European Football

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Wenger's boyhood club?

[Joe King]

Wenger's boyhood club?

[Joe King]

Milan beckons for Pennant, the enigma with attitude
Amy Lawrence Wednesday 7 January 2009 15.39 GMT [Guardian]

There's an image of Jermaine Pennant dating back to the early years of his football career that could have been made into a Little Britain caricature. Pennant's curt teenager act does a lot to explain why his career – which promised so much when he was the most coveted 15-year-old playing in England – has been a gradual let-down punctuated with occasional false dawns.

Arsenal signed him as a youngster from Notts County with quite a fanfare and a decent signing-on fee, and the London club tried everything to harness the boy's skill and prepare him for high-level competition. Arm around the shoulder any good, Jermaine? Whatever. A proper rollicking, Jermaine? Whatever. Spend some time learning from inspiring stars, Jermaine? Whatever. Get out on loan, Jermaine? Whatever.

It got to the point that some of the club's coaching staff wondered if he even cared about being a footballer at all. Apart from the obvious frustration, it was all a bit sad. Pennant has not had available to him the support that some fledgling footballers can call upon, and the boy's lack of inner drive was so set it could not be shaken up. A loan spell at Leeds United and 18 months at Birmingham City were his most productive times, but the desire to push on never materialised.

He was, in a way, at the opposite end of the "attitude" scale to another young kid from a rough neighbourhood thrust into the footballing limelight. Wayne Rooney wants to play so much he would be as fiery having a kickabout in Croxteth as playing in the Premier League at Old Trafford. Pennant sometimes gives the impression he is not too bothered if he played for Arsenal, for Liverpool, for England.

An obvious target for Real Madrid and Milan, then, eh? The rumours that have emerged in the last couple of weeks have sparked the sort of headline that seems so silly you have to read it again to make sure you have it right. It makes the prospect of the veteran Denilson – once the most expensive footballer in the world but a fallen star who has been off the radar for years – heading to Bolton Wanderers run-of-the-mill by comparison.

How can it be right that a player who specialises in disappointing top-grade employers in England supposedly rejected the advances of Real Madrid and is now set to join Milan? If it were true, you would have to wonder if an exotic virus which football scouts are particularly susceptible to had spread from the Spanish capital to northern Italy.

Everybody knows that every transfer comes with an element of risk, so it is common sense to minimise that by doing as thorough a check as possible on any potential signing. Part of a scout's job is to suss out whether someone is a lazy trainer, injury-prone, has a poor attitude, or spends too much time in the wrong kind of clubs. Then the transfer decision-makers can evaluate whether talent outweighs any warning signs. For example, Barcelona knew Ronaldinho was prone to a party in Paris before the signed him from Paris St-Germain. He was obviously worth indulging.

Milanello is famous for using hi-tech equipment to identify and manage every facet of the players they hire. They only need someone with a smattering of English and two minutes on a computer to read Pennant's profile on Wikipedia and familiarise themselves with his foibles.

Milan's scouting system has become increasingly erratic, particularly where the English market is concerned. The Philippe Senderos deal was of the sort clubs are sometimes forgiven for making. The Swiss defender played well against Milan in both Champions League games last season. They were impressed, and didn't feel the need to do the homework that would have told them he is as prone to clangers as he is to injury. David Beckham's arrival is a shirt-shifting exercise (club and player have a deal to go halves on sales) and everyone is comfortable with that.

It is possible that Carlo Ancelotti could do what Arsène Wenger and Rafael Benítez struggled to and turn Pennant into a consistently inspired and efficient winger but, let's be honest, it's a long shot. If Milan are serious about taking a gamble with Pennant, it is another flashing warning sign about how small the pool of top players to go around the top clubs has shrunk.

[Joe King]

Landon Donovan follows David Beckham to Europe [Times]

Landon Donovan, the Los Angeles Galaxy forward, has returned to Germany to join Bayern Munich on loan during the Major League Soccer offseason.

The United States international's loan started this week and he is scheduled to return to LA on March 8, two weeks before the Galaxy open their season against D.C. United on March 22.

Donovan scored 20 goals in 25 games in the MLS last season. He began his professional career in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen. David Beckham, his Galaxy team-mate, is currently on loan with AC Milan.

[Joe King]

Cristiano Ronaldo promises to join Real Madrid revolution

January 9, 2009, Gabriele Marcotti, European Football Correspondent [Times]

Cristiano Ronaldo has, via Jorge Mendes, his agent, reached a verbal agreement with Florentino Pérez, the former Real Madrid president, to join the Spanish club, according to reports in Spain. It is understood that Pérez will use this promise when he stands for election as Real president in 2010.

