madristar

STELLA____________________!!!!!!!!!

We are no longer pushovers" Arsene Wenger believes his Arsenal side showed they can no longer be bullied by rivals after their victory against Chelsea. The Gunners had lost each of their previous five matches against the Blues, stretching back to November 2008, and were beaten 1-0 at Manchester United in their last Barclays Premier League match. However, the poor run of form against direct challengers for the championship crown came to an end at Emirates Stadium last night as Wenger's youngsters heaped more pressure on Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti. Alex Song put the hosts ahead before half-time, with a quickfire double from captain Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott giving Arsenal a three-goal cushion. Although Chelsea reduced the deficit through Branislav Ivanovic, there was no way back for Ancelotti's men, who have now taken just six points from their last eight league games - a worst run since 1998. Arsenal moved back up into second place, behind leaders United by two points, having now played a match more ahead of the midweek fixtures which see the Gunners at Wigan tomorrow night. "It was a double impact," Wenger said. "Mathematically, it keeps us in touch with the leaders of the league, and psychologically, it was important because we were questioned about our capability of winning big games. "I am happy with the desire in the team. We kept good discipline in the team for 90 minutes and put in a real team performance. "It can be a very pivotal moment, but we have to respond away at Wigan on Wednesday night in a game where we want to turn up and take points. "We know to beat the big teams at home will have an important impact on this league." The Arsenal manager declared: "We are not bullied any more. That is for sure. "Two years ago with the same players we were maybe battered by Chelsea. Last year we felt we were getting closer. This year, at United and Chelsea, we were more frustrated because we were more in the game and there was no real difference. "It was a slow learning process that we got out of our system." Arsenal head to Birmingham on New Year's Day, and then host Manchester City, who are level on points but played a game more, ahead of their FA Cup third-round tie with Leeds and a Carling Cup semi-final against Ipswich. United come to Emirates at the end of April. "We have to be at our best and continue to improve," Wenger observed. "I hope the victory [over Chelsea] will convince the team that we are moving in the right direction and we continue to improve." Wenger added: "However, this league is very difficult to predict - every game is difficult for everybody. "We have to show we have got that out of our system and show we can be consistent."

Inter President Massimo Moratti: I Did Not Choose Leonardo To Irritate Milan Moratti reveals his reasons for appointing Leonardo as coach... Inter president Massimo Moratti has explained why he decided on Leonardo as the man to replace Rafael Benitez at the helm of the Nerazzurri. Leonardo was appointed the coach of the Italian and European champions on Christmas Eve in a sensational move as the Brazilian was the tactician of Inter's city rivals Milan last season. However, Moratti claims that the 41-year-old's appointment has nothing to do with putting one over the Rossoneri. “I thought it would be nice for the fans to spend Christmas knowing the name of their coach," he said, according to Il Corriere dello Sport. "It seemed to me a good present for them and the supporters certainly deserve it. I have respected and admired Leo for many years. "When it became necessary to replace Benitez, he was free from contracts and it allowed him to join us without the need for further negotiations. “Leonardo is a very intelligent man, something I noticed back from our first meetings during his playing career. Last season he showed at Milan that he is also a great coach who can do excellent work.” The Inter supremo added, "I did not choose Leonardo to irritate Milan. I chose him because he has talent and can achieve great things with Inter. “This will be an interesting adventure for him. He has the time to do things properly, I trust Leonardo and am happy he is with us.”

Fabregas: Belief key to victory Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas claimed belief was the key reason behind his side's comprehensive 3-1 defeat of Chelsea. The Spaniard scored one and made another as the Gunners put the out-of-form champions to the sword at the Emirates, just two weeks after they had disappointed against Manchester United. His goal was sandwiched between the efforts of Alex Song and Theo Walcott before Branislav Ivanovic pulled one back for the Blues. But the Gunners held on to a convincing 3-1 victory. Speaking after the match, Fabregas, who recently claimed his side were afraid of big teams, insists his side showed belief against the champions. "Belief was the difference," Fabregas told Sky Sports 1. "The difference between a good team and a great team is very little. We did what a great team does. We were fantastic. "The league is so tight. Anyone can win it. We will try to do our best." Another goalscorer, Theo Walcott, said he had not thought of Chelsea's recent dominance of his side. He added: "We didn't think about the past. "We can't change that. We concentrated on pressing. Everyone was pressing. We didn't give Chelsea any space at all. "We got the win but another game is just around the corner. "Everything went well. We made Chelsea look average at times. "We played some great football and wanted to do it for the fans because in recent years against Chelsea we've been disappointing." The win puts the Gunners in second place, two points behind Manchester United, who have a game in hand.

