Snak

Umiddelbart lyder det til at være en dårlig idé - hvorfor skifte en taberklub (Internacional) ud med en klub i frit fald (Liverpool) - Arsenal virker sgu da heller oplagt med tanke på hvor elendig den klub er til at få det bedste frem i brasilianere - og Tottenham - seriøst ? .

Lucas Leiva: I would sign Leandro Damião

Liverpool´s Lucas Leiva has revealed that Internacional striker Leandro Damião would be his ideal signing for the club.

In an interview with FourFourTwo, the midfielder told the magazine that he´d love to to see Damião partner the prolific Luis Suarez in attack.

"Neymar would be my first choice, but as I know it is almost impossible to bring him to Liverpool, I would choose Leandro Damião.

"He knows how to play with his back to goal, and he would adapt well to the Premier League."

Damião has been the subject of interest from English clubs in recent months, with Arsenal and Tottenham both linked to the striker after he impressed for Brazil at London 2012.

Lucas is currently recovering from injury and is set to make his comeback for the U21s on Friday as they face Middlesbrough in a bid for match fitness.

Argentina´s Orion: There is no such thing as a friendly against Brazil

Argentina´s Agustin Orion believes that every game against Brazil is an opportunity for bragging rights ahead of the second leg of the Superclássico das Americas.

The second leg kicks off at midnight tonight as the two teams, mainly filled with domestic players, go head to head.

Ahead of the match, Orion told reporters: "There are no friendly games against Brazil.

"I played last year´s Superclasico de las Americas and it was a beautiful experience. All of us want to play Brazil.

"The stadium will be full of fans. We are ready, we are used to the coach´s idea and we feel we belong to the Argentinean shirt.´´

Forward Juan-Manuel Martinez also added: "Brazil will not play defensively despite having taken a 2-1 lead from the first leg.

"We need to win and Brazil feel comfortable by attacking and playing with the ball."

Brazil take a 2-1 lead into tonight´s clash and a 1-0 win for Argentina could take it to penalties.

Sabella forsøger sig med 3-4-1-2 opstilling i træningen frem mod aftens Superclásico de las Américas mod Brasilien.

Sabella ensayó un 3-4-1-2

BUENOS AIRES -- Alejandro Sabella dispuso un trabajo táctico donde participaron todos los convocados de la Selección local, de cara la revancha del Superclásico de las Américas y usaría un esquema 3-4-1-2.

La tarea principal fue un trabajo táctico, once contra once, durante el transcurso del cual el director técnico, Alejandro Sabella dio constantes indicaciones. Participaron todos los futbolistas convocados, con quienes colaboraron jugadores de selecciones juveniles. El único que realizó trabajos diferenciados fue Leonardo Ponzio, por haber jugado el lunes por la noche.

Sabella también hizo ensayar jugadas con pelota parada, a favor y en contra y remates de tiros libres.

Los arqueros Orión y Ustari, trabajaron con el encargado del área, Juan José Romero.

En la defensa probó una línea de tres compuesta por Lisandro López, Sebastián Domínguez y Leandro Desábato. Más adelante, Francisco Cerro y Pablo Guiñazú se colocaron como volantes centrales y, a los costados, Gino Peruzzi y Leonel Vangioni, por derecha e izquierda, respectivamente.

Walter Montillo se paró como enlace y, en el ataque Juan Manuel Martínez y Hernán Barcos.

El director técnico no confirmó el equipo. Lo hará el miércoles, en el estadio.

El cuerpo técnico de la Selección Nacional, desafectó el martes del plantel que enfrentará el próximo miércoles a Brasil, por el Súperclásico de las Américas, a los jugadores, Clemente Rodríguez y Rodrigo Braña, ambos por lesiones. Además convocó al jugador de River Plate, Leonardo Ponzio.