There is a growing conviction in Madrid that the Manchester United and Portugal forward will sign for the Spanish champions at some point, a view reiterated by Pepe, the Real defender who is a Portugal team-mate of Ronaldo. “He has shown he wants to come here with the statements he has made,” Pepe said. “We’ll see if he still desires to join us this summer.”

Real are also monitoring the situation with Carlos Tévez, whose contract with United expires in June. This indicates, though, that uncertainty reigns supreme at the Bernabéu and a rerun of last summer’s shenanigans over Ronaldo could be on the cards. In the short term, Real’s priority remains on the wing, with Antonio Valencia, of Wigan Athletic, and Ángel Di María, of Benfica, at the top of their list.

In the Bundesliga. Franck Ribéry, the Bayern Munich winger, admitted yesterday that he could leave before his contract expires in 2011. “I have a four-year contract, but it would be complicated for me to promise that I will see it out,” he said. “It’s important the club understand that it needs to be strengthened, with at least one good player in every area of the pitch.”

Lukas Podolski, the Germany striker, is set to make way for Ivica Olic, who will join Bayern in June. “It would have to be at least double figures,” Uli Hoeness, the Bayern general manager, said of Podolski’s value, but €10 million (about £9 million) would probably be too steep for Cologne, Podolski’s preferred option, which is why clubs in Spain, Italy and England have pricked up their ears.

Mark van Bommel, Bayern’s veteran midfield player who has often been linked with Arsenal, has been offered a one-year extension on his contract that runs out in June. “I’m going to decide at the end of January,” Van Bommel said. “But I can’t say I’m happy. A single year is not much, especially since I’m still 31.”

Hoffenheim have offered Vedad Ibisevic, the Bosnia striker, to a number of clubs, including Juventus, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, with the fee expected to be around £8 million.

[Joe King]

Ahh, I see Meester Balague has been nicking the articles of his old Times Podcast buddy Signor Marcotti. Its time I did the usual weekends round up of European football action.

Pato outshines old-timers as Beckham makes surprise bow
Paolo Bandini Monday 12 January 2009 12.58 GMT [Guardian]

And so the first great myth regarding David Beckham's loan move was put to bed. Becks may be in Milan to sell shirts, he may be in Milan to buy shirts, but he's also there to play football. After insisting all week that it would be "difficult to start Beckham" against Roma, given that he hadn't played in a competitive game since October, the Milan manager, Carlo Ancelotti, stunned just about everyone by doing just that. More surprising still, Beckham stayed on until the 89th minute and, as this morning's Gazzetta dello Sport was at pains to point out, actually played a full 90 minutes if you factor in first-half injury time.

"I decided yesterday that he should play from the start," said Ancelotti after the game had ended in a 2–2 draw. "But I spoke to the team and we decided to keep it quiet to protect him from all the extra attention." The ruse worked to such an extent that the England manager, Fabio Capello, always unlikely to attend in person given Manchester United's game against Chelsea earlier in the afternoon, didn't even bother to send an official observer over in his stead.

Beckham did not let his new coach down. There was, as Gazzetta's Luigi Garlando put it, "nothing you would see in a Pepsi advert", but Beckham, playing on the right side of midfield, made some neat passes, sent over a couple of tricky corners and generally did everything that was required of him. Garlando gave him a six out of 10, and that was about fair. Becks was by no means out of his depth, but it is only reasonable to note that he did also give away possession 13 times over the course of the game – a figure matched only by Clarence Seedorf.

Certainly there were more disappointing performances elsewhere in a Milan side that was packed with stars – Seedorf and Andrea Pirlo started alongside Beckham in midfield, while Ronaldinho and Kaka supported Alexandre Pato up front – but desperately short of both energy and invention during the opening 45 minutes. At half-time they trailed 1–0 to a Mirko Vucinic strike, and had barely created a scoring opportunity worthy of the name.

In the end it was Pato who came to Milan's rescue – jabbing home a low cross from Kaka for the equaliser and then simply breezing past two defenders before chipping Doni to give them the lead. Still just 19, Pato now leads the team with eight goals in Serie A.

In a team full of players who have won just about every trophy there is to be won, Pato may be the only one who still feels he has everything to prove and yesterday was not the first time he has had to shake his team-mates out of a funk. "We have to win this Scudetto," he insisted during the week and for all that others have made similar declarations, few have done so with such conviction.

For all that Beckham played his part, it is hard to shake off the sense that Milan might be better served by finding room for Mathieu Flamini, a player whose relentless energy is so badly missed at Arsenal this year. On yesterday's evidence it is perhaps Seedorf, rather than Beckham, who should make way, but either way Ancelotti's assertion yesterday that he had left Flamini out because he wanted to give his team "more quality" seemed to do the Frenchman a disservice.

