(Soccer365.com) Uli Hoeness has told Lukas Podolski he expects an improvement from him after telling the star he has "not achieved anything" at Bayern Munich.

The Germany striker currently finds himself behind Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose in the Bayern pecking order but has repeatedly said he has nothing to prove to the club or its fans.

Hoeness, however, believes Podolski has it all to do to restore the reputation he had during his days at Cologne, where he scored 46 goals in 81 games.

"When I read interviews where he says he does not need to prove anything anymore, I think he could not be further from the mark," Hoeness said.

"He has actually not achieved anything and if his attitude does not change a lot, then he will not make it here."

Hoeness has now set deadline for Podolski to make his mark in Bavaria.

"He must now take the next step and he has got to explode," he said.

"In the next six to eight months, he has got to show whether he can make it or not. Now is the time for us to get tough with him."

Podolski's spell with Bayern has been blighted by a knee injury, but even before that he had failed to reproduce the form that convinced Bayern to sign him in 2006.

The 22-year-old, a regular in the German national team, has scored just four times in 25 outings for Ottmar Hitzfeld's side.

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(Soccer365.com) Barcelona fans could get a clearer indication as to the future of Ronaldinho on Wednesday night when the Catalan giants face Real Zaragoza at the Nou Camp.

The Brazil star was left out of the side to face Sevilla on Saturday night with the club citing a calf problem for his absence.

However, the Spanish papers have since been full of stories speculating the former Paris St Germain playmaker had been punished for too many late nights with his response being to instruct his agent, and brother, to start negotiating a move to Chelsea.

A swift return to the starting line-up would quell those rumours, although coach Frank Rijkaard may not find a place for his star turn following Barca's 2-1 win over their title rivals from Andalusia.

New signing Yaya Toure is convinced, however, Ronaldinho will be back to his best shortly.

"He had a little niggle in his calf, but I think he'll be okay for our next game," said the Ivory Coast international.

"I've been surprised by some of the comments made about him - he's a great player and I think all of this will pass over soon."

Leo Messi stepped up to the plate in Ronaldinho's absence against Sevilla, scoring both goals in a 2-1 win.

The Argentinian's efforts helped Barca up to fourth in the table, two points behind leaders and arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Rijkaard's side would move above Real with a win on Wednesday as Bernd Schuster's men don't play until Thursday, when they host Real Betis at the Bernabeu.

Real salvaged a late draw against Valladolid on Sunday night thanks to an equaliser from former Barca striker Javier Saviola.

The capital club seemed to be heading for their first defeat of the season when Pedro Lopez put the hosts ahead with a sensational long-range strike but Saviola handed them a draw they scarcely deserved.

Villarreal and Valencia occupy second and third spots respectively.

On Wednesday, Villarreal go to Racing Santander while Valencia meet Getafe at the Mestalla.

Atletico Madrid finally got their season up and running on Saturday with a 4-0 thrashing of Racing and will hope to maintain that momentum at Athletic Bilbao while Deportivo La Coruna take on Recreativo Huelva at the Riazor.

Elsewhere, Real Mallorca meet Real Valladolid, Almeria go to Murcia and Osasuna host Levante.

Sevilla kick off the midweek action on Tuesday when Juande Ramos' side will hope to bounce back from their weekend setback at home to Espanyol.

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(Soccer365.com) Roman Abramovich will reportedly be looking to take a more 'hands on' role at Chelski following Jose Mourinho's departure.

Former Israeli national coach and friend of the Russian owner Avram Grant has been appointed Mourinho's successor at Stamford Bridge.

And The Guardian reports that Abramovich will take a more personal role in the running of the team.

The paper quotes a source at Chelski saying:

"[Abramovich] won't pick the team but he will be more aware of the team [than under Mourinho]. It is the Russian way: they like to be the boss when they are paying for things.

"Mourinho made mistakes but at the beginning of the season everything was very bright. The personal relationship between Abramovich and Mourinho looked very positive. Everyone was happy but then they lost games, and results and performances, when he had promised to change the system for much more entertaining football, changed that."

One of the key points that led to the deterioration of the relationship between Abramovich and Mourinho was the style of football at Chelski, and Grant may be more willing to pander to the owner's wishes that Mourinho was.

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(Soccer365.com) Roy Keane has credited Jose Mourinho with "raising the bar" in the Barclays Premier League.

