A roundup of today's other soccer news in brief
Scotland seek manager after sacking Burley
SCOTLAND AIM to have a new manager in place by February, in time for the draw for the qualifying stages of the 2012 European Championship, after confirming last night that George Burley had been sacked. The frontrunners are Walter Smith, the Rangers manager for whom it would be a second stint in charge, and Craig Levein, who has been quietly building his reputation at Dundee United. Smith’s contract with the champions is due to expire in January.
The Scottish Football Association wants to make the appointment before that draw, which takes place in Warsaw on February 7th.
The new manager’s first match will be on March 3rd, when the Czech Republic visit Hampden Park for a friendly.
Saturday’s 3-0 friendly defeat in Wales spelled the end for Burley, who in 22 months oversaw only three victories in 14 matches.
Terry expects Chelsea to buy
JOHN TERRY expects Chelsea to strengthen their squad in January after the freezing of Fifa’s transfer ban on the Premier League leaders, though the defender is braced for the suspension to be confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Chelsea had successfully asked CAS to postpone any sanction until their appeal against Fifa’s judgment over the Gael Kakuta affair, likely to take place in March or April next year, had been heard.
“It’s good news that the transfer ban has been frozen,” said Terry. “We lose four good players in January anyway [when Mikel John Obi, Michael Essien, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou will play in the Africa Cup of Nations].
“I’m sure the club and the manager are looking into that and having good talks with Roman [Abramovich]. I wouldn’t be surprised if we do go out and buy because we don’t know what’s going to happen in the summer.
“We’re going well at the minute and we’re lucky enough to have a big squad with good players who can come in if we get a couple of injuries. Looking at it realistically, we’re maybe going to be suspended in the summer window and, maybe, another one after that.”
Petrov ruled out with injury
MANCHESTER CITY winger Martin Petrov has been ruled out for up to a fortnight after sustaining a knee injury on international duty.
The 30-year-old, who has scored three goals for his club this season, was with Bulgaria preparing for friendly matches when the problem occurred. According to City, Petrov has a slight sprain of the inner ligament in the left knee. He has returned to the club’s Carrington training ground where he is undergoing rehabilitation work.
Wenger looks set to turn to Eduardo
ARSENE WENGER looks set to turn to Croatia marksman Eduardo as the new head of Arsenal’s frontline after Robin van Persie was ruled out for at least six weeks with an ankle injury.
The loss of the Holland forward – who has scored eight goals and emerged as one of the Gunners’ key figures during a 13-match unbeaten run – could not have come at a worse time for Wenger, who is already without Nicklas Bendtner until early December because of a groin problem.
While there is an outside chance England forward Theo Walcott could be in contention for the visit of league leaders Chelsea on November 29th after a knee injury, Eduardo is the most likely to be deployed as the central striker at Sunderland this weekend.
Worthington keen to stay
NIGEL WORTHINGTON is keen to extend his reign as Northern Ireland manager providing he has satisfactory talks with the Irish Football Association.
Worthington’s final game before his contract expires at the end of the year was Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Serbia in a friendly at Windsor Park.
Worthington said: “If everything is right, yes I would like to stay on. I feel we have come on in leaps and bounds.”
Benitez remains confident
RAFAEL BENITEZ has insisted his confidence in Liverpool’s potential to win silverware this season, and his relationship with the club’s support, remains intact despite the alarming set of results that has undermined their Champions League and Premier League prospects.
“If we go out, most of the people we meet are Liverpool fans,” said Benitez, discussing his family in an interview in the latest edition of Champions Magazine.
“They appreciate we are working hard, sometimes they push you because they want to win more trophies, but they realise the real situation of our club, if you compare it with the other top sides – the possibilities they have with money and players – but still we think we can win titles.”
He added: “I’ve seen a lot of supporters around the world, I had good relationships with fans in clubs I coached in Spain, but here they are something special.”