But Ancelotti is entitled to feel pleased with his decisions. The draw means Milan remain nine points adrift of Inter after the league leaders drew 1–1 with Cagliari, but his side lost twice to Roma last year and this was a good result in its own right.

While Beckham was jeered and whistled, Ancelotti was received warmly by Roma's home support after he suggested during the week that theirs was the only team he would consider coaching after Milan. Ancelotti spent close to a decade with Roma as a player, and fans in the Curva Sud unfurled a banner reading: "Ancelotti, with affection and respect everyone needs to worry about their own team. [Luciano] Spalletti with us for another 100 years." Before kick-off Spalletti hugged Ancelotti and jokingly invited him to take a seat in the Roma dug-out.

Spalletti, too, claimed to be content with the result, but he will go away with the greater concerns. Although they have a game in hand, his team still sit 10th, nine points off the Champions League places. "Maybe I am Milan's bestia nera [pet hate]," said Vucinic, who scored both Roma's goals yesterday after scoring twice against them last year, afterwards. "I would prefer to have three points, though."

Round 18 talking points

• "I'm not happy, but this is a point gained," opined Jose Mourinho after Inter's home draw with Cagliari. "The game finished 1–1, but it could have been 3–0 to them." It was an honest assessment – Davide Biondini, Andrea Cossu and Robert Acquafresca all passed up very presentable opportunities to either extend Cagliari's lead at 1–0 or restore it after Zlatan Ibrahimovic had equalised. Mourinho, incidentally, has now gone 130 home games without defeat (excluding penalty shoot-outs) in domestic leagues and cups.

• Acquafresca, 21, is actually on loan at Cagliari from Inter, and Mourinho cheekily advised the striker beforehand that playing well in this game might not be the best way to impress him. Nevertheless Acquafresca scored Cagliari's only goal, and admitted afterwards that his "true objective" was to start for Inter one day. With Acquafresca having scored seven goals in his past 12 Serie A games, you can be sure Mourinho is taking notice.

• Juventus moved within four points of Inter with a 1–0 win over Siena. Alessandro Del Piero scored his sixth free-kick of the season – a personal record – to tie up the points. Alex Manninger started in goal once again, but will be replaced by the fit-again Gigi Buffon in time for Wednesday's Coppa Italia game against Catania. Manninger may not be as talented as Buffon, but he does now sit alongside Inter's Julio Cesar as statistically the best keeper in the league, having conceded an average of 0.66 goals a game in 15 appearances.

• Napoli's manager, Edy Reja, acknowledged this week that his team are beginning to believe they can challenge for a Champions League spot, and they finished the weekend in fourth after beating Catania 1–0 at Stadio San Paolo, while Fiorentina lost 2–1 to Lecce. With Reja's team facing a home game against Roma on January 25 and a trip to Fiorentina three days later, we should know a lot more about the Partenopei's prospects before the end of the month.

• As if being turned over at home by a team who had started the day in the relegation zone wasn't bad enough, Fiorentina have now also learnt they will be without their striker Adrian Mutu for the next month. Mutu, who dislocated his elbow while training with the Romanian national side in August, suffered a recurrence of the injury after colliding with the Lecce goalkeeper Francesco Benussi early in the second half.

• Genoa also moved ahead of Fiorentina by beating Torino 3–0 on Saturday, despite being without their injured top scorer, Diego Milito. Torino, who have picked up just two points and conceded 18 goals in nine away games so far this year, now find themselves in the relegation zone. "For Serie B, keep going straight ahead," sighed Andrea Schiavon in the Turin-based Tuttosport this morning.

• Sinisa Mihajlovic remains unbeaten as a manager after Bologna drew 1–1 with Chievo, though the Grifone have now won just one of the eight games they have played since he took charge. Bologna's goal yesterday came from a Marco Di Vaio penalty and turned out to be their only shot on target all game, but it was enough to keep them out of the relegation zone. As long as that remains the case Mihajlovic will have done a good job. Before he arrived, don't forget, Bologna had lost eight of their first 10 games in Serie A.