The Sunderland boss, currently making his way in the management game, saw the Portuguese drag Chelsea from the ranks of the pretenders to the pinnacle of the domestic game as his former club Manchester United and Arsenal were muscled aside.

Keane believes Mourinho's departure from Stamford Bridge has left a huge gap, but he is confident one of the most colourful characters in the modern game will be back in business before very long.

Keane said: "I have never come across him, but I just look at what he brought to the Premier League, and he raised the bar.

"He raised the bar for everybody, even for the likes of United, the Arsenals, they had to liven up their act a bit, and they came back stronger again, United and Arsenal, in the last year or two.

"Jose Mourinho definitely did that for the Premier League, and he did the biggest challenge, where he turned a very good Chelsea team into a top team. That's the biggest step and the hardest step.

"There are lots of good teams out there - I could name you 10 and say, 'they are a good team' - but they are not a top team, and that is the gap he bridged.

"He will be a loss to the Premier League, there is no getting away from that.

"The big thing for me is that he raised the bar for everybody because maybe one or two people took their eye off the ball and he came along and thought, 'I am the real deal', and that was good to see.

"But I am not sitting here feeling sorry for him, far from it. He has proved to be a top manager and he will continue to be a top manager, it's just unfortunate it won't be at Chelsea."

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(Soccer365.com) Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has paid tribute to the impact former Chelsea rival Jose Mourinho has had on English football, although he expressed surprise the Portuguese did not see his job at Stamford Bridge as a long-term project.

Mourinho's departure from the two-time Premier League champions left Wenger no less shocked than the rest of the footballing world.

The pair have had major disputes during the former Blues boss' three-year stay in England but there were no hard feelings from the Frenchman.

"It is basically sad because I feel Mourinho is a manager of quality," said the Arsenal manager.

"I am a great believer in technical stability and therefore I don't think it is good news for football."

On their fractious relationship Wenger added: "We didn't get on the best but recently it has become better.

"That does not hide the fact I respected what he did and the quality of his work.

"Of course he is a great manager. He arrived when Chelsea were on the way up; they had a good side already and he did something more and made them winners.

"He deserves a lot of credit for that because it is never easy to win and in England it is maybe more difficult.

"I thought for a while, when he extended his contract, he was on the same way of thinking as I or Ferguson, where we try to impart something over a longer period at the club."

Former Israel coach Avram Grant, Chelsea's director of football, has taken charge at Stamford Bridge along with assistant manager Steve Clarke and Wenger revealed he has more in common with the new boss.

"I know him very well from Israel. I have very good relations with Avram," Wenger told Arsenal TV Online.

"When he was manager of Israel he visited some clubs and he came here through some common connections we had and since we have had very good relations.

"He is a very talented coach. I don't know if he is just filling in or will take over for the longer term but we will see what kind of changes he makes."

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(Soccer365.com) Chelsea have confirmed the stunning news that Jose Mourinho has left the club by "by mutual consent" after just over three years in charge.

The Premier League club reacted to speculation over the future of the Portuguese coach by revealing the two parties had agreed to part company by mutual consent.

Mourinho is understood to have contacted five senior players on Wednesday afternoon to inform them of his departure and by midnight the entire first team squad were aware he was going.

Peter Kenyon, the club's chief executive, Bruce Buck, the chairman, and Roman Abramovich's key aide, Eugene Tenenbaum, were called to an emergency meeting at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night to discuss the emerging crisis.

Former Israel coach Avram Grant, recruited in the summer as director of football, is expected to take charge of the side for Sunday's Premier League clash with Manchester United.

A statement on the Chelsea website confirmed: "Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have agreed to part company today (Thursday) by mutual consent."

Mourinho led the club to two Premier League titles after joining the club in June 2004 but their disappointing start to the new season had taken its toll on him.

He still had three years left on a contract worth a staggering £6.5million a year.

At the time he signed that deal, Mourinho said: "My heart is with Chelsea and the fantastic group of players that I have but the vision of the owner and the board for the future of Chelsea is also one I want to be a part of.

"I cannot imagine another situation or another club where I could be happier. I am totally behind this project."

But the Chelsea board are thought to have become increasingly unhappy over the team's form at the beginning of the campaign.

The Blues are currently fifth in the Premier League, two points behind leaders Arsenal after six games, and their 1-1 draw with Rosenborg in their opening Champions League game on Tuesday night - played in front of less than 25,000 fans - did not help Mourinho's cause.

