Blog Archives
Champions League Quarter Finals & Semi Final Draw
| Real Madrid (Spain) | v | Tottenham Hotspur (England) |
| Chelsea (England) | v | Manchester United (England) |
| Barcelona (Spain) | v | Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) |
| Inter Milan (Italy) | v | Schalke 04 (Germany) |
Inter Milan or Schalke v Chelsea or Manchester United
Real Madrid or Tottenham Hotspur against Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham have been fantastic in Europe this season but i really can’t see them having what it takes to beat Mourinho & Real Madrid, that said though i think they will make the Spaniards work for the victory with the final score after both legs being 3-2
Chelsea v Manchester UnitedThis one will be a tricky one to call as both teams haven’t had the best form this season but both are capable of scoring at any point in a game. I think Utd will edge this one with a final score after both legs of 2-2 with Utd taking the away goal rule.
Barcelona v Shakhtar DonetskThis is an easy one to predict and i’m going to go for a Barcelona inspired bloodbath with the final score being 5-0
Inter Milan v SchalkeInter eye up summer move for Carlos Tevez as Diego Milito replacment
In the last week there have been rumours of Genoa wanting to re-sign Inters treble winning hero Diego Milito after he has spent most of this season on the sidelines due to ongoing injuries. As sad as i’d be to see Milito leave Inter it has to be said that when he has played this season he’s been no where near as influential as he was last season and rumours that are flying around today make this that little bit more bearable as reports suggest that President Moratti has got his eye on Manchester City’s want away captain Carlos Tevez.
According to Corriere dello Sport, Italian giants Inter are ready to make their move for the City captain, who they see as a replacement for Diego Milito, when the transfer window reopens in June. Both Inter president Massimo Moratti and manager Leonardo are big fans of Tevez and are well aware that the Argentine is unsettled at Eastlands.
Corriere dello Sport says Inter intermediaries have already made contact with Tevez’s representatives to register their interest. Of course if this deal goes ahead then Inter will forget about making a move for Udinese’s star Alexis Sanchez, though they face a tough fight for Tevez’s signiture as Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona are all reported to be monitoring the 27 year old’s status at Eastlands. That being said Inter coach Leonardo is hopeful of luring the former Manchester United forward away from the Premier League, and linking him up with our strike force of Eto’o and Pazzini.
City won’t let him go easily though as last month they were reported to be ready to increase Tevez’s weekly wage to nearly £300,000-a-week as they look to keep him at the club, with officials at the City of Manchester Stadium weary that the former West Ham player will again listen to his closest advisor, Kia Joorabchian, and seek a move at the end of the current campaign.
According to Sky Italia, Inter Milan are also still chasing Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Luka Modric despite the Premier League club’s insistence their pint-sized schemer is not for sale.
The diminutive Croatian has been one of the outstanding performers in England’s top tier this season, and as a result both Manchester United and Chelsea have been strongly linked with the 25-year-old.
Tottenham reportedly value their star playmaker at £50 million in an effort to deter the former Dinamo Zagreb star’s mounting list of admirers, but Sky Italia intimate Inter Milan remain interested in the midfielder, who has already earned 44 caps for the national side. This is a stupendous amount of money for Inter so it adds weight to the rumours that Wesley Sneijder will be moving to one of the top Premiership sides in the summer, hopefully this is just rumour as i would rather see Sneijder stay than be replaced by Modric.
Last month it was reported Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to bring Modric to Old Trafford as a long term successor to veteran Paul Scholes, while Chelsea were credited with an interest in the January transfer market, although neither club are likely to sanction offers that would appease Spurs into selling a player that has been instrumental in their impressive season to date.
As is always the case with rumours at this stage of the season it remains to be seen if any of these reported potential transfers will materialise by June but it does show that Inter are definitely in the market for a big money signing this year.
Jose Mourinho In Airport Stabbing Scare
A bodyguard for football manager Jose Mourinho is believed to have been stabbed protecting the Real Madrid and former Inter Milan boss as he signed autographs.
The minder was injured by a sharp object during an incident at A Coruna airport in northwest Spain.
A security detail for Mourinho rushed him away as the injured guard, identified as Eduardo, discovered blood pouring from a wound.
The security staff believe the assailant’s intended target was 48-year-old Mourinho, according to Spanish reports.
The injured bodyguard was treated for a 4cm wound.
The football boss, initially unaware, was later told of the attack which occurred last week.
Newspaper El Periodico said: “Mourinho stopped to sign autographs in arrivals, where a large number of Madrid fans were waiting for the team.
“The bodyguard was near the manager and noticed he had been stabbed in the armpit.
“Mourinho was very worried by the incident.”
Investigators have scoured CCTV footage and subsequently identified a tall man wanted in connection with the attack.
:: Italian police uncovered a plot by a gang to possibly snatch Mourinho and his family in Como when he was the coach of Inter Milan.