Results: Bologna 1–1 Chievo, Fiorentina 1–2 Lecce, Genoa 3–0 Torino, Inter 1–1 Cagliari, Juventus 1–0 Siena, Napoli 1–0 Catania, Palermo 3–2 Atalanta, Reggina 2–3 Lazio, Roma 2–2 Milan, Udinese 1–1 Sampdoria

[Joe King]

La Liga action

Does Jiménez have the cojones for management?
Sid Lowe Monday 12 January 2009 16.25 GMT [Guardian]

Diego Capel dashes by, head down, lank hair swinging, dips his shoulder and goes past a tree. Somehow he manages not to tumble to the floor, roll through the sunflower seeds, beer glasses and cigar butts appealing for a penalty, and skips up the steps of Sevilla's team bus, settling into the back row. At the bottom of the steps, the manager's assistant is reminiscing about the one-legged footballer who lived in the heart of Seville but whose Spanish extended only to green and white ****e. Suddenly a fan, a lunatic in leather and a moustache you could fix to a Chopper, bundles past, scrambling on to the bus. In a huge bellowing voice he lets rip, as the object of his desire looks embarrassed. "Jiménez! Jiménez!" he chants, "What balls you have!"

There's just one problem. That was in September. And these days Manolo Jiménez's growing critics insist it's not so much that he has balls as he is balls. The sad feeling lingers that their hero is not so heroic in the hot seat. Jiménez the player was a tough defender who sweated his way through matches and scythed his way through opponents – "a right filthy *******" as one team-mate puts it. It was his testicles not his talent that saw him play more Sevilla games than anyone else ever, becoming immortalised in the Sánchez Pizjuán's choicest chant. "Jiménez, Jiménez! ¡Qué cojones tienes!", supporters used to sing. "Jiménez! Jiménez! What balls you have!"

But while total commitment and naked aggression are fine for a full-back, they're rarely material enough for a manager – and that's what Jiménez is now.

Far from admiring his balls, these days Sevilla fans spend matches admonishing them. Which is, on the face of it, pretty ridiculous. When Jiménez took over from Juande Ramos last season, Sevilla had just lost four successive games, their midfielder Antonio Puerta had died, the captain, Javi Navarro, was injured, never to return, and Dani Alves was fuming over his frustrated move to Chelsea.

Yet still Jiménez led Sevilla to victory over Valencia – and back up the table, missing the Champions League on goal difference. This summer, they sold Seydou Keita and Christian Poulsen, as well as Alves - the hyperactive kid who started, continued and finished virtually every Sevilla move, dragging his team-mates up the pitch as if attached to a string wrapped round his waist – yet still Sevilla sit third, level with Real Madrid.

But there's something about Jiménez, something about his Sevilla. Something not right. Like the fact that he coaches as he played: with sledgehammer subtlety – OK for the kids of Sevilla Atlético but not for players with more courage, cynicism and career under their belts.

One dressing-room heavyweight does a line in Jiménez impersonations that consists solely of shouting very, very loudly. And although some – like Javier Chevantón and Enzo Maresca – back him, an insider insists: "He simply isn't up to it."

If Sevilla's third place undermines that judgment, the suspicion is that their league position does not match their performances, one fan insisting they should have "eight or nine points fewer". "Proof" comes in the cups. Dumped from the Champions League on penalties, Sevilla couldn't retain last year's Copa del Rey; this season, they hold a precarious 2–1 lead against Deportivo de La Coruña and they've already been knocked quietly, almost pathetically, out of the Uefa Cup.

As if to rub it in, Jiménez declared that defeat was "not a major failure". The club could not forgive him. "On the contrary," insisted the sporting director, Monchi, "it is an absolute failure."

Many fans haven't forgiven him either. Yet their problem is not so much with defeat and Jiménez's defeatism and his defensiveness as with the realisation that the side that used to be so much fun to watch is now mostly pretty dull, especially in front of them.

Sevilla have scored just 13 home goals – the poorest record in the top half, fewer than bottom-placed Osasuna, and one that looks worse still if you look beyond a 4–0 win over Athletic and the 4–3 win against Sporting Gijón.

In the seven remaining home matches, Sevilla have scored just five. All the more depressing in a season that has been fantastically entertaining at everyone else's grounds – as this weekend once again showed with a wonderful Valencian derby and fog, fights and fantastic fun in Barcelona's comeback against Osasuna.

Trouble is, many suspect that's the way Jiménez likes it. He's been reluctant to play two strikers (although Ramos did likewise), has persevered with the right-back Aquivaldo Mosquera (the defender who threatened to hit a journalist in the face but couldn't hit a decent cross, pass or shot to save his life), and left Capel out of the side that faced their rivals Real Betis; then said, he'd do the same again when it finished 0–0. The Uefa Cup elimination appeared equally lacking in ambition and when Sevilla went 2–0 up against Deportivo in the cup last week, sat back rather than going for the kill and conceded a late goal that changes the tie completely, patience snapped.