Los dos llegaron con sendas contracturas de sus clubes, Boca Juniors y Estudiantes de La Plata, respectivamente y no se recuperaron. Rodríguez padece la contractura en la cara anterior del muslo derecho y Braña en la cara posterior, también del muslo derecho.

Borghi’s final stand as Chile succumb to Serbia

Nov20 by joelsked

After a stay of execution afforded to him in the aftermath of the defeats to Ecuador and Argentina in the last batch of World Cup qualifiers, Claudio Borghi knew he and his Chilean side had to deliver a performance of significant improvement in the friendly with Serbia.

Ninety torrid minutes later and Borghi had departed, or has he told the media sacked. Ninety insipid minutes; the match clock not acting as a timer for the game but a countdown until La Roja were Borghi-less, something which fans up and down the Chilean peninsula were eager to see.

The players constantly told any media outlet that would listen about their admiration and respect for Borghi; they insisted they wanted him to stay; they wanted to play for him. During those ninety woeful minutes there were no signs that signified those claims.

Sergio Jadue and the ANFP remained positive in their support for the coach. Well, at least in public. There were rumours that a poor performance would be the end of him. And so it proved.

I wrote a piece on the situation last month and was of the understanding that he’d be given until March when the next batch of qualifiers would be played.

Many of the points still stand; from his strained relationship with the media to indiscipline to tactics and player choice that appeared in Switzerland against Serbia.

As we will soon discover the players themselves have to take a share of the blame as Alexis Sánchez would say after the sacking. Many are playing at top clubs in Europe or South America but all too often deliver uninspiring performances.

So in Borghi’s final stand what did we learn?

Slow and Disjointed

One of the most distinctive changes from Marcelo Bielsa to Claudio Borghi has been the speed of attacks. Under Bielsa Chile were open at the back but teams struggled to exploit this weakness due to the ferocity of pressure and pressing La Roja exerted.

Borghi reigned in the organised chaos, giving more importance to a number 10 or ‘enganche’ as they are called in his native Argentina. There is more patience in the play but also less ball pressure when the opposition have possession and the team did not look like a unit, more like three different entities.

The first 25-30 minutes was as bad as Chile have been under Borghi. They pressed goal kicks so Serbia went long. But it worked to their advantage as if they didn’t win the header they’d win the second ball and Chile failed to apply suitable pressure. Radoslav Petrovic had acres of space in front of the defence to ignite attacks and Alexandr Kolarov as always pushed forward from left-back. Manuel Iturra was the right-side midfielder in the 3-4-1-2. Normally a conservative central midfielder he struggled to track Kolarov’s runs.

La Roja were lucky to only be trailing 1-0.

The performance picked up towards the end of the half as Chile moved the ball quicker; pass; one touch then pass; two touch then pass. There was no holding on to the ball for too long, looking to take on the Serbians independently. It was helped with Ángelo Henríquez replacing the injured Alexis Sánchez; the Manchester United striker a player who keeps the ball moving as he looks for space in the attacking third.

Before, the ball was moved with little purpose, intelligence or incision, allowing the Serbian midfield to retreat into a five-man midfield wall goal side of possession. Serbia struggled with quick passing that forced them to turn.

But an early second half goal and Chile unravelled.

Big players, small performances

As stated earlier in the article Chile’s players have to take responsibility. For too long under Borghi ‘big’ players have delivered small performances; none more so of late than Arturo Vidal, dubbed Mr Jekyll when playing for Juventus and Mr Hyde when in the red of Chile by a section of the Italian media.

Vidal is not the dynamic player you see tear up Serie A; winning tackles, advancing into the penalty box unseen and scoring goals. Similar to his performance against Serbia he has often been passive, lost or confused since returning from the ban for an off the field discretion. His recent travails with Chile were summed up by his horrific challenge on Petrovic.

For Gary Medel. Read Arturo Vidal. Another nondescript performance from the Sevilla pitbull.