Leonardo Is The Right Man For Inter - Julio Cesar Julio Cesar believes that Leonardo will succeed at Inter... Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar has given his support to new coach Leonardo and is confident that his compatriot will succeed at the Nerazzurri. The Brazil international custodian believes Leonardo is the right man to get the Italian and European champions back on track. “He will be great,” Julio Cesar told Globoesporte. “He is the right man for Inter and he is also my friend. “It is very important that he already knows Italian football very well. I think this is going to work.” Julio Cesar played an integral role in helping the squad win five titles including the Champions League and the Scudetto in 2010 and says that lifting the World Cup with Brazil would complete the set. “Now I just need the World Cup with Brazil to complete the set and hope to achieve it as the host nation in 2014,” he said.

Arsenal vs Chelsea Player Ratings Marcus Chhan was on hand to witness Arsenal finally end their hoodoo against Chelsea with a 3-1 win the Premier League. Arsenal Lukasz Fabianski - 6 Culpable for the Chelsea goal. Bacary Sagna - 7 The right back was solid and got the better off a really poor Malouda. Gael Clichy - 6.5 He had his iffy moments in the match which Arsenal fans might be getting used to by now. Alex Song – 7.5 A holding midfielder who loves to get forward – a tidy finish for Arsenal’s first goal. Laurent Koscielny - 7 The difference in size between Koscielny and Drogba was obvious, but the defender held his own against the man Arsenal fans must be sick of seeing score against their team. He didn't score on Monday night and Koscielny was part of the reason. Johan Djourou - 7 He made some crucial interceptions for his team. Cesc Fabregas - 7.5 The skipper put his money where his mouth is after criticizing his team for being 'scared' to win games against the big teams. A big game from Arsenal's big time player. Jack Wilshere - 6.5 Doesn’t look a man for the big occasion just yet, but to his credit it was his ball into the Chelsea box which caused the Blues trouble and led to the Arsenal goal on the stroke of halftime. Robin van Persie (Off 76' ) - 7 Missed a golden chance to score in the first half, but generally his movement was good throughout the match and it appears Arsene Wenger made the right decision to start him ahead of Chamakh. Theo Walcott (Off 73') - 7.5 He looked clumsy in the first half but was a different player after that. He played the right ball to set up Fabregas for Arsenal's second and was in like a flash to dispossess Malouda to bagged Arsenal's third. Samir Nasri - 7 Dirfted in and out of the game - it certainly wasn't up to the high standards he has set this season but it wasn't bad either. Subs Abou Diaby (On 73') - 6.5 Added more defensive protection for Arsenal when he came on for Walcott. Marouane Chamakh (On 76') - 6 It'll be interesting to see how Van Persie and Chamakh link up when both play more games together. Tomas Rosicky (on 88') - 6 It didn't matter in the end, but I can't believe he strayed offside when Arsenal went forward in numbers late in the match which could've made things 4-1. Chelsea Petr Cech - 7 What a save Cech made to deny Nasri a spectacular first half goal, but he was left exposed in the second half by some poor team defending. John Terry - 7 Terry will be distraught that his side conceded three goals despite his own display. Ashley Cole - 7 Always seems to perform against his old club, and he remained a crucial option left for Chelsea to expose Arsenal down the flank. Branislav Ivanovic - 7 Chelsea fans would've been happy to see the way Ivanovic stepped up at 3-0 down when a lesser man might've have dropped their head and given up. His goal kept Chelsea alive. Paulo Ferreira (Off 61') - 6 Struggled against Nasri's pace. Frank Lampard - 6 Great to see him back and runnning. Lacked that bit of match sharpness. Michael Essien - 6 Unlucky that his challenge left the ball rolling to Walcott who prompty squared it to Fabregas for Arsenal's second. Mikel John Obi (Off 45’) – 6 Carlo Ancelotti handed him a starting place again, but he was ineffective. Florent Malouda (Off 56') - 4.5 Hauled off shortly after Chelsea gave up a third goal. Walcott picked his pocket and went in through on goal to score. What was he thinking? Didier Drogba - 6.5 It had to happen one day. Drogba just couldn't score against Arsenal this time round. Salomon Kalou - 6.5 He needed to get down the right flank more than he did to try and test a suspect looking Clichy out. Subs Ramires (On 45’) - 6 He came on and injected a sense of urgency into Chelsea's play. Not sure why he didn't play Drogba in late in the second half with scores 3-1 to Arsenal. That might have made a difference. Gael Kakuta (On 56') - 6 Creative little player. Bosingwa (On 61') - 6 Came on for his crossing ability as Chelsea had to chase the game.

