Szczesny expecting Poland to fire

Wojciech Szczesny believes Poland have assembled their strongest squad for years ahead of Euro 2012.

As one of the host nations, Poland qualified automatically for the competition but will face a stern test in Group A against Russia, Czech Republic and Greece.

Arsenal goalkeeper Szczesny says there is a confident mood in the squad ahead of the tournament and hopes the team can live up to their own expectations.

“It’s all there for us to go and have a successful tournament – I think it’s the strongest Poland team the fans have seen for years so hopefully we won’t let them down,” Szczesny said.

“I think Poland have a chance of doing well. The atmosphere around the national team has changed a bit and people have realised that we actually have world-class players.”

Szczesny singled out Borussia Dortmund trio Jakub Blaszczykowski, Lukasz Piszczek and Robert Lewandowski as three key players for the Poles ahead of the tournament.

The 22-year-old believes their quality and experience will be vital, after their success in helping Dortmund to the Bundesliga title this season.

“The three players from Borussia Dortmund are as good in their positions as anyone in Europe – Lukasz Piszczek is a right back and I’d easily put him in the top three in Europe, his fitness levels are something I’ve never seen before,” he said.

“Jakub Blaszczykowski, the skipper, always steps up for the national team while Robert Lewandowski is just a natural goalscorer.

“We’ve got plenty of others who can make an impact too – Ludovic Obraniak in midfield is a fantastic player and we have some solid defenders.”

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/szczesny-expecting-poland-to-fire/95851/

Italian PM proposes Serie A ban

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has suggested suspending football for two to three years in light of the latest corruption scandal.

Just six years on from Calciopoli, the country is now coming to terms with an elaborate match-fixing plot which on Monday resulted in police making an early-morning raid on Italy’s training base at Coverciano to search the room of left-back Domenico Criscito.

The dramatic developments in Florence have now prompted Monti to call for drastic action.

“The news these days about the state of football causes a deep sadness and it seems that a chilling scenario is now unfolding,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

“In recent years we have seen so many shameful phenomena: we have recently witnessed an invisible blackmail of omerta, with the players of Genoa kneeling down in the face of who knows what kind of threats from hidden forces, and I also find it unacceptable that public money has been used, and is still being used, to settle the debts of football clubs.

“In light of such events, I am launching a proposal that is not a proposal of my government, but simply me thinking aloud: I wonder if a suspension of two or three years would not help this game.”

Zenit defender Criscito was subsequently withdrawn from Italy’s squad for Euro 2012 because of his involvement in an alleged attempt to fix a game involving former club Genoa.

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/italian-pm-proposes-serie-a-ban/95471/

Italian PM wants league suspension World Soccer Shop

Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti says domestic football in Italy needs a break of "two to three years" to let match-fixing to be cleansed.

Monti: Wants football suspended

A second match-fixing scandal in the six years is currently gripping Italy, with the latest stage of a probe carried out by Cremona prosecutors on Monday resulting in the arrests of 19 people, among them Lazio captain Stefano Mauri.

Also among those under investigation is Italy international Domenico Criscito, who was considered a certainty to make the Azzurri's Euro 2012 squad but was dropped on Monday.

"We must reflect and evaluate if it would not be useful to have a total suspension of the game for two to three years," Monti told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"This is not a government proposal, but it is something that I, who have been for many years a football fan, feel inside me.

"It is particularly sad when a world such as sport that should be an expression of high values, proves to appear a concentration of the most reprehensible aspects such as disloyalty, illegality and falseness."

Yesterday's operation is part of an investigation called "Last Bet", which focuses on 33 games over the past two seasons, the majority of which were in Serie B.

Earlier this month, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) released a comprehensive 48-page list naming 22 clubs along with 61 individuals that have been reported to the football authorities in connection with a match-fixing ring and betting investigation.

The latest inquiry is a big blow to football in Italy, which had gradually been recovering from the scandal that rocked the nation six years ago.

In 2006, a match-fixing probe led to Juventus being stripped of two titles and relegation to Serie B after they were found guilty of influencing referees.

"There is bitterness and sadness for what has happened," FIGC president Giancarlo Abete said. "It is totally unacceptable.

"This latest situation makes us reflect because there have been certain elements that have managed to enter the sporting system.

"Everyone will nevertheless have the possibility to defend themselves in the legal and sporting trials."

A trial carried out by a sporting tribunal will begin on Thursday and Lega Serie A president Maurizio Beretta hopes the process will not drag on.

"We hope it will be fast and that drastic punishments are handed out to those individuals that have stained a world that should focus on credibility and transparency," Beretta said.