Moving further forward and Matiás Fernández, a lovely player too watch, seems to have shrunk under added creative responsibility. Since the infamous defeat to Argentina at the start of the qualifiers when he started alongside Jorge Valdivia behind TWO strikers, Fernández has been the first choice number 10.

Easily one of the most gifted players in the squad – remember he is a former South American player of the year – his penchant for effortless creativity, making the game seem as easy, while those around him charge about at a hundred mile an hour trying to keep with him, has been replaced by ineffectiveness. In Wednesday’s game, like recent games before, when he received the ball there was no urge to rise from your seat because something special was about to occur. His performance was mundane. Vanilla. With Fernández that should not be.

Lastly, Alexis Sánchez. Poor for Barcelona, poor for Chile. Granted he was asked to furrow all alone in Ecuador as the main striker but in the main he has flattered to deceive; his performances resembling those that Udinese fans witnessed when he first arrived in Europe. It’s as if he feels that he should be doing it all by himself because he plays for Barcelona. Too often he’ll dribble in field or back out to the wing but taking Chile nowhere, finishing with a side way pass when it would have sufficed 30 seconds earlier.

These players should feel remorse simply because they played nowhere near their potential or current club form. Yet, as a team Chile have lacked cohesion. Individuals, not eleven brothers in arms. That is where Borghi should be criticised.

Mediocre players, mediocre performances

At least with the players mentioned you know they possess talent. But for others you wonder why they are in the squad; namely Jean Beausejour and Gonzalo Jara.

The defence as a whole failed to work together as a unit but in Jara they had the games worst performer. And that is saying a lot. He didn’t just contribute to a poor performance; he took it to a new level of incompetence.

La Roja were vulnerable down the left throughout and it is no surprise that Jara was the left of the three-man backline and Beausejour the left-midfielder. Beausejour does not contribute offensively or defensively and Jara’s performance was summed up when he tried to pass the ball infield, found a Serbian player and they went through on goal but somehow failed to go ahead.

Ángelo and Felipe

It is not all doom and gloom. There were positives to take from such an inept performance. It was two substitutes that provided them. First up: the already mentioned Ángelo Henríquez. He has been performing well in the youth and reserve sides of Manchester United, but he should be playing first team football somewhere. His ability was again evident against Serbia. He combines hard-work and team play with ruthlessness in and around the box.

It is refreshing and encouraging to see a player so young work so hard in both offensive and defensive phases of play. Out of possession he buzzes about the pitch, the ball always on his mind. At times he is almost too eager to help out leading him to drop far too deep and leave the team without an attacking focal point. But when his team have the ball he is always on the move looking for space, if not to receive the ball then open up gaps for team mates. When he’s passed the ball he’ll do one of two things: look towards goal and score or keep the ball moving and then try to get in an even better position to get it again. Then there is his goal scoring prowess, an eclectic mix of goals; the one against Serbia a simple header.

Henríquez showed a promising understanding with another sub, Felipe Gutiérrez. Gutiérrez is still only 23-years-old and currently playing with Twente in the Netherlands, epitomising the quality in the duo that even at such young ages they can form an attacking partnership in such a short time while experienced team mates trundled along.

A very different type of player to Henríquez, Gutiérrez is an artisan. He combines an old school number 10 with dynamic qualities that will help him succeed in Europe. He came on and made an instant impression flashing a shot past the far post. A noticeable quality his is thought process on the ball. Everything is quick and precise. If he holds onto the ball for a longer period of time you know he’ll have something planned.

Where now?

The names linked to the post are an idealists dream; Jorge Sampaoli, Gerardo Martino, Marcelo Bielsa and Pep Guardiola.

You can score-out two of those names from the offset as Sampaoli seems like the frontrunner after the marvellous job he has carried out at Universidad de Chile. But if not Sampaoli then whoever the new incumbent will be – likely to be announced in December – has a few things to sort out before March and the meetings with Peru and Uruguay.

