Fabio Cannavaro

[LuNo]

Villarreal vs. Real Madrid

• Keepers: Casillas, Diego López, Casilla

• Defenders: Salgado, Sergio Ramos, Cannavaro, Raúl Bravo, Helguera, Pavón, Mejía, Miguel Torres

• Midfielders: Diarra, Gago, Robinho, Reyes, De la Red, Nieto

• Strikers: Van Nistelrooy, Higuaín

[Ange]

thanks LuNo

[LuNo]

You're welcome Ange

[LuNo]

[LuNo]

[LuNo]

1 – VILLARREAL: Viera, Josemi, Cygan, Fuentes, Jose Enrique; Senna, Josico, Marcos, Cani (Tacchinardi 86’); Matías Fernández (Guille Franco 75’) and Forlán (Tomasson 82’).

0 – REAL MADRID Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Helguera, Cannavaro, Torres; Reyes (De la Red 65´), Diarra, Gago (Nieto 80’), Robinho; Higuaín and Van Nistelrooy.

GOALS:

1-0, 67': Marcos crosses a ball into the back of Casillas' goal.

REFEREE: Clos Gómez. Booked Ramos (34´), Cai (82’) and Senna (92’).

HIGHLIGHTS: Matchday 20 of the Spanish League. Venue: El Madrigal. Attendance: 23,000.

[LuNo]

[LuNo]

"The season is very long"

Fabio Cannavaro talked to the press after the match against Villarreal. The Ballon d'Or winner said Real Madrid had been better during the first half and that the game became "sloppy" in the last 45 minutes. "We have many injured players, so it is normal for us to have problems right now," said the centre back, "We must stay calm and keep working as we have been doing lately. The season is very long."

"We lost because we didn't play too well. We fought hard, but we didn't manage to win the three points. We are looking to be more regular. I don't like following two good games with one like this."

"We played better in the first half. They scored in the second 45 minutes, which were sloppier. They wasted a lot of time. It was a hard match."

"We have many injured players, so it is normal for us to have problems right now. We must stay calm and keep working as we have been doing lately. The season is very long."

[LuNo]

Cannavaro will be first 'London galactico'

Chelsea have already made a bid for the World Cup winner to launch phase one of the post-Mourinho era

CHELSEA want to instigate the post-Jose Mourinho era with the signing of the World and European Footballer of the Year Fabio Cannavaro. The club has agreed in principle a salary of £3.4million with the Italy defender and has been told by Real Madrid’s current administration that it will not stand in the way of a summer transfer.

Mourinho, who blocked a move for Cannavaro last summer, has no involvement in the revived deal, as the club do not expect him to be at Stamford Bridge when the 33-year-old World Cup-winning captain arrives in the close season. By then, Chelsea intend to have replaced their manager with the Internazionale coach, Roberto Mancini, who is understood to have recommended his compatriot to the club.

Cannavaro will be the first recruit of a “London Galactico” transfer policy that Roman Abramovich has long wanted to enforce at his club, but has seen stymied by Mourinho’s reluctance to work with older, more storied players. Chelsea’s billionaire owner believes he can combine such individuals with carefully recruited young talents in a squad instructed to play attractive and successful football modelled on, but superior to, that of Barcelona, the European Cup holders.

Leading that squad, Abramovich wants a young, personable coach, who will both buy into the owner’s recruitment policy and manage the playing resources without resort to the drama and confrontation that has marked Mourinho’s reign. Having failed to convince Didier Deschamps to take on that role, Chelsea have placed Mancini at the head of their recruitment list. An initial approach has been well received by the Italian, who will be a free agent at the end of this season and is stalling on a contract extension.

Cannavaro has also encouraged Chelsea’s advances. The centre-back spent time with Abramovich on one of the Russian’s luxury yachts last summer and discussed a transfer from Juventus to Stamford Bridge before Chelsea withdrew from negotiations.

The player then signed a two-year contract with Real Madrid, but has endured a traumatic six months in Spanish football as his club has struggled and he has been the focus of press and supporter criticism. Cannavaro has also been slow to adapt to life in Madrid, is still living in a hotel, and is unhappy with the city as a place to raise his three young children. Real have been similarly disappointed with their high-profile recruit. Aware of Chelsea’s approach, they are prepared to let Cannavaro leave at the end of the season.

A source close to Mancini indicated that Inter were yet to put a concrete figure in front of him in discussions over a new contract. Last week he was quoted as saying: “Nothing has been decided yet about the contract with Inter, but this is not a formality. I’d really love to manage a Premiership side one day. Chelsea? It would be fantastic.”

Ironically, Inter were courting Mourinho as Mancini’s replacement in 2005, although the Portuguese is now more inclined to Real Madrid or AC Milan as a venue for his turnaround management techniques.