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(Soccer365.com) DaMarcus Beasley has backed Rangers to be the surprise package of the Champions League this year - starting on Wednesday night against Stuttgart.

The reward for coming through qualifiers against FK Zeta and Red Star Belgrade was being drawn in arguably the toughest group in the tournament.

As well as German champions Stuttgart, six-times French title-winners Lyon and La Liga runners-up Barcelona lie in wait for Walter Smith's men in the coming weeks.

Rangers may be tipped to finish bottom of the so-called 'group of death' but Beasley was in defiant mood ahead of their opener at Ibrox.

He said: "I think we can surprise a lot of people in this campaign - and that starts tomorrow. Teams will underestimate us and that can only be good for us.

"A lot of teams don't know much about Rangers or Scottish football. You can only get so much from watching tapes of teams.

"I think we will surprise a lot of people at Ibrox tomorrow and at their stadium too."

He added: "We got the 'group of death' and it's tough, there are two champions in there and Barcelona.

"It's a tough group but we are confident going into every game, even against Barcelona.

"We respect them but we're not scared of them. With the buzz that surrounds the Champions League, I think we can get something from our home matches."

Beasley reached the last four of the Champions League with PSV Eindhoven in 2005 and sees no reason why Rangers cannot emulate that achievement.

He said: "That PSV side was very good and we had a lot of experience with the likes of Phillip Cocu, Mark van Bommel and Johann Vogel. There were also younger guys like myself.

"We had a very good team, a good group of guys, and I can't take anything away from that team.

"But this Rangers team is the same; we have experience and we have young players who are itching to get Champions League games under their belts."

He added: "It's every footballer's dream to play in the Champions League and, for a lot of our players, it will be the first time for them. We are all excited about it and we're ready to go.

"Despite what happened on Saturday, we are very confident going into this game that we can get three points and start the campaign well."

What happened on Saturday was Rangers' first defeat of the season, a 4-2 reverse against Hearts at Tynecastle.

Skipper Barry Ferguson was rested for the opening 45 minutes before playing the second half in a vain attempt to rescue the match.

The skipper now faces a late fitness test ahead of the match against Stuttgart, after suffering a knee injury in training yesterday, and Beasley admits the events in Edinburgh demonstrated how important Ferguson is to the team.

He said: "He's our captain, he's our leader and he is the guy who makes us go. We saw it on Saturday, he had a little bit of a spark coming into the game.

"He is a tough guy to lose - he is irreplaceable in my eyes. At the same time, we are going to have to play without him in some games, he isn't going to play every single game this year for Rangers.

"We have to learn to play without him and win without him but he would be a massive loss to the team and hopefully he will be all right for tomorrow."

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(Soccer365.com) Lori Chalupny opened her World Cup account with a first minute finish and the U.S. women’s national team held on to defeat Nigeria 1-0 on Tuesday at the Shanghai Hongkou Football Stadium.

The result left the U.S. on top of Group B as Sweden defeated North Korea 2-1 in the other group match.

The dream start for the U.S. was unlike previous matches where they were slow out of the gate and the immediate pressure paid dividends.

After winning an early throw in deep in North Korea’s end, Cat Whitehill pushed forward to take the long throw. She found Abby Wambach in the box who headed the ball on to Chalupny. The former North Carolina standout brought the ball down off her chest and one touched the ball which deflected off a Nigerian player’s leg and past a wrong footed Precious Dede.

The Red, White and Blue continued to pressure and for most of the first half Hope Solo was left with little action in front of her net.

As the half ended, the U.S. missed two great opportunities to double the lead. In the 41st minute, Chalupny found an unmarked Kristine Lilly unmarked 8 yards out in front of goal but her header sailed wide.

Two minutes later, Lilly played a beautiful cross between two defenders to find Wambach but her header was well placed but well saved by Dede.

In the second half, Nigeria pressured more and had times with good possession in the central third but the final pass was always intercepted or knocked away by the U.S. defense.

Similar to previous games, the U.S. team looked tired and heavy legged over the final 20 minutes and so failed to connect on passes, make good clearance, or win second balls.

Solo was called on to make several saves down the stretch with the final save coming 3 minutes into injury time.

In the other match, Sweden scored early in each half on the way to a 2-1 win over North Korea.