Out came the hankies and the whistles and the boos. Out too came the axe. Or so it seemed. Michael Laudrup was in Seville and, with the simmering president remaining suspiciously silent, rumours circulated that defeat against Champions League-chasing Depor in the league and Jiménez would be for the chop. For 45 minutes, his goolies glistened on the block. Sevilla trailed 1–0 and were a man down, playing pathetically. But then Jiménez did something unexpected. As one newspaper put it, he "robbed Miguel Angel Lotina's wallet" – by replacing a defender for a striker. Not just any striker, either: a striker by the name of Frédéric Oumar Kanouté. The same Frédéric Oumar Kanouté who bailed out a bankrupt mosque in Seville, taped over Sevilla's bookmaking shirt sponsor in protest, celebrated last week's cup goal by revealing a T-shirt in support of Palestine and was fined €3,000 (£2,700) by Spain's competition committee – €3,000 more than Atlético were fined when fans unfurled a banner supporting Jörg Haider. The same Frédéric Kanouté, above all, who is a quite brilliant player; who came on and controlled the game, providing two perfect assists, the first out of nothing, and single-handedly wrested back control of the game before setting up the move for Sevilla's third, carrying them to third and Jiménez to safety, maybe even offering a lesson in attacking positivism in the process.

From 1–0 behind and down to ten men, to 3–1 in front down to one. "Kanouté" ran one headline, is "a superior being." It was, he admitted, "my best game of the season". Which is going some: creaking, injured, and in need of protection, the Malian has still been directly responsible for almost half Sevilla's points so far this season. He might not have succeeded in saving Palestine, but he certainly saved Jiménez.

Results: Deportivo 1–3 Sevilla; Valencia 3–3 Villarreal (Valencia's attacking four look terrifying. Their finances look even more frightening); Mallorca 0–3 Real Madrid (Mallorca were superb. For 1 minute 45 seconds. And then they were a joke. Arjen Robben turns it on again); Osasuna 2–3 Barcelona (But Lionel Messi and Alves turn it on more. Brilliant, just brilliant. Barcelona 2–1 down with 10 minutes to go); Numancia 2–0 Getafe; Racing 1–1 Recreativo; Sporting 2–1 Valladolid; Betis 1–2 Málaga (Betis, down to nine men, conceded in the 91st minute); Atlético 2–3 Athletic (And Atlético scored in the 92nd. But all that did was make a dreadful display look slightly less awful); Espanyol 2–2 Almería (Espanyol fight back from 2–0 down)

[Joe King]

Gourcuff's reveals his brilliance for Bordeaux is Zizou-inspired
Ben Lyttleton Tuesday 13 January 2009 11.58 GMT [Guardian]

Milan are not the type to ever admit making mistakes in their recruitment but there was some significance about the timing of David Beckham's first appearance for the club. Less than one hour after Becks had been replaced in their 2-2 draw with Roma, the midfielder whose loan move to Bordeaux had created a gap in the Milan squad inspired his team to a 4-0 win over Paris St Germain. In the process, Yoann Gourcuff put the French title race firmly back on, and, for good measure, scored the best goal of the season so far.

Before the game, Gourcuff finally admitted that comparisons between him and the last great playmaker to emerge from Bordeaux were valid: "I come from a generation of players that were inspired by Zinedine Zidane and I can see why people notice aspects of my game, like how I control the ball, and make the connection," he told Journal du Dimanche. "Of course you want to copy the very best, and he is the guy that invented some of these moves."

If Gourcuff was warning the PSG defenders what to expect, they couldn't do anything to stop him when, 70 minutes into the game and with Bordeaux two goals up, he received Mathieu Chalmé's pass with his back to goal, pulled off a Zidane-roulette to spin past Sylvain Armand, and flicked the ball wide of Sammy Traoré before poking it past Mikaël Landreau. "I can't really explain how I did it, I just tried to get free and didn't hesitate to shoot. It was pure instinct." He used the same words after scoring a goal almost as perfect against Toulouse in week nine. "Gourcuff is Zidane" was Monday's headline in L'Equipe, which ran a poll before the weekend that revealed 40 per cent of Ligue 1 players and coaches think Lyon will fail to win the title.

PSG coach Paul Le Guen said he was "humiliated" by his team's worst result for eight years but in truth, his side were a tad unlucky. Ludo Giuly missed two half-chances to take the lead and referee Stéphane Lannoy was generous to award the free-kick that led to Souleymane Diawara's opening goal. Gourcuff had appeared to lose his footing and no more, but from the set-piece, he swung in a cross that was headed home. Soon after, Stéphane Sessegnon fell dramatically in the box under pressure from Chalmé, but no penalty was given. "That was never a foul," said Canal Plus pundits Christophe Dugarry and Jean-Pierre Papin, both formerly of Bordeaux. A third ex-Bordeaux pundit, and the only defender, Bixente Lizarazu, conceded that PSG should have had a spot-kick. "There were a stunning series of decisions that went against us," said Le Guen. "Bordeaux are very strong and definitely have strengths that we don't have, but as I don't often complain about referees, I think I'm allowed to a bit now."