Having unsuccessfully gone to war with Abramovich over interference in transfer policy and Andriy Shevchenko’s limited contribution to the team, Mourinho has now accepted that no money will be made available to him in this transfer window to sign a central defender of his choosing. Though Abramovich is currently covering the costs of an $8m friendly tournament in Israel involving teams from the home country, Russia, and Ukraine, and is ready to bankroll Cannavaro’s transfer, the Russian has refused to meet Bolton’s £3m asking price for Tal Ben Haim, whom Mourinho requested as defensive cover. Instead, Chelsea’s focus now seems to be on life after Mourinho. Concerted effort has been placed into sourcing a replacement manager. First choice had been Guus Hiddink — already on the Abramovich payroll in the role of Russia coach — but the Dutchman has been persuaded against taking on the job by his partner. Sevilla’s Juande Ramos was also sounded out, but has neither the charisma nor the English-language skills Chelsea want. Deschamps has been approached three times, but he enjoyed neither London nor English football when he played for the club seven years ago and prefers to remain with Juventus.

Though Marcello Lippi remains available after guiding Italy to the World Cup, Abramovich considers him too old, while Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard is expected to take a year’s sabbatical from football at the end of this season. Marco van Basten fits the profile of a young coach, but is committed to Holland’s Euro 2008 campaign and is not well liked by Abramovich’s personal football adviser, Piet de Visser, who publicly attacked his tactics at the 2006 World Cup.

[LuNo]

Chelsea agree terms with Real Madrid's Cannavaro

Chelsea have agreed a shock deal for Real Madrid veteran defender Fabio Cannavaro.

The Sunday Times says Chelsea has agreed in principle a salary of £3.4million with the Italy defender and has been told by Real Madrid's current administration that it will not stand in the way of a summer transfer.

The deal has been done without Jose Mourinho's involvement, the Blues boss blocked a summer move for the World Cup winning captain.

Cannavaro will be the first recruit of a "London Galactico" transfer policy that Roman Abramovich has long wanted to enforce at his club, but has seen stymied by Mourinho's reluctance to work with older, more storied players.

[Ange]

thanks LuNO

[LuNo]

You're welcome Ange

[Aga]

[Ange]

thank you AGA!

[DelPieroBallackFan]

Thank you for the info Luno:)

[LuNo]

You're welcome DelPieroBallackFan

[Aga]

Hey, did you see this thread?

http://www.bellazon.com/main/index.php?showtopic=7918

There are some photos of Fabio and one link.

[Ange]

Training pic from 2 days

[LuNo]

Thanks Ange

[LuNo]

Cannavaro absent

The Italian centre back misses last session sick with the flu

Last minute problem, no doubt. The Italian defender of Real Madrid, Fabio Cannavaro, was unable to attend the last training session of the week due to the flu. His presence in tomorrow's match against Levante will depend on his evolution. Meanwhile, Raul and Guti look like they will feature in the League clash once they're back from injury.

Last session before the arrival of Levante for tomorrow's encounter at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. Capello had both captains of Real Madrid, Raul and Guti, at his service once they have made full recoveries from their respective injuries. Both of them look like starters for the game. The player that was unable to go to Real Madrid City was Fabio Cannavaro, who is sick with the flu. We will have to wait until tomorrow to know if he's made a prompt recovery and is able to feature. Other footballers will also be doubtful until the very last moment, as is the case of Gago, who has a strained left hamstring.

Good news came in the form of Sevillian defender Sergio Ramos, who looks like he will be match-fit in spite of his ankle niggle, which once again caused him slight problems during this morning's practice. He has been pushing his joint all week long aiming to be in perfect condition to help the team out.

Injuries have really taken their toll on the Whites during the last month. The sick bay includes Brazilian right fullback Cicinho, who has been out for months now. The latest addition is Cannavaro, but it doesn't stop there. Raul Bravo has a strained rigt leg soleus muscle. In the niggle department, beside the aforementioned Gago, there's youth fullback Miguel Torres, who looks like he might make it back just in time to be in the squad list and thus continue his spectacular progress, which has led him to play and earn a spot with the first team. Last up in this list is winger José Antonio Reyes, who warmed up with the rest of his team-mates and seems to be improving every day from the knee sprain he sustained during last week's Villarreal match.

The warmup was followed by this morning's all-important ball practice. The Madridista squad repeated play after play with the ball. The happiest man around was defender Oscar Miñambres. The Madrilenian is back with the first team of Real Madrid after overcoming a few years of constant injuries and is in perfect shape, should Fabio Capello deem his participation necessary. Following the training, the players and the entire technical staff will make their way to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium and then off to the pre-match concentration hotel, just a few miles from the Madridista Colosseum. The meeting is tomorrow, at 7:00 pm CET, against the second team from Valencia, Levante.