The U.S. will face England while Korea will play Germany in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

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(Soccer365.com) Barcelona recorded their second 0-0 draw of the Spanish Primera Liga season at Osasuna on Sunday, while Sevilla thrashed Recreativo Huelva 4-1.

Catalan giants Barca's prodigiously talented forward line failed to sparkle once more as Frank Rijkaard's men lost further ground on leaders, defending champions and arch-rivals Real Madrid, who have a 100% record after three games.

Sevilla, who have played just two games, also have an unblemished record after thrashing visitors Recre.

Alexander Kerzhakov and Fredi Kanoute each scored twice as Juande Ramos' side triumphed in an emotional Andalusian derby.

The fixture was the UEFA Cup champions' first match at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan since the death of Antonio Puerta.

The 22-year-old Spain wing-back collapsed during the first half of his side's season-opening home match against Getafe and died three days later in hospital.

Tornavaca Aitor scored for Recre, who finished with 10 men following the late dismissal of Castillo Edu Moya after he picked up two yellow cards.

Villarreal bounced back from their 5-0 humiliation at the hands of Real Madrid last time out with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Real Mallorca.

Nihat Kahveci scored the only goal of the game just eight minutes from time as Mallorca slipped to a rare home defeat at the Ono Estadi.

Villarreal are now up to fourth.

Atletico Madrid's disappointing start to the Primera Liga season continued after they conceded a late equaliser at newly-promoted Real Murcia.

Big-spending Atletico, who had taken just one point from their opening two games, looked on course for their first three-point haul of the campaign after taking an early lead through Sergio Aguero.

But Murcia fought back in the second half and secured a deserved point through substitute Francisco Gallardo's goal 10 minutes before the end.

Pedro Munitis' first-half strike earned Racing Santander a 1-0 win against a Levante side still looking for their first win while a single goal from Andres Guardado was enough to give Deportivo La Coruna a 1-0 victory against Real Betis.

A late Jonathan Soriano goal gave Espanyol their first Primera Liga success of the season after Getafe had gone down to 10 men for the third consecutive match.

The game had been an even affair up until Esteban Granero's dismissal on the hour mark and Espanyol took full advantage with Soriano's goal three minutes from the end.

On Saturday, Real Madrid made it three wins out of three after seeing off 10-man Almeria 3-1.

Wesley Sneijder was again on target with his fourth goal of the campaign while Argentinian duo Javier Saviola and Gonzalo Higuain netted Real's other goals.

It was not totally straightforward for the champions, though, and they looked on the ropes for a while in the second half when newly-promoted Almeria, despite losing Albert Crusat to a 62nd-minute red card, got the score back to 2-1 through Kalu Uche.

Valencia came from behind to beat an unlucky Real Valladolid side 2-1.

The visitors dominated much of the game but went home empty-handed after David Silva's deflected effort sealed a dramatic late win for Valencia.

Daniel Kome had given Valladolid a shock lead early on but saw his strike cancelled out by a Fernando Morientes effort halfway through the first half.

Athletic Bilbao drew 1-1 with Real Zaragoza. Markel Susaeta opened the scoring for Athletic only for Diego Milito to reply.

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(Soccer365.com) Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster has revealed he tried to sign Michael Ballack in the summer and admits a move for the Chelsea midfielder could still be possible.

Schuster said that if the Madrid giants could have met Ballack's salary demands, the Germany captain would have been their player.

However according to their coach, Real did not have the wage structure to bring in the midfielder.

"Ballack has an excellent contract with Chelsea that would bust Real's salary structure," the Madrid coach told German magazine Kicker.

"No player here is in that range and we didn't want to go there."

Ballack has been out of the Chelsea side since April with an injury and has been dropped from their UEFA Champions League squad, prompting rumours of a Stamford Bridge exit.

And Schuster admits that a January move for the German could be possible if the two parties can agree on finances.

"The door for Michael is not closed," he said. "He has his soccer qualities and they will be there in six months as well. But it would be a financial story."

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(Soccer365.com) Michael Owen believes England blew Russia away tonight after taking his international goal tally to 40 in a 3-0 win at Wembley.

The Newcastle striker netted twice in the first half as Steve McClaren's men took maximum points from their vital Euro 2008 qualification double-header following Saturday's 3-0 win over Israel.

Owen said on BBC1: "It's been a great few days. We've been together 10 days - it's been a long 10 days.