Laurent Blanc insists that he won't be coaching in 10 years but has finally suggested that he would extend his Bordeaux contract into next season. Now the question is whether Gourcuff will join him. If Bordeaux choose to pay the €15m option on him, he's their player. "I'm not thinking about my future for another three months," Gourcuff said. "Blanc staying at the club is not the only factor, and though foreign clubs might offer money, I could stay in France. I haven't heard anything from [Carlo] Ancelotti though."

Bordeaux could meet Milan's asking-price and then sell him for twice that the next day, although majority shareholder, Nicolas de Tavernost, has said he wants to keep the club's key assets. The scorer of Bordeaux's second goal, Fernando Cavenaghi, also Ligue 1's joint-top scorer, might not be among them. He was watched by scouts from Tottenham Hotspur but now fancies a move to Italy or Spain. "I have an Italian passport and can speak the language and besides, that might give me the best chance of playing in the 2010 World Cup."

The result puts Bordeaux one point behind leaders Lyon, who were frustrated by another Gourcuff; Lorient coach Cristian in a 1-1 home draw, their fourth consecutive home game without a win. They have now won only once in their last six, and scored just 24 goals in 20 league matches. Their points-comparison after 20 games of previous seasons is instructive: in 2005, their lead was six points; 2006, 12 points; 2007, 14 points and last season, eight points. "This Lyon team are more dependent on individual brilliance helping them, and there's more of a feeling you can get something from a match against them," said Gourcuff Snr.

Coach Claude Puel is struggling to regenerate his team with younger players, while previously influential figures such as Juninho, Cris and Sidney Govou have been disappointing. Puel has a four-year contract and therefore has time on his hands to make more changes, but his problems will increase if Karim Benzema leaves in the summer. "I concentrate on what happens on the field and not what's written in the papers," was his response to weekend reports linking him to Manchester United. "Obviously the French league is the club's No1 ambition and it's harder to win it year after year, but my personal goal is the Champions League." His team-mates seem to agree, which might explain the club's current situation.

Still, Marseille coach Eric Gerets would love to have such problems. Despite beating Auxerre 2-0 in freezing conditions, the Belgian is not happy at L'OM's failure to bring in a new striker: attention has now shifted from Henrik Larsson (his choice) to Brandão (sport director Jose Anigo's choice), but still no deal has been done. "If they put pressure on your shoulders, then they also have to give you the means to succeed," said Gerets, "and though I will still be a manager next year, I can't say for sure that it will be at Marseille. If I have the means to reach my objective, staying on will be a possibility."

That objective is to finish in the top two, which might be tricky as long as Gerets remains unsure of his best attacking line-up. "Everyone thinks that because our recruitment has been held up, it means that Gerets will leave because he's impatient, but if he leaves it will have nothing to do with that," responded president Pape Diouf. If his post-match press conferences are anything to go by, Gerets cuts an unhappy figure: whereas at the start of the season, he would natter away to journalists for up to 20 minutes, now he walks out after two questions, even if, as on Saturday, L'OM have won.

Elsewhere, Rennes beat Grenoble 1-0 to stay third while Nantes won 2-1 at Monaco to ease their relegation fears and Sochaux won 1-0 at home against St Etienne, who are only two points clear of the drop. Three matches fell foul of the weather. The build-up to the weekend was all about how ridiculous it was that the league would not switch the 9pm kick-off times in such cold weather, but by the end of it, everyone was crowing about the sublime talents of Gourcuff. He certainly caught PSG cold.

Results, week 20: Auxerre 0-2 Marseille; Lyon 1-1 Lorient; Le Havre 0-1 Toulouse; Monaco 1-2 Nantes; Sochaux 1-0 Saint-Etienne; Rennes 1-0 Grenoble; Valenciennes P-P Caen; Le Mans P-P Lille; Nancy P-P Nice; Bordeaux 4-0 PSG

[Joe King]

Not really in line with this weeks action but a good article by Gabriel Marcotti of The Times

Politics in sport? Been there, done it, got fined for the T-shirt
January 12, 2009 Gabriele Marcotti [Times]

There’s an adage that maintains it is never a good idea to discuss religion or politics in polite company. Sport may not qualify as the latter, but it’s fairly obvious that it is always a bad idea to bring up such issues, especially in the footballing world.