New Coach Leonardo Wants To Bring Milan Legend Paolo Maldini To Inter - Report Paolo Maldini has been tipped to join Leonardo at Inter in some form of assistant role... Inter could become further tinged with Milan's colourful history as Leonardo wants Paolo Maldini to join him on the bench. The former Rossoneri coach has penned an 18-month deal with the option for a third term at San Siro, and has already outlined his plans. La Gazzetta dello Sport claims Leonardo, who is already chasing Kaka of Real Madrid, will ask president Massimo Moratti to lure Maldini. Moratti is an admirer of the ex-defender, who retired from football in May last year. It's not clear what role Maldini would undertake, but his experience could go hand in hand with Leonardo. Maldini would then likely be used to convince Kaka into joining. Reports earlier suggested a loan deal could suit the Brazilian playmaker.

Ancelotti: Blame it on me Carlo Ancelotti accepted responsibility for Chelsea's slump after Monday's 3-1 drubbing by Arsenal heaped further pressure on him. The champions have slipped from top of the Barclays Premier League to fourth place after going six matches without victory in the competition. Ancelotti's position is now under intense scrutiny, but the Chelsea manager insisted he does not fear for his job. "I don't know (how long owner Roman Abramovich will remain patient). Obviously he won't be happy at this moment," he said. "I will take my responsibility, but this is a question you have to ask him, not me. "I'm not afraid about my job. Everyone said I did a fantastic job last year. Now people are asking me about my job. "We have to do better, obviously. It's not usual that Chelsea can't win for six games." Arsenal climbed to second in the table after goals from Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott ended their five-match losing streak against their title rivals. Branislav Ivanovic pulled a goal back for Chelsea, but it was a poor display from the champions and Ancelotti admitted his team must "wake up". "I'm worried, obviously, because that's six games we've not been able to win," he said. "I didn't see the team playing the way we want and we had difficulty playing our football." "We're obviously not so confident playing in this moment. I didn't expect this defeat. I was surprised by this performance. "I saw very good training sessions this week, so I was surprised by this performance. "We are sleeping now. This is the reality of this team. We are sleeping. "If you play against a good team like Arsenal, you lose if you don't wake up." Ancelotti received support from Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. "I personally rate Ancelotti very highly and I can't believe that (his job would be under threat)," said Wenger. It was a crucial victory for Arsenal, whose ability to compete against their main title rivals Chelsea and Manchester United has been doubted. Wenger claimed the result has flooded his side with self-belief, and after leaking 13 goals in their last five meetings with the Blues, the Frenchman insisted they have developed some steel. "This win has a double impact. Mathematically, it keeps us in touch with the leaders of the league," said Wenger. "And psychologically, it was important. We were questioned about our capability of winning big games. "I'm happy with the desire in the team. We kept good discipline in the team for 90 minutes and put in a real team performance. "Two years ago with the same players, we were maybe battered by Chelsea. Last year we felt we were getting closer. "This year, at United and Chelsea, we were more frustrated because we were more in the game and there was no real difference. "Maybe we played a bit with the handbrake. It was a slow learning process that we got out of our system tonight. "Cesc Fabregas said we were maybe scared to win. There was a strong word, but maybe there was something in it. "We didn't see that tonight. It was a locked game at the start, but the first goal gave a huge advantage. "We are not bullied any more, that is for sure. "It's always very difficult to say because every game is different, but I feel we have matured over the last two years."

Inter Must Back Leonardo - Real Madrid Coach Jose Mourinho Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has told Inter not to let their Leonardo chance slip through th eir fingers...Jose Mourinho believes Leonardo is the right man to lead Inter into a new life following Rafael Benitez's brief tenure. The Brazilian will be unveiled officially on Wednesday, and Mourinho, who led the club to a unique treble last season, has told them not to waste the chances they have with 'Leo' in charge. "He is great, support him the way you did me," the Real Madrid coach told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Leonardo is great. I ask the Inter fans to welcome and support him the way they did with me. "Last season Leo proved he is a coach of real potential. He is a great professional and not to be tagged as a Milanista. He dedicated many years to Milan and will now do the same for Inter with the same passion. "I really do wish him every success. Please support him.

Inter Must Back Leonardo - Real Madrid Coach Jose Mourinho Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has told Inter not to let their Leonardo chance slip through th eir fingers...Jose Mourinho believes Leonardo is the right man to lead Inter into a new life following Rafael Benitez's brief tenure. The Brazilian will be unveiled officially on Wednesday, and Mourinho, who led the club to a unique treble last season, has told them not to waste the chances they have with 'Leo' in charge. "He is great, support him the way you did me," the Real Madrid coach told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Leonardo is great. I ask the Inter fans to welcome and support him the way they did with me. "Last season Leo proved he is a coach of real potential. He is a great professional and not to be tagged as a Milanista. He dedicated many years to Milan and will now do the same for Inter with the same passion. "I really do wish him every success. Please support him.