"We got beaten by Germany a few weeks ago but we said these were the two important games and thankfully we produced when it mattered.

"I've scored a couple today and I've enjoyed being part of a great England team."

He added: "It's nice to win over a lot of people. We know we've got quality in the side but over the last few years we haven't shown it often enough.

"We have shown it in the odd game where we've blown people away and in these last two games, we've blown people away in the first 20 minutes, half an hour, and not even had to play to our maximum in our second half.

"It's not often you get an enjoyable game with England, where you can take your foot off the gas, and it was certainly enjoyable today."

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(Soccer365.com) Scotland took a giant step towards qualifying for the 2008 European Championships with an amazing 1-0 win over France in the Parc des Princes.

After surviving a first-half of almost total French domination, lone striker James McFadden scored a glorious 30-yard drive in the 63rd minute to give Scotland all three points.

Alex McLeish's side are top of Group B having taken six points from the French and with two of their last three games at Hampden Park.

Italy moved in to second place with a win in Ukraine but the night belonged to the Scots, who caused a massive shock in Paris.

Hero McFadden said: "To win at Hampden was a bit of an upset. To come to France and beat them in a qualifier is unbelievable."

Asked if it was Scotland's finest result, he added: "I can't remember. They're up there with the best teams in the world and we've more than held our own and we've got a a win.

"It wasn't pretty at times, we defended well, we were solid and got a goal and won the game."

Of his decision to go for goal in the 64th minute, the Everton midfielder said: "We trained here last night and the balls were flying everywhere so I thought 'why not?"'

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(Soccer365.com) Despite only taking a share of the points against North Korea, U.S. women’s national team head coach Greg Ryan was pleased with the performance of his side, claiming they ‘had the better chances’ but with one point are still alive.

“I thought we had the better chances overall in the game,” Ryan told U.S. Soccer. “Getting a draw is very important at this stage of game. It keeps us alive heading into the next game with Sweden. We knew this group was going to be tough. It’s time to move on to the next match.”

After going down 2-1 in the second half, Heather O’Reilly saved the U.S. blushes with her strike in the 69th minute and earned high praise from her coach.

“(O’Reilly’s first Women’s World Cup goal) was critical. I had a great feeling about Heather. I’m so proud of her. I thought she had a fantastic game overall tonight, and she got the goal on top of it.”

The day was not as easy for goalkeeper Hope Solo who saw steady pressure and allowed the first North Korea goal to slip through her hands but Ryan was quick to point key saves down the stretch and that it is a team effort.

“Yes, absolutely. I went out and talked to her right after the game. I spoke to her and told her, ‘Hey, Hope. No problem. Don’t worry about it.’ She saves us a lot. You saw her save us there at the end of the game with that great save. It was our turn to save her and that’s the kind of team we are.”

And his thoughts on the next match against Sweden, “We have to play great. It’s going to be two great teams. We knew when this draw came out and they placed North Korea into Group B, we knew it was going to be a very, very tough first round. We said it all along and now here it is: it’s tough.”

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(Soccer365.com) The U.S. Men’s National Team jumped out to early lead and gave Brazil all they could handle, the but No. 1 ranked team in the world put their talent on display to earn a 4-2 victory.

Two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho scored a dazzling trademark free kick in the 75th minute that proved the game winner for the five-time World Champions. Clint Dempsey’s 73rd minute goal pulled the game even at 2-2, but the Ronaldinho free kick put the South American side up for good two minutes later and Elano added an insurance goal from the penalty spot in second half stoppage time.

“We were pleased with our performance but not satisfied with the result,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “We are continuing to make progress as a team, and I felt like over 90 minutes we did a much more solid job tonight. When you play against the best teams and the best players, the ability to keep raising your level to make all the plays is what makes the difference. The package is good, but it has to keep getting better.”

Brazil had the first chance of the game in the sixth minute, when Robinho fired a shot that hit the side netting. Four minutes later, Afonso found himself alone in front of goal after a quick restart, but his effort hit the right post.

Carlos Bocanegra opened the scoring in the 21st minute goal off a Landon Donovan corner kick, earning Donovan yet another place in the record books. The assist earned him his 22nd point in 2007, breaking the record set by Cobi Jones for most total points in a year. After Josh Wolff earned the corner, Donovan’s kick swerving delivery found an onrushing Bocanegra alone in the box, the defender re-directing the ball into the far side netting with his chest. The goal was Bocanegra’s seventh career international tally, and his second against Brazil.