La Roja need to be reconnected with the identity given to them by Bielsa. There best performances have been when they play at ferocious pace, teams struggle to live with him. The defence is the main weakness. They could shut up shop and protect it with a deep and compact midfield, but do they possess the players to do so? Instead, attack teams with the attitude ‘we will score more than you’.

The cohesion between defence and midfield and midfield and attack needs to return. Recently there have been three separate factions in one team. Borghi was always known as a laid-back coach; the funny uncle rather than the strict dad.

Time needs to be spent on the training ground instilling a better shape to the team, allowing them to attack from a variety of positions and a better defesnive structure when possession is ceded, rather than giving players days off before crucial qualifying matches.

The players could do their part as well. Starting by cutting out the stupidity on and off the field.

Now we wait . . .

MLS, the USA and the development of CONCACAF

Steven Maloney

Is Major League Soccer improving players from other CONCACAF countries at the behest of its own national team?

In a global labour market like the one in professional football, the slightest change in workforce composition can have big implications for how organisations compete with one another for resources. This weekend, the conclusion of the Western Conference semi-final first leg between Los Angeles Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes proved an outstanding example of Major League Soccer’s changing labour supply. With David Beckham sitting on the bench and American hero Landon Donovan mulling his interest in the sport, San Jose’s Honduran international Victor Bernárdez lashed a 30 yard free kick under the legs of a jumping Omar Gonzalez and past a desperately flapping Josh Saunders to give San Jose a stoppage time victory. The percentage of players from Honduras, Jamaica, and Canada has been increasing in the MLS player pool. And, the league initially intended to be a development vehicle for the United States is supplying a professional environment for key players for the Caribbean and Central American members of the CONCACAF region.

Honduras’ increasingly impressive national team (by CONCACAF standards, anyway) has 5 national team players based in MLS. All 5 Honduran internationals have more than 20 caps, with 23 international goals between them. Panama’s group stage upset of the USA in the 2011 Gold Cup was won on a penalty taken by Philadelphia Union’s Gabriel Gomez. Costa Rica has 3 internationals playing in MLS, including national team top scorer Alvaro Saborío. Of the eight members of the Jamaican national team playing professionally in MLS, only four of the eight play on MLS clubs actually based in the United States, while the other four ply their trade for the league’s three Canadian clubs.

As Major League Soccer continues to develop, the surrounding CONCACAF nations are taking advantage of the league’s need for decent players at comparably low wages on the global market. MLS uses this cheap labour force to get better play for its dollar, and in return national teams have players who get the experience of the long MLS season plus a diminished “wow factor” when they play matches against the United States. In turn, as the national set-ups in CONCACAF improve, the player market for Major League soccer diversifies, allowing the league to acquire better players the next year at the prices they paid for wages this year. In short, the available labour supply of MLS football jobs is driving the growth of CONCACAF’s international player pool, and the better supply of football labour in CONCACAF is fueling the growth of Major League Soccer as a competitive league.

The trend raises questions as to whether the United States is doing itself any favours by having Major League Soccer serve as a developmental league for all of CONCACAF. Given recent qualifying difficulties against Jamaica and the aforementioned upset at the hands of Panama in the 2011 Gold Cup, concerns grow that MLS helps the regional competition more than the United States itself.

True, the United States national team has as many current Major League Soccer professionals on its squad as does Honduras. But Major League soccer tends to be the weakest league represented in the national team setup, whereas MLS is one of the strongest leagues on the roster for most, if not all, of the other non-Mexican CONCACAF nations. In this regard, the lack of MLS players on the US national team roster is not an indication of the League’s failure to develop talent, but its success. The number of Americans playing in Europe and also in the Mexican first division demonstrates both the strides made by top tier American professional talent, but also the job that USA Soccer and MLS have done in raising the credibility level that success in their competitions translates to value in the European labour market.