With the world’s attention focused on the bloody conflict in Gaza, it was inevitable that some footballer somewhere would dip his toe into the maelstrom with something other than the usual bland “let’s all pray for peace” schtick.

On Wednesday, Frédéric Kanouté, the Seville striker, while celebrating a goal against Deportivo La Coruña, lifted his jersey to reveal a T-shirt that read “Palestine”. Note, it didn’t read “May my Palestinian brothers drive the Israelis into the sea” or “Hamas: More Rockets Please” or even just “Free Palestine”. Simply “Palestine”.

Despite receiving support from Raphael Schultz, Israel’s ambassador to Spain, who said that he did not consider Kanouté’s “gesture as an incitement to violence”, the former Tottenham Hotspur striker was fined just under £3,000. Then again, the Spanish FA had little choice: regulations state that “revealing messages of a religious or political nature on the pitch is strictly prohibited during the time of play.”

Contrast this with the actions of Nicola Legrottaglie, the Juventus defender. Now, Legrottaglie is an evangelical Christian and a “born-again virgin” (he has been celibate for three years) who leads a weekly Bible study group. When asked about the violence in Gaza, he told an Italian newspaper: “I knew this was going to happen. It was foretold in the Bible. The people of Israel were once God’s chosen people. But they failed to recognise Him and now they’re paying the consequences.”

As biblical interpretations go, it is uncomfortably close to the “Jews-killed-Jesus” mentality that provided the flimsy intellectual basis for much of European antiSemitism over the past 2,000 years or so. Yet, because he wasn’t parading around the pitch wearing that message on a T-shirt, Legrottaglie escaped sanction.

Unsurprisingly, a few hours after the interview, he clarified his comments. “I didn’t mean to use the Bible to justify the conflict and I didn’t mean to comment on such dramatic events in such a simplistic way,” he said, clever enough to realise what he had done.

“I respect Israel and I hope they can find peace. I’m sorry that, once again, my words have been misunderstood and that this misunderstanding hurt people I did not mean to hurt. As a Christian, I love peace and respect the rights of all peoples to have their own nation.”

You can make up your own mind about Legrottaglie’s climbdown. I don’t know him personally, but I have spoken to people who know him well and they say he’s a perfectly nice, harmless guy with unorthodox religious views. Typically, when I talked to one of his teammates, he found Legrottaglie’s aversion to sex more shocking than his biblical musings. Obviously, if you happen to be a Christian whose interpretation of the Bible is somewhat less than main-stream, it is a good idea to keep your mouth shut. We know of at least one former England manager who will no doubt confirm this.

The point, however, is another one. Even without his clarification, footballing authorities would have been powerless to discipline Legrottaglie: he’s just a private citizen voicing his own religious views on his own time. He has freedom of speech and freedom of religion working on his behalf. Kanouté, on the other hand, got to feel the full force of football’s disciplinary code.

What is wrong with this picture? Whose words are more inflammatory or, indeed, offensive? The man who wears the name of a state that doesn’t exist, or the man who implies that Israelis are getting killed today because their ancestors didn’t recognise Jesus as their Messiah?

Sport has always had a tricky relationship with politics, dating back to Tommie Smith and John Carlos and their “black power” salute on the podium at the 1968 Olympics.

Football’s authorities impose a blanket ban on political statements at matches because they do not want to get involved in value judgments over what is and is not acceptable. And that is understandable. Still, if it were not for the fact that he can easily afford the fine, you can see why some would feel a little sorry for Kanouté. Equally, we would probably feel a little more comfortable if Legrottaglie had never spoken those words, regardless of whether he was “misunderstood” or not.

And another thing...

A small cost to pay for the rebuilding of dreams

Speaking of the conflict in Gaza, the Palestinian National Stadium has been bombed again, as it was in 2006, and is now little more than a pile of rubble. Fifa has pledged to help to rebuild it once the madness is over. But maybe football can do a little more.

How about a ten euro cent (about 9p) voluntary surcharge on all tickets sold at professional matches in all European countries between now and the end of the season? By my count, even if only a third of supporters participated, the four highest levels of English football alone could contribute in excess of €500,000. Throw in what could be raised among other countries and you could probably put together well in excess of €2 million between now and June. Given that the facility cost €2 million to build in 2005, that could go some way towards giving Palestinian athletes a place to train, not to mention a dream to pursue again.

Abreu’s journey continues

I have no idea if it is a record, but Sebastián Abreu, the Uruguay striker, joined Real Sociedad last week, the nineteenth move of a 13-year career. The man called “El Loco” (The Madman) has played for 16 clubs in six countries on four continents and, at 32, could yet add to that total. Have boots, will travel.