In the 29th minute, a Ronaldinho free kick found Afonso in the box for a header, but Howard was up to the task and came up with the big save at the near post.

Brazil was finally able to solve the U.S. defense five minutes later after a nice buildup through the midfield. The sequence ended with Kaka in alone on goal, where he tried to beat Tim Howard to the far post. Howard made a fantastic reaction save, but the rebound bounced off the chest of a helpless Oguchi Onyewu and caromed into the U.S. net.

The U.S. continued to fight back, nearly taking the lead in the 37th minute when Dempsey sizzled a shot just over the crossbar. Beasley had another opportunity from 25 yards out, but his shot curled wide of the far post and the score remained level as the teams headed into the locker rooms.

The U.S. came out strong after halftime, claiming the first opportunity of the second half. Dempsey held the ball through traffic at the top of the box, and managed to break free and get a shot off, but his effort went wide left. But it was Brazil would get on the scoreboard next, Lucio heading home a Ronaldinho corner kick in the 53rd minute. Howard suffered a dislocated finger an attempting to save the shot, but the finger was reduced on the field and he stayed in the game.

Continuing to engage Brazil all over the field, the U.S. struck back in the 73rd minute. Taking a pass over to top from Donovan, Steve Cherundolo raced into the penalty area and picked out Dempsey charging through the middle. Dempsey received the pass near the penalty spot and curled a low one-timer that found the inside of the far post and evened the score at two goals apiece. The goal marked Dempsey’s second at the international level at Soldier Field, having scored his first-ever goal for the full team in the 2-1 loss to England on May 28, 2005.

The euphoria didn’t last long, with Brazil snatching the lead back just two minutes later. A suspect foul call on Bocanegra just outside the U.S. penalty area led to a dangerous free kick opportunity. With several U.S. and Brazilian players in the wall, Ronaldinho expertly found a gap and whipped a wicked curling strike past a sprawling Howard.

The U.S. pressed for an equalizer but couldn’t unlock the Brazilian defense, and the five-time World Champions picked up an insurance goal in second half stoppage time when Elano scored from the penalty spot.

The U.S. is next scheduled to play Catalonia on Oct. 14 at the Nou Camp in Barcelona, Spain, then traveling to face Switzerland on Oct. 17 in Basel.

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(Soccer365.com) Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer has criticised Michael Ballack's decision to join Chelsea, insisting the player would have been better off joining Manchester United instead.

The Germany international joined the London club from Bayern last summer but has had an unsettled start to his Premier League career, making just 26 league appearances as Chelsea surrendered the title to United last term.

And this week the 30-year-old midfielder was not included in Chelsea's squad for the Champions League group stage due to fitness issues, prompting Beckenbauer to question the wisdom of his move.

"I think it was a mistake to move to that club (Chelsea)," he told German newspaper Bild.

"There was a space available for his position with Manchester United and he would have fitted into their system perfectly. The same with Real Madrid. But at Chelsea his role was already filled by Frank Lampard."

Speculation over Ballack's future has been further intensified this week by Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster, who claimed it was only the matter of an agent's fee that stopped the midfielder going to Spain this summer.

Both Real and Manchester United were touted as possible destinations for Ballack before he moved to Chelsea, but Beckenbauer thinks the player is now running out of options.

"Where can he move to now?" he pondered.

"His first transfer opportunity is during the winter, and I hardly suppose Bernd Schuster's Madrid are interested after bringing in Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder."

And Beckenbauer was also quick to rule out a return to the Bundesliga leaders after the club shelled out almost £50million this summer on a squad revamp after missing out on the Champions League.

"No, that won't happen," he said.

"Firstly it isn't what he wants and in all honesty we can no longer afford to pay his wages."

Beckenbauer does however offer sympathy to Ballack, who is in danger of becoming embroiled in a club-versus-country row over his ankle problems.

"Looking from afar, you get the feeling that Ballack is caught in the middle of German doctors and English club doctors," he added.

"It would be regrettable if the player was made to suffer. I just hope he can get back as soon as possible."

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(Soccer365.com) Mexico coach Hugo Sanchez has confirmed Barcelona have agreed to release defender Rafael Marquez for next week's match against Brazil.