If we think back to the time before the 2002 World Cup, Major League Soccer was loaded with American-based talent. In retrospect, Europe had undervalued many of these players’ abilities, due to the lack of success of American players in Europe historically and because Major League Soccer had no track record in producing players. After the United States’ quarterfinal run in 2002, a large percentage of the MLS contingent on that squad found their way into European clubs interested in bargain hunting. Enough of those bargains worked out and changed the general impression of the American footballer. In one decade, the list of Americans playing professionally abroad on the weekend went from numbers you could count on your hand to a list of over 50 Americans playing weekly and for the most part getting regular playing time at that.

The talent deficit created by European and Mexican purchasing of the United States’ top domestic players has been filled by shrewd buys from Latin America. While clubs in trendy American (and Canadian if we count Montreal Impact’s signing of Alessandro Nesta) cities have spent enormous sums to recruit big name talent from abroad, the League is equally populated by clubs who have succeeded by offering veteran players from Latin America a stable professional life in the United States and younger Latin American players the possibility of using MLS to springboard into European football.

The question of whether Major League Soccer should be developing region-wide talent is practically irrelevant. Major League Soccer’s profits are surging from the construction of soccer stadiums, increased ticket revenues, genuine domestic competition between television networks for broadcast rights, and even the emergence of a market for overseas television rights. As such, MLS will never seriously entertain any idea that constitutes the watering down of the product it places on the field. The talent MLS develops from rival CONCACAF nations keeps the player pool as robust as it can be for the price point the league offers for player wages.

Going forward, Major League Soccer should not worry that it is making Panama too competitive in world cup qualifying. Instead, the League should think about a future decline in its product quality if and when Honduran, Panamanian, Costa Rican and Canadian players start getting their transfer requests to Europe. How will MLS cope with that trend when Europe finds this potential value in non-American MLS players?

Perhaps the League can generate enough revenues to offer more competitive wages to keep its regional contingent in the States and maybe even buy back Americans playing in some of the lower paying leagues in Europe. But as it stands right now, Major League Soccer is sitting on a cheap, bountiful resource, and the League needs to make enough money before its gone to be able to afford whatever comes next. This leaves little room for error for the League’s finances, but it also means that there’s no way that they are going to shut down the CONCACAF pipeline just because the national team is finding it harder to win football matches.

Potentiel River - fortærkning; den paraguyanske midterforsvar Adalberto Román ønsker at skifte brasilianske Palmeiras ud argentinske River Plate.

A. Román quiere volver a River

BUENOS AIRES -- El defensor paraguayo Adalberto Román manifestó este martes su intención de tener "revancha" en River Plate, donde quedó marcado por cometer un infantil penal en el partido de ida de la Promoción ante Belgrano de Córdoba en 2011, que derivó poco después en el descenso del equipo millonario.

"Sería algo muy lindo tener una revancha, pero tengo que esperar a ver qué quiere hacer la gente de River con mi pase. Uno es humano y trata siempre de dar lo mejor en donde sea que juegue. Hay gente que lo aceptará y otra que no. No les tengo miedo a los insultos de la gente de River", sostuvo el guaraní en radio La Red.

El zaguero acumuló el pasado fin de semana una nueva frustración en su carrera al descender con el gigante brasileño Palmeiras, aunque no renuncia a una posible vuelta a Núñez.

"Palmeiras tiene opción de compra hasta el 30 de diciembre. Tengo que volver a River y ver cómo se resuelve el tema. En lo personal busco una revancha porque siempre quiero progresar en mi carrera. Ojalá pueda volver a jugar en River porque fue algo muy doloroso en mi campaña, y más que todo quiero devolverle algo a la gente que tuvo confianza en mí", resaltó.

Y añadió: "River es el dueño de mi pase y quiero cambiar la imagen que dejé en esos partidos de Promoción. Lo que pasó en aquel partido de la mano fue un error que comete cualquiera. Para mí fue una desgracia porque que te pase algo así en un momento difícil como ése, es algo muy triste. Fue una jugada muy rápida. La mano contra Belgrano fue una situación del partido, nada más".