In the B-team? yeah, you have chance. Keep working on it. LOL

I Can Become A Real Madrid Regular - Esteban Granero Esteban Granero feels he has the ability to make an impact on the Real Madrid first team. Real Madrid fringe player Esteban Granero feels that he has the ability to become a regular starter at the club. The former Getafe midfielder has been at the Santiago Bernabeu for 18 months, but his appearances have been limited to cup competitions and substitute outings, remaining on the periphery on the first team. Speaking about his objectives for 2011, the 23-year-old reckons that, if given the opportunity, he could prove himself to be a regular starter for the capital club and coach Jose Mourinho. He remarked: “My aim for the year is to work hard for the coach and do whatever the coach asks of me. It is always important to finish the year and enjoy the holiday period with ease and confidence. “I believe that I can always have a place in Mourinho’s side, but he is in charge of choosing the team and has a career that supports his judgement.”

Jose Mourinho: Inter Are The Best Team In The World; Real Madrid Need A Striker Mourinho dismisses Barcelona once again and asks for reinforcements... Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho believes that Inter and not Barcelona are the best team in the world. Mourinho won a treble with the Beneamata last season and joined los Merengues in the summer. Last month the Blaugrana defeated los Blancos 5-0 in the Clasico at Camp Nou to stake their claim as being the best club side in the world, but Mourinho believes that Pep Guardiola's team do not deserve that tag. "No, the best team is Inter, who, after winning the Champions League, have just won the FIFA Club World Cup," Mourinho said in an interview with Record. Mourinho also reiterated Madrid's need for a striker in January. "We need [a striker], quantitatively speaking. I like [Gonzalo] Higuain and [Karim] Benzema, each one in their own way, with their style, but they are few to meet the demands of a team like ours. "I like having more options for the front: when I play with one, I like having two on the bench; when I play with two, I like having one always ready to come on. And with one of them injured, I breathe worse already. "We started the season with two strikers, right now we have one and my feeling is that we will continue like this for a long time. "Perhaps I am a little bit pessimistic but, for the previous experiences we’ve had, and which fortunately were not many but were very informative, injuries to the spine and herniated disc are really hard things to recover from. I do not believe Higuain will recover that fast. "I mean, I believe so, we need reinforcements, but I highly doubt that will happen," Mourinho continued. "One thing is what we need, another is what we do. And in this case, I really need, but I doubt we will do it."

Ancelotti: Chelsea are sleeping Carlo Ancelotti has urged Chelsea to "wake up" after their winless run stretched to six games with a 3-1 loss to Arsenal. The Blues looked out of sorts at the Emirates on Monday and were made to pay by the surprisingly ruthless Gunners, who finally ended their barren run against their London rivals. Despite pulling a goal back through Branislav Ivanovic, goals from Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott did the damage. "The difference was the quality," Ancelotti told Sky Sports. "Arsenal put more quality on the pitch than us. They were able to play with the football. They played better than us. "We didn't play well. We're in a difficult moment. We need to try and win the game against Bolton. "We have to continue to work. We worked well these last two weeks. We didn't have a good performance today but we'll try in the next game. "The table is not good but this is the reality. We have to wake up. Now we are sleeping." When asked if he was worried about his future, he added: "I am not. This is a question you have to ask the owner. I'm confident." Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger praised the patience of his side. He said: "We have matured. We have been disciplined, matured and played for each other. "The focus of the team was good, even when we had to be less adventurous at some stages. "We were quite solid. They scored on a set-piece. Drogba takes them very well. In open play, we were solid. "Let's hope that it strengthens our belief that we can challenge for the championship and it strengthens our belief we're on the right way." The Blues are six points adrift of leaders Manchester United, just two months after leading the table by five points.

Inter Won't Spend €50 Million For Real Madrid's Kaka - Ernesto Bronzetti Super agent Ernesto Bronzetti claims a switch for Real Madrid ace Kaka to Inter is the stuff of fantasy football... Ernesto Bronzetti, the super agent who has a freight of associations with Real Madrid, claims Inter don't have the resources to fund a €50 million move for Kaka. Reports continue to link the 28-year-old Brazilian with Inter following Leonardo's arrival there as coach. However, Bronzetti knows the Madrid environment well, and he maintains there will be no chance for business. "Kaka will not join Inter... I am sure of this. Inter will not make these types of investments and I don't think Real Madrid will let him leave for less than €50m," Bronzetti told Sky Sport Italia. "Florentino [Perez] is a hard head and he would not accept losing a bet, it's the same for Maicon and [Diego] Milito, who will not go to Madrid."