finds himself in a one-versus-one situation with a full-back with no teammate within twenty yards – not a situation he necessarily dislikes, but not one that maximises his ability either. He would develop at a much quicker rate if played in more fluid, dynamic and collective systems with similarly creative players.

Physicality is also a problem – not just in terms of pace and core strength, which he is probably currently lacking, but in terms of stamina as well. While incredible training facilities and dietary regimes have turned footballers at the peak of the profession into Herculean athletes, standards here remain a little bit below that and the effects are obvious.

The players’ relative lack of preparation, coupled with the aforementioned expectation that they will fight for every ball as if their life depends on it, means that they tend to become noticeably tired after seventy or eighty minutes of each game. With games coming thick and fast for San Lorenzo at the moment – as well as a congested domestic calendar rejigged to accommodate the World Cup, they are having to contend with the monumentally illogical Copa Libertadores schedule – standards are slipping even further.

Obviously, this is a fault that would presumably be rectified post-transfer, but it is worth repeating that if Correa were signed by a club expecting instant returns and subsequently thrown in at the deep end, it is highly unlikely that his impact would be either immediate or sustained. He is certainly not yet ready for the rigorous physical demands of Premier League football.

Then there is Correa’s age, which seems an obvious factor to consider but the one that could be most decisive of all. Still to complete his first year as a professional footballer, he turns nineteen next week. While his performances have been those of a player much older, the fact remains that he is still just a kid – and one whose life until this point has been extremely difficult.

His first twelve years were spent in a villa (slum) outside Rosario, and even though he was arguably lucky to escape so young and move to San Lorenzo’s accommodation in Buenos Aires, he has still been a victim of numerous tragedies: his father died when he was ten, his brother shortly after he relocated and his step-father in January of this year.

Understandably, these losses hit him extremely hard – he says the care shown by his club and his teammates was what helped him through these periods. Indeed, the love he gets at San Lorenzo, the feeling of being part of a family, is something that no other club can offer. Going against the stereotype of the modern footballer, he is painfully shy, apparently being next to mute in the dressing room.

Whoever takes this starlet away from what is now his home has to understand that they are not buying another Neymar, a kid so full of confidence that it is less a question of whether he can adapt to his new surroundings than whether his surroundings can adapt to him. Correa needs to be helped to feel at home and have his friends and teammates – some of whom he says are more like brothers – there to help him.

To that end, Correa’s imminent transfer appears to me to be a move in direct opposition to the logical development of his undoubted potential. The smart thing for an interested European club to do would be to buy the first option on him and bring him over after a couple more years here, rather than whisk him away from an environment in which he feels at home. While he needs to move to improve as a player, he needs to stay to mature as a person.

Of course, football is rarely that philanthropic: the sums of money on offer to both club (well, drug cartel, but that is another story for another time) and player will count for more than the human needs of the individuals involved. Ángel Correa will leave el Nuevo Gasómetro in just a few months’ time and he will either sink or swim. Given his talent and the struggles he has been through it is natural to wish him every possible success, but so much depends on his destination. It could easily turn out to be too much, too soon

http://www.youtube.com/w…BHg482zRl18

San Lorenzo: el turno para el equipo titular

BUENOS AIRES -- Tras preservar a los titulares y un equipo alternativo en el partido ante Godoy Cruz, Edgardo Bauza pondrá en cancha una formación con 11 modificaciones en el partido que San Lorenzo disputará ante Unión Española, en la tarde-noche del miércoles.

Aún sin Mauro Cetto recuperado por el esguince de tobillo que lo mantiene al margen desde hace más de dos semanas, el entrenador volverá a apostar por una zaga central compuesta por Carlos Valdés y Santiago Gentiletti.

Además, la gran novedad en la alineación inicial pasa porque Leandro Romagnoli será titular por primera vez en la presente Copa Libertadores, luego de ser suplente ante Botafogo de Brasil e Independiente del Valle de Ecuador.

De esta manera, los once titulares para recibir a Unión Española de Chile, en el Nuevo Gasómetro, serán: Sebastián Torrico; Julio Buffarini, Carlos Valdés, Santiago Gentiletti, Emmanuel Más; Ángel Correa, Juan Mercier, Néstor Ortigoza, Ignacio Piatti; Leandro Romagnoli; Mauro Matos.

San Lorenzo recibirá a Unión Española desde las 19:45 hs. del miércoles, con el arbitraje del uruguayo Darío Ubriaco. Cabe recordar que ambos equipos volverán a enfrentarse el próximo miércoles, en Chile, por la cuarta fecha de la fase de grupos.

Boca: trabajos con la presencia de Ledesma

BUENOS AIRES -- Tras gozar de la jornada libre en el día posterior al triunfo ante Racing, el plantel de Boca Juniors se reencontró en Casa Amarilla y la gran novedad pasó por la presencia de Pablo Ledesma.

El mediocampista, licenciado durante el fin de semana, trabajo diferenciado en kinesiología junto a Diego Perotti, ya que se recupera de un desgarro. Mientras tanto, Juan Román Riquelme, Daniel Díaz y Fernando Gago, luego de estar en kinesiología, trabajaron en el gimnasio. Por su parte, el resto del plantel realizó tareas regenerativas y ejercicios físicos.

Con respecto al próximo partido, ante Argentinos Juniors, es un hecho que no podrán jugar Emanuel Insúa y Fernando Gago, quienes deberán cumplir una fecha de suspensión. Para ocupar sus lugares ingresarían Nahuel Zárate, en el lateral izquierdo, y Luciano Acosta, aunque no se descarta que Diego Rivero tenga un lugar entre los titulares.