"El Negro" Erviti gør status over Bocas 2012 sæson, som værende god, kvalifikation til Copa libertadores 2013 etc...

W. Erviti: "Boca tuvo un buen 2012"

BUENOS AIRES -- El mediocampista Walter Erviti opinó este martes que 2012 "ha sido un año bueno para Boca" Juniors y fijó como objetivo inmediato "entrar a la Libertadores" 2013.

"Para mejorar éste, hay que ganar todo en el que viene. Ha sido un buen año. Estoy tranquilo con lo que logramos. Lo único malo fue haber quedado eliminados tan pronto de la Sudamericana. No creo que juegue mal porque viene sacando puntos y estamos luchando en un nuevo campeonato", argumentó Erviti al hacer un análisis de lo generado por el plantel xeneize durante 2012.

Eso sí, el zurdo, ex San Lorenzo de Almagro, Monterrey y Banfield, admitió que la producción de los auriazules decreció en este último semestre.

"No ha sido regular. Hubo una baja en el rendimiento individual que se notó dentro del campo. Puede ser por muchas cosas. No la pudimos ocultar con el rendimiento grupal", reconoció Erviti en declaraciones para TyC Sports.

Pero a Boca todavía le quedan por delante las tres últimas fechas de este Torneo Inicial para determinar cuál será el resultado definitivo y para saber qué competencias deberán afrontar el año próximo. "Matemáticamente tenemos chances en el Inicial, pero no depende de nosotros. Es el primer objetivo. El segundo, entrar a la Libertadores. Somos el subcampeón de América. Tenemos ganas de participar. Vamos tras ello. Después, seguir sumando. Boca tiene que estar adentro", precisó quien fue llevado por el entrenador Julio Falcioni al club.

Y justamente, al hablar del cuestionado Falcioni, Erviti le destinó sus elogios: "Estoy orgulloso del técnico que tengo. Es el mejor que tuve en mi carrera. Me ha hecho crecer muchísimo. Está con ganas de demostrar cada día su capacidad y habla en cada charla de que Boca debe entrar a la Libertadores".

There’s no way like the South American way for Portugal

Pick any of the top sides in Europe and you’ll no doubt find a player who has plied his trade in the demanding, technical and highly competitive leagues of Portugal. Diogo Pombo looks at the South American school fuelling the Primeira Liga and how everyone is rushing to adopt the approach.

By Diogo Pombo

The Portuguese are not shy when it comes to praising their Descobrimentos era. Plain and simple, the term translates into Discoveries, a word that sums up a time when ships and sails made for a country’s history of adventure. Six centuries later, Portugal is rather seen as a land to be discovered. Football speaking, of course.

A land where some of Europe’s big spenders simply wait and observe from a distance, while the natives, through a championship known for its football of technical predominance, aim to prepare the newly arrived settlers for their own adventure – one to conquer Europe. A pair of boots and a South American name is all they need, along with some natural talent, to earn an opportunity in Portugal. Well, perhaps that’s too simplistic, but at times that is all there seems to be about the recipe for successful transfers in the Portuguese game.

Names like Hulk, Radamel Falcao, Álvaro Pereira, Angel Di Maria, David Luiz or Ramires are only the most recent examples of a group of players that was responsible for forging a new tendency, one that works like a washing machine: the Liga rotates players, squeezes them so tightly that only the best come out stainless, and those are the ones who today keep on conquering the spotlight of the top European football leagues.

A kid manages to find a ball to play along with his friends on the occasional South American street. Born with a gift or through an old-fashioned struggle to outperform the rest, he eventually gets caught by some club scout. He lands himself a contract. Sooner than later he will seize the first opportunity to travel. Where to? Portugal.