[TheStig]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fm-3w8BeQak

[Joe King]

Gourcuff has been nothing less than immense in Ligue 1. He won't stay at Milan, thats for sure.

[Joe King]

Valencia through to the quarters of the Copa Del Rey after a 4-2 aggregate win.

Barcelona currently drawing to Atletico 1-1. Pongolle with one of the goals. These are the second legs.

Roma beat Sampdoria 2-0. Baptista with both goals.

Coppa Italia: Inter 3-1 Genoa. Mourinho said he would be interested in a swap deal with Spurs over Adriano and Jermaine Jenas

Juve 3-0 Catania. Pretty straightforward.

[dww]

Henry makes stand in face of Spanish inquisition to prove he is real deal
The explosive return to form of Thierry Henry at Barcelona is a timely reminder to Arsenal fans of the club's failings this season
Amy Lawrence Friday 16 [guardian]

Midway through last season, with one of the deals of the year starting to look like a big fuss about surprisingly little, a Spanish newspaper inquired: "Will the real Thierry Henry please stand up?"

The £16m that Barcelona had paid Arsenal in the summer of 2007 suddenly did not seem like so much of a steal. Arsène Wenger appeared to have done it again, bidding au revoir to an iconic player when he had spotted the signs of dwindling force. Once Arsenal fans had got over their depression they gossiped that Henry's body was falling to bits, and Barcelona fans did not take long to pick up the baton. Had their club made a foolish mistake?

Midway through this season, the real Thierry Henry, now 31, has not just stood up, he has started sprinting again. So switched on are his performances he looks as if he has stepped out of a time machine in a period where his legs did what his head wanted them to do, without any pain or frustrating resistance. He is even playing football and smiling at the same time – talents that seemed not so long ago to be mutually exclusive. Mind you, it would require an insanely contrary nature not to be glad to be in Barcelona's current gang of thrillers.

Pep Guardiola has been virtually flawless in piecing together the best team in Europe right now. It certainly helps that Lionel Messi has evolved into the kind of specialist for whom even Manchester City would not dare bid. But perhaps Guardiola's biggest achievement is re-enthusing both Samuel Eto'o and Henry in order to craft such a terrifying attacking trident. When he arrived, the Barcelona coach told the former where to go in plain enough language and shunted him on to the transfer market. He told the latter he had absolute faith in him. In both cases his man-management turned out to be perfect. In last weekend's hard-fought victory at Osasuna, all three were brilliant. Henry wore them down, Messi dissected them, and Eto'o destroyed them.

Henry's first season at Camp Nou was a struggle, even if the statistics tell you that he finished Barcelona's top scorer and second in the assists ranking behind Messi. It was not his happiest time. The Frenchman is one of the brightest and most eloquent footballers around and a man who adores watching and studying the game, but he did not seem to be in the right frame of mind to communicate any of it very well. So often did he lament his injuries, it would be no surprise if he spent a fair bit of time wrestling with the fear that he would not be able to run freely again. On top of that he had complications in his family life, which meant he was not living in the same country as his young daughter, Tea.

He became increasingly introspective , cutting out media appearances and interviews that were once routine, and giving much less of his time to sponsors.

All the preconceptions about Henry last season – that he was physically wrecked, that he only flourished if the team was built around him, that he was not happy to be parked on the left flank – turned out to be wrong. This term his statistics are still impressive – his nine goals in 15 La Liga appearances are all the better because Messi and Eto'o is enough of an argument over the penalties and free kicks – but his tricks, his sharpness, and his love for playing add immeasurably to his worth.

Messi-mania has such a powerful effect it is not always easy to notice the other success stories at Barcelona. And there are plenty. Daniel Alves's rampaging, Xavi's goals and the rebirth of Henry explain why Ronaldinho and Deco are not missed at all.

Barcelona's socios now stand up to lavish applause on Henry. Back at Arsenal, seeing their cherished No14 back in full flow only reminds them of how far they have sunk.

[Joe King]

Good piece by Amy Lawrence - she speakth sense even on the pod.

One thing that strikes me with Barcelona is that there is more unity now than there was under Rijkaard. They look a force and I would put them as favourites to win the Champions League solely based on strength in depth in the majority of positions and team spirit which the latter years under Rijkaard certainly lacked.

I'm pretty sure they are setting the highest points tally at this stage of the La Liga season this weekend if they beat tricky Deportivo at home. I have no doubt this team will do well for many years to come, the small matter of this years title is inevitable.

[The_weatherman]

Barca 3-0 up against Depor, 41st min. Messi, Henry and Etoo with the goals. They are awesome, nothing but. Depor look scared, Barca are going through them at will.