Source : http://soccer365.com//news/european_news/general/17387/italian_pm_wants_league_suspension

Jagielka relishes underdog tag

Defender Phil Jagielka believes the lack of expectation on England could help them to flourish at Euro 2012.

Unlike in previous years, the national team head to Poland and Ukraine as outsiders to win the tournament, and Jagielka is hoping they can now surprise people.

“I’m sure if we win a game we’ll be favourites and if we lose a game we’ll be a waste of space,” he told reporters.

“It’s a hard one to call. It would be better for the squad if there’s a little bit less expectation on us. Hopefully we can go under the radar until the latter stages of the tournament and hopefully get further than we have.

“If we’re being realistic we haven’t won anything for a number of years and maybe that’s because we don’t deserve to so hopefully this time round we can perform better and see where that takes us.”

The Everton centre-back also suggested that not much has changed since England’s friendly clash with France in November 2010 – ahead of their meeting in the tournament opener on June 11.

“I’m sure their squad will be quite similar to what it was back then and ours isn’t too different. It’s going to be a slightly different atmosphere and a different sort of onus on the game,” he said.

“Obviously it’s a tournament game, not a friendly so we’ll need the points to top the table and hopefully go through.

“We’ll be going out there to win the game but I think if we take a draw and get two other good results in the group then we’ll take that just as much.”

Jagielka also said he has enjoyed training under new boss Roy Hodgson so far, adding: “It has been good. We’ve obviously not had too long with it but a 1-0 win (against Norway) is a decent start.

“We didn’t play amazing but we’re still getting used to the tactics and the different roles that some of us have to play.

“We’ve got to look upwards and we’re going into a tournament and hopefully we can do well with him in charge.”

The 29-year-old also expressed excitement at the prospect of playing for his country alongside his former Toffees team-mate Joleon Lescott.

He continued: “Yeah definitely me and Joleon have known each other for about 10 years now so that’s obviously useful for England.

“We’ve played together a lot at Everton him got himself a fantastic move to Manchester City and has won himself a Premier League medal this season so his career has gone onto fantastic things and I think I’ve done ok for myself.”

“It’s always nice to have a familiar face next to you, especially at international football where the standards are so high. I think the last three games with had we’ve had three wins.”

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/jagielka-relishes-underdog-tag/95463/

Ronaldo: Real are better than Barca

Cristiano Ronaldo feels that Barcelona’s dominance is over after they were dethroned as La Liga champions by Real Madrid this season.

The Catalans dominated Spanish and European football in recent years, but Real star Ronaldo is adamant that his side are now the dominant force after their successful 2011/12 campaign.

“I think that the cycle has already changed. We beat Barcelona at home, which isn’t easy, but we managed to do it. We also ended nine points clear of them in the table, and that’s a big lead,” Ronaldo said.

“So I think the cycle has changed, and I hope that the situation will stay like this for many years. Barcelona are a magnificent team, but so are we. We have shown this year that we are the better team at the moment.”

Ronaldo also took the time to praise outgoing Barca coach Pep Guardiola for his work at the Camp Nou.

“He has done a great job and has won many titles. He built a great team. You have to appreciate what he did and I wish him all the best,” Ronaldo said.

The attacker then went on to discuss the Ballon d’Or, and admitted that he is very happy with his performances in the recent campaign but refused to declare himself a favourite to claim the accolade.

“I’m not the one who decides whether I deserve the Ballon d’Or. I think I’ve had a fantastic season, where I’ve won an important title like La Liga, which is very hard to win,” he said.

“We’ll have to wait and see, though. I’m focused on Euro 2012 now. I want to do well there. That will help my bid for the Ballon d’Or, too.

“Individually, my season has been a perfect 10. Collectively, it’s been a nine as we could have won more titles, like the Champions League for example.

“My goal is to do even better next year. I know that it will be very difficult to score more than 46 goals in La Liga, but anything can happen in football. I really believe that I can still improve. I know that it’s hard because of all the records that we beat, but you never know.”

The Portuguese also reiterated that he should not be compared to Lionel Messi, as he feels he is a different player to the Barcelona star.

“I always try to improve and become a better player, but it’s not a competition with Messi. It’s something between all the teams and players. People always compare us, but it’s impossible. You can’t compare a Ferrari with a Porsche or a Mercedes.

“We are different players on different teams. He is a magnificent player, and we’re always fighting – in a good way – to score more goals. All players compete with other players. It’s a good thing.”

The 27-year-old attacker netted an impressive 46 goals in La Liga this term, while Messi found the net 50 times.

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/ronaldo-real-are-better-than-barca/95074/