For the last decade, Portuguese clubs have opened their eyes to a continent’s potential for young talent. One that, forged with a similarity between languages, climate and, to some extent, culture, has made up for a tendency that is now becoming the norm. A new aim for South American players: land a contract to showcase themselves in Europe. South American players seem to embrace the Portuguese lifestyle and more than one have earned cult status in the league. Falcao being the most recent. The powerful Colombian spent his time flying headers into goals in Portugal, and now dribbles and free kicks his way to scoring goal after goal at Madrid.

A Colombian trace in the Spanish league could only be found in a tall guy with a curly top who stopped by Valladolid in the mid-90’s. Today we see one who not only overcomes a cartoonish-like Carlos Valderrama, but also threatens to outshine the extra-terrestrial pair of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

But before he was dragging Atlético de Madrid towards the La Liga steering wheel, he was outshining everyone in Portugal.

In 2009, FC Porto had pulled another one. A shy guy who arrived from River Plate during the summer finished his first season with 29 goals scored. A year later, a treble-winning campaign earned him 34 goals, 17 of which came in the UEFA Europa League.

On to 2010. Di Maria’s slaloms and hyperactivity on the field led José Mourinho to convince Real Madrid that the Argentine was worthy of a 30 million euros transfer from Benfica. In the following weeks, the encarnados saw another €22 million shifted in to their bank account – this time it was Chelsea who took Ramires. Six months later, yet another Brazilian joined him at Stamford Bridge - some guy called David Luiz who entertains with his flamboyant style and equally as flamboyant hair. Their predecessors in the soon-to-be-stars list were the likes of Pepe (Real Madrid), Anderson (Manchester United), Lisandro López (Olympique Lyonnais) and Lucho González – the El Comandante who returned to FC Porto midway through last season.

The talent keeps spreading, and the Portuguese clubs would not take long to reinforce their South American stroll. And one of the best to do so was FC Porto.

“We work with over 250 scouts spread throughout the world. Some work internally, others externally, and divide themselves in various types of observational tasks, which allows one player to be observed several times by different scouts”, briefly explained Antero Henrique, the club’s general manager, when asked by France Football about the scouting success for which the dragões have been praised. Some Tottenham fans, more addicted to summer gossip, might remember his name as he was reportedly under the club’s radar during the pre-season hunt for reinforcements.

And one would easily guess what would come next in Henrique’s words: “If we approached a German player, [about coming to FC Porto] we would have nothing special to offer him, but if we speak to a Brazilian, it will be for sure a giant step and a boost to his life standards”. Replace the b-word for any other South American related and you have yourself the guideline for a typical transfer policy within the three grandes, the so-called trio of clubs who own the money and trophies in Portuguese football.

FC Porto is hoping that they have hit the jackpot with another Colombian emerging – Jackson Martinez, a 26-year-old striker whose form translates into nine goals scored in 11 matches. Behind him lies the most promising prospect of the league, James Rodriguez, a skilful and mind-blowing thinker of the game, one that only a stubborn coach insists to push to the wing. Benfica hosts a range of Argentine players highlighted by Nico Gaitán and Enzo Pérez, along with the big fella from Paraguay, Oscar Cardozo, and Maxi Pereira, the Uruguayan right-back. All but Pérez have been linked with transfers to some English teams. Sporting Lisbon, their capital neighbours, despite the recent string of awful performances, still have, in the Peruvian André Carrillo or the newly arrived argentine Valentín Viola, hope for the future.

El Tanque Silva tror stadigvæk på det....

S. Silva: "Todavía tenemos chances"

BUENOS AIRES -- Santiago Silva, delantero de Boca, se negó a resignar la chance de quedarse con el Torneo Inicial y recordó que el equipo de Julio Falcioni tiene chances matemáticas de ser campeón.

En declaraciones al programa "Los más grandes", que se emite por Radio Cooperativa, el ex goleador de Vélez dijo que "si hubiéramos mejorado dos partidos antes, hoy estábamos peleando de más cerca".