- Posted by Nerazzurri Outlaw
Maicon happy to stay at Inter
Reports on several websites have stated that Maicon is still after a move to Real Madrid, the report below comes from the Tribal football website claiming that the agent of Inter Milan fullback Douglas Maicon cannot shut the door on a move to Real Madrid.
The Inter right-back had already pushed hard to be reunited with Jose Mourinho in Madrid last summer, but the clubs could not reach an agreement.
“At the moment there has been no contact with Real Madrid,” agent Antonio Caliendo told Fichajes.com.
“In any case, it is opportune to wait a month to understand how the summer transfer market is shaping up.”
When I read this I thought that we are definitely going to lose Maicon in the summer, which would be a real shame for Inter as he is, in my opinion, the best in the world at doing what he does, with few players even coming close in his position. So I was relieved to see Maicon denying these statements in an announcement on the official Inter website.
The Brazilian star spoke to Inter Channel to distance himself from Caliendo’s comments. “There is no truth in these reports,” began Maicon. “This is an important period for Inter and all we are thinking about is working hard until the end of the season, nothing else. I would also like to stress that the only person authorised to speak on my behalf is Roberto Calenda, who is my only agent now.
Can we say that, as well as denying the statements made by Antonio Caliendo, you want to reiterate how happy you are at Inter and how much you want to remain here…?
“Absolutely. I always give 100% on the pitch. I am extremely pleased with the way things are going and I’m very happy to be wearing this shirt.”
You’ll return for the Genoa match after completing your suspension…
“Yes, I rested last weekend but I watched my team-mates do well in the Sampdoria game. I’m available for selection again and want to do my bit to help the team.”
So for now we are safe in the knowledge that he dedicated to Inter and the defence of our titles, unfortunately we all know how quickly things can change in football so we’ll have to just wait and see what happens when the transfer Market reopens in the summer!
- Posted by Nerazzurri Outlaw
Location:Milan
Inter & Chelsea keep tabs on Kaka as Real look to cut their losses
Chelsea and Inter Milan have been put on red alert after reports emerged that Real Madrid are ready to offload Kaka in the summer.
Speculation has intensified of late that Los Blancos are prepared to cut their losses on the Brazilian playmaker who has endured a frustrating time at the Santiago Bernabeu since arriving in a £58million (Dh345m) deal from AC Milan in 2009.
Blighted by numerous injuries and poor form, the 28-year-old has looked a shadow of the player who swept all before him to capture the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2008.
And such has been his fall from grace, with the Samba star looking a little overweight since he returned from his lengthy injury lay off last month, he is no longer certain of a regular starting place in Jose Mourinho’s starting XI.
The ‘Special One’ still favours the attacking triumvirate of Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria behind a lone frontman of either Karim Benzema and Emmanuel Adebayor for the big games, as was the case for Real’s 1-1 draw with Lyon in the Champions League last week.
However, Kaka’s stock still remains high throughout Europe with Chelsea and Inter expressing their interest in the star over the past 18 months.
Indeed, should Carlo Ancelotti remain at Stamford Bridge beyond the summer a switch to west London may be in the offing, with the two men known to have remained close following their stint together at AC Milan.
Kaka played a pivotal role in helping the Rossoneri to their seventh European Cup success when they beat Liverpool 2-1 in the final under Ancelotti in 2007 – a period in time when he was arguably at the peak of his powers.
A potential swap deal with the increasingly disillusioned Didier Drogba, who has lost his place to new recruit Fernando Torres recently, has also been mooted with Mourinho remaining a big fan of the Ivorian hitman.
Inter meanwhile, were linked with a move for Kaka during the January transfer window with president Massimo Moratti admitting a deal for the Milan legend“could be a good idea.”
The arrival of fellow Brazilian Leonardo as manager may also help sway Kaka’s decision, given that he also held close ties with the Rossoneri having both played for and managed the club prior to diffecting to their arch rivals at the turn of the year.
Leonardo is a confirmed admirer of his compatriot while Moratti would undoubtedly love to get one over his old foe Silvio Berlusconi if the opportunity presented itself.
Indeed, a return to Milan cannot be ruled out, although with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Antonio Cassano, Robinho and Alexandre Pato already on the books, it would appear unlikely.
Whatever the case may be, it appears that Kaka’s stay in the Spanish capital will be a brief daliance and a very costly one at that for Real.
As much as it would be nice to get one over AC Milan by signing Kaka i think it is very unlikely that he’ll sign for Inter as he has a good relationship with Ancelotti and a swap deal for Drogba (Who was one of Mourinho’s signings at Chelsea) is much more likely, plus i don’t think that there’s a need for him at Inter, we need to strengthen our midfield in the summer but Leonardo needs to look at bringing in world class wingers over another central player.
- Posted by Nerazzurri Outlaw