The Tricolor meet the reigning two-time Copa America champions next Wednesday in Boston, United States.

"The federation's national team committee sent a letter to Barcelona to ask Rafael Marquez to come to play the Brazil friendly exclusively," the boss said.

The defender will join up with his international colleagues on Monday in Boston.

Sanchez also announced Shakhtar Donetsk forward Nery Castillo will not link up with the squad until Thursday due to a nose injury.

"Nery has difficulty in the nose and both doctors of the Ukrainian team and Roberto Rodriguez (the Mexico doctor) are constantly talking to him and following the progress of his injury," the coach said.

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(Soccer365.com) Internazionale striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic feels a great weight has been taken off his shoulders following his return to fitness from a groin injury.

The 25-year-old Sweden international was troubled by the problem last season and eventually underwent surgery in April, bringing a premature end to his domestic campaign with the Serie A champions.

After a summer spent returning to fitness, Ibrahimovic has already made an impact for Inter this term with both goals in the 2-0 victory over Empoli last weekend.

And speaking ahead of Sweden's Euro 2008 qualifier against Denmark, the striker admits he is relieved to have come through his injury problems.

"I feel really well. My body feels great and I've been able to finish more and more matches," he said.

"My groin hurts a little after matches but there is no problem during games. As long as I can continue to train things look good.

"Towards the end of last season I struggled with the problem and had to play through the pain barrier and on injections. It wasn't ideal but I felt strong before the injury.

"And now I've overcome the problem and don't think about it when I go out onto the pitch. Instead I focus on the match and the result."

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Posted by SoccerAdmin at 05:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

(Soccer365.com) Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster has praised the impact made by new arrival Wesley Sneijder and claimed he will be more valuable to the team than David Beckham.

Holland winger Sneijder has made a sensational start to his Bernabeu career, netting the winner against city rivals Atletico on the opening day of the season and following that up with two more goals in the 5-0 win at Villarreal on Sunday.

Schuster is delighted with how the 22-year-old, an £18.2 million acquisition from Ajax, has acclimatised to the Primera Liga.

"He was a bit nervous on his Bernabeu debut, but he has performed at an optimum level ever since.

"The team is grateful to him for that. It is easy for a team to adapt to a style with him on the pitch."

Sneijder was signed to replenish Madrid's squad following Beckham's move to the Los Angeles Galaxy.

And former Germany and Madrid midfielder Schuster believes the team is stronger as a result.

He added: "Beckham was a right winger more than anything else, and Sneijder, despite the fact that he has a similar touch on the ball to the Englishman, can cover more ground.

"Before signing him I talked to (former Holland and Madrid coach) Leo Beenhakker, who knows him well. We found out he can make good use of his shots if he plays down the left wing."

Schuster also had words of praise for Fabio Capello, who was sacked by Madrid at the end of last season despite leading the club to the Primera Liga title.

He said: "I don't know how he must have felt. If I was him, I would have felt happy having won a title, but not so happy because I think I would have deserved to continue. But I don't know him well enough to say.

"The title worked wonders in getting rid of any anxiety, but we must continue now.

"I have noticed that some bad habits have stuck around, but they're not due to Capello, who is a disciplined coach, but rather from the 'Galacticos' era.

"I'm talking about some work attitudes during the training sessions.

"I can also tell that young players are easily influenced by that negative attitude and become part of the problem.

"That's why it's important that other young players came in."

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Posted by SoccerAdmin at 06:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

(Soccer365.com) Arsenal learned the identity of their first Champions League group stage opponents when Sevilla made sure of their place with an emphatic 4-1 win at AEK Athens.

The Andalusian side completed a 6-1 aggregate success in the Greek capital in a match postponed from last Tuesday due to the tragic death of Sevilla wing-back Antonio Puerta.

Juande Ramos' side, who lost in the UEFA Super Cup to AC Milan on Friday night, were never in trouble against AEK and established a 3-0 lead by half-time.

A Luis Fabiano penalty opened the scoring after 31 minutes and further efforts from Seydou Keita and Luis Fabiano settled the contest.

Aleksandr Kerzhakov made it 4-0 on the night before former FIFA World Player of the Year Rivaldo pulled one back from the spot late on.

Sevilla go into Group H alongside the Gunners, who they visit on September 19, Slavia Prague and Steaua Bucharest.

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Posted by SoccerAdmin at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)