Sin embargo, sostuvo estar "contento" porque el equipo suma puntos de cara a la clasificación para la Copa Libertadores de 2013.

Por otra parte, confesó haber estado enojado porque "no estaban saliendo las cosas", en referencia al bajo rendimiento que venía mostrando el "Xeneize" en las últimas fechas del Torneo Inicial.

Por último, rescató a Vélez y Newell´s como los equipos que mejor juegan.

Eduardo Berizzo sigue en O´Higgins

SANTIAGO DE CHILE -- El argentino Eduardo Berizzo, técnico del O´Higgins, de la primera división chilena, descartó este miércoles la posibilidad de llegar a la Selección nacional o a la Universidad de Chile y manifestó su propósito de permanecer en su actual club.

"Quiero estar donde estoy y aquí seguiré", subrayó Berizzo en declaraciones a la página oficial del O´Higgins, en las que se refirió a la inclusión de su nombre entre los candidatos a la selección de Chile o como sucesor de su compatriota Jorge Sampaoli en la U si éste finalmente llega a la Roja.

Los dirigentes de la U son quienes han señalado que les gustaría que el ´Toto´ Berizzo ocupe el puesto de Sampaoli, que es el principal candidato para reemplazar en la selección al también argentino Claudio Borghi, despedido la semana pasada.

Tras una mala experiencia en su país como técnico del Estudiantes de la Plata, después de haber sido el ayudante de Marcelo Bielsa en la selección de Chile, Berizzo llegó este año al O´Higgins, con el que alcanzó la final del torneo de Apertura, que perdió ante la U de Chile.

En la segunda mitad de la temporada, el O´Higgins quedó fuera de la lucha por el título del torneo de Clausura, pero el pasado fin de semana goleó por 5-0 al Colo Colo y lo eliminó de la Copa Chile, torneo que premia a su campeón con un pasaje a la próxima Copa Sudamericana.

"Quiero estar donde estoy y aquí seguiré, tengo muchas cosas que aprender todavía como entrenador, porque soy nuevo", manifestó el exinternacional argentino y exjugador del Newell´s Old Boys y el River Plate de su país, del Atlas mexicano, el Olimpique francés, el Celta de Vigo y el Cádiz españoles.

La del 2012, a su juicio, ha sido "una temporada muy enriquecedora, de muchas cosas por aprender, muchas aprendidas también", y dejó entrever que en el futuro, cuando se sienta más consolidado como entrenador, le gustaría llegar a la selección chilena.

"Todos los días intento ser mejor, soy un entrenador nuevo, pero aprendo rápido y ojalá en un futuro, porqué no imaginar llegar a una gran selección como ésta", manifestó.

"Dirigir una selección nacional es distinto a todo, me ha tocado desde otro lugar y ha sido una experiencia maravillosa para mí, al lado de un hombre que me ha enseñado mucho (Marcelo Bielsa)".

Sobre la coyuntura actual, señaló que "cualquier entrenador que escojan, será bien escogido" y evitó referirse al trabajo de Borghi en la Roja.

"Nunca hablo del trabajo ajeno, la decisión pasará por quien deba tomarla", dijo al respecto y defendió su propia metodología de trabajo, basada, según afirmó, en la disciplina, "que es importante en cualquier ámbito laboral".

Los episodios de indisciplina fueron una constante en el período de Borghi y terminaron por afectar el nivel futbolístico de la selección de Chile, lo que precipitó su salida del puesto.

"Soy un entrenador que necesita planificar, ordenar, proyectar lo que va a hacer, confío en una manera de trabajar, no sé cuál es la acertada, creo que todas lo son, porque no hay método infalible, ni método que no sirva", reflexionó Berizzo.

"No imagino un equipo que se autorregule, no creo en una disciplina donde a los futbolistas solo uno le aplique la disciplina desde arriba. El crecimiento tiene que ver con la autodisciplinarse, con autorregularse", concluyó.