En definitiva, con un cambio de esquema incluido, la probable formación para recibir a Argentinos sería: Agustín Orión; Leandro Marín, Daniel Díaz, Juan Forlín, Nahuel Zárate; Cristian Erbes, Federico Bravo, Juan Sánchez Miño; Juan Román Riquelme; Luciano Acosta o Diego Rivero, Emmanuel Gigliotti.

Un dato a tener en cuenta es que, tras la práctica, finalizada a las 10:40 hs. el presidente Daniel Angelici mantuvo una charla con el plantel en el vestuario que duró varios minutos. Tal es así que los futbolistas recién comenzaron a abandonar el predio pasado el mediodía.

Boca recibirá a Argentinos Juniors desde las 18:15 hs. del domingo con arbitraje a confirmar. El "Xeneize" intentará encadenar su tercer triunfo consecutivo, algo que no consiguió desde el regreso de Carlos Bianchi al club.

Independiente: regresará Julián Velázquez

BUENOS AIRES -- Luego de haber sumada su tercera derrota consecutiva, Omar De Felippe programó una nueva práctica de fútbol e introdujo tres variantes de cara al partido que Independiente disputará ante Banfield, en la noche del viernes.

La gran novedad durante el ensayo desarrollado a puertas cerradas pasó porque Julián Velázquez, ausente en los últimos cuatro partidos por un desgarro, pudo formar parte y regresaría al equipo titular, en lugar de Samuel Cáceres.

Además, retornaría Gabriel Valles tras cumplir una fecha de suspensión por acumulación de tarjetas amarillas, ocupando el lugar del juvenil Alexis Zárate.

Mientras tanto, De Felippe realizó un tercer cambio, sorpresivo ya que sacó del equipo a Matías Pisano y buscó equilibrio en la mitad de la cancha con Martín Zapata.

En definitiva, los once probados durante los trabajos del martes fueron: Diego Rodríguez; Gabriel Vallés, Cristian Tula, Julián Velázquez, Lucas Villalba; Martín Zapata, Hernán Fredes, Marcelo Vidal, Federico Mancuello; Daniel Montenegro; Sebastián Penco.

Independiente, tercero en el Torneo de la B Nacional, visitará a Banfield, el líder, desde las 21:30 hs. del viernes. El "Rojo" buscará volver a sumar de a tres tras cinco partidos, en los cuales empató con Boca Unidos y Aldosivi y cayó ante Atlético Tucumán, Independiente Rivadavia de Mendoza y Huracán.

Stakkels Larissa, det er ikke nemt at være paraguayaner blandt argentinere

Violento asalto a Fabbro y su familia

BUENOS AIRES -- El futbolista de River Plate y de la selección paraguaya Jonathan Fabbro fue asaltado con violencia por una banda de ladrones mientras festejaba el cumpleaños de su madre en Buenos Aires en compañía de otros familiares y su pareja, la modelo paraguaya Larissa Riquelme.

El asalto ocurrió alrededor de las 01.30 del martes de la madrugada, cuando seis personas armadas irrumpieron en la vivienda y golpearon a Fabbro y los demás asistentes, entre los que figuraban varios menores, antes de llevarse todos los objetos de valor, informaron fuentes policiales a medios locales.

"Le pegaron a mi hijo de 4 años que es discapacitado y a mi sobrina de 3 le pasaron un cuchillo por la garganta", relató al programa Teleshow el hermano y representante del centrocampista, Darío Fabbro.

La hermana menor del futbolista, Ani Fabbro, descargó su rabia por el asalto a través de su cuenta en una popular red social e increpó a la presidenta argentina, Cristina Fernández.

"Entran a tu casa te la dan vuelta, te torturan, te dejan con miedo, y es una sensación, no señora Cristina?", escribió en Twitter.

Los ladrones se llevaron dinero, teléfonos celulares, ropa y electrodomésticos, entre otros objetos, y dejaron maniatados a Fabbro, Riquelme y los demás asistentes.

Mauro Zárate rechaza jugar para Chile y mantiene ilusión por Argentina

BUENOS AIRES -- Mauro Zárate, delantero de Vélez Sarsfield, afirmó el martes que rechazará la propuesta de la selección de Chile para disputar el próximo Mundial de Brasil 2014 con la Roja porque aspira a vestir la camiseta de su país de origen, Argentina.

"Fue una decisión difícil decirle no a Chile, pero no puedo matar la ilusión de jugar para la Argentina", enfatizó el actual goleador del torneo Final en declaraciones a un canal local.

El exjugador de Lazio e Inter de Italia, Birmingham de Inglaterra y Al-Sadd de Qatar, añadió: "Le aclaré a la gente de Chile que no podía jugar en otra selección que no sea la argentina, es mi ilusión de, en algún momento, estar allí".

"Hace un tiempo me llamaron, me hablaron en persona. Cuando hablé les dije que iba a pensarlo, pero no podía", dijo Mauro Zárate, que había sido tentado por el técnico argentino de la Roja, Jorge Sampaoli.

Con tan sólo 26 años, el jugador de padre chileno nacido en Calama, desechó esta posibilidad y, con la lista de delanteros cerrada para el seleccionado albiceleste, apuntará a tener su oportunidad en el próximo ciclo rumbo al Mundial de Rusia 2018.

Mauro Zárate fue campeón juvenil con la selección albiceleste en el Mundial de Canadá, pero nunca fue citado para disputar un encuentro con la mayor.