Folks, the Baltimore Orioles are 4-1 and sitting atop the division.
It's been a good week for fans as the Birds split the series with the improved Rays and have taken three straight from the Seattle Mariners, supposed contenders in the AL West. We go for the series sweep this afternoon & so far and we have seen a little of everything from everyone.
The starting pitching still concerns me, and the Orioles still may not have enough offense; alas, we are on top of the Red Sox, Yankees and Jays.
As today is Monday, what do you think the week holds? Do we keep the streak alive? What do you think of Trembley? The shortstop situation? Huff? Jones and Scott?
Also, what do you think of the classic "Oriole Magic" song being replaced before the game before with a song by the group, "Saliva"? Ok, I am a little split on this -- the "Oriole Magic" song is very outdated; however, it's uniquely Baltimore and something that I at least have looked f! orward to hearing before each and every game.
Here's a nice piece from MASN Sports that was posted last night by Amber Theoharis. She was able to get an interview with yesterday's hero Luis Hernandez, and he looked like a little kid who got his first hit. It was something refreshing to see at this level and his utter joy at getting a key hit to send the fans home happy.
Meanwhile, we as fans are riding high -- thus, let's hope we can get the sweep this afternoon against Seattle. Steve Melewski of MASN gives us a preview of today's game, & Casey Willett reports that the Orioles are loose and ready to have fun.
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After serving up a two-run walk off homer to Washington's Ronnie Belliard in a 3-2 loss on Sunday, George Sherrill was on the mound last night against the lowly Kansas City Royals and it looked like Baltimore was on it's way to a 5-4 win. With two outs, and two strikes on Miguel Olivo — a guy, much like Belliard whom you probably not expect to go deep in a two out situation — DID.
With one swing of the bat, Olivo's ball sailed into left field, and over the fence to tie the game, 5-5, pretty much completing a comeback after being down five runs. Baltimore would eventually lose in the game in the 11th inning, as Jose Guillen's singled the go ahead run off Chad Bradford and the Royals won, 6-5.
The Orioles were up 5-1 at one point, but the bullpen could not hold onto the lead. Brian Buress pitched well, coming off an illness, as he went five-plus innings, allowing one run on five hits and three walks while striking out three.
The loss was Baltim! ore's second in a row, and now the talk in at least some parts of the Internet are questioning whether Sherrill should be shipped out, despite his 26 saves at the halfway point and being unflappable for the whole season.
Now, everyone - we're only a game over .500 now - we have to calm down; it's the life of a closer.
Sherrill left two pitches up in the strike zone on two consecutive days and paid for it. He'll be fine, and we as fans have to simmer down. Stuff like this happens all the time in baseball, and although we did lose two close games to teams we should have perhaps beaten, it's all part of the game.
If we need to feel better, Sherrill showed quite a bit of emotion after the game:
Olivo's blast, which denied Brian Burres his staff-leading seventh win, was the Royals' first pinch-hit homer since Sept. 24.
"I'm not going to my fastball enough," Sherrill said. "[Olivo] struggles with breaking balls, but not! that one."
As he walked off the mound after the ni! nth inni ng, Sherrill flung his gum into the grass. Then, he tossed his glove into the seats behind the Orioles' dugout. Finally, he tossed a bucket that was in the Orioles dugout, the gum that was in it scattering all over the grass.
"That's just a frustrating situation, and if you're in the arena, you know that feeling," said Orioles first baseman Kevin Millar said. "Georgie is very competitive and just made one bad pitch. He did a great job, two sliders in the dirt, then put one over the plate and Olivo hit the ball out. But we'll be OK."
I think we have had more devastating losses with Chris Ray on the mound than Sherrill.
Oh yes, and now Alex Cintron may be hurt. Do we go after Felipe Lopez or do we let Brandon Fahey man the infield for now?
Ripken -- the Hall-of-Famer and Oriole legend -- is working with former pitcher Dennis Martinez in trying to foster and spread the game to children down there as a envoy with the U.S. Department of State.
Other than that, not much else has happened with the Orioles and the Hot Stove aside from the organization coming to terms on minor league deal with former A's utility man Donnie Murphy.
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I was a bit shocked to see Brian Roberts' demands for a deal.
While I do think he is a fine player -- by the time he's done with the contract he wants, the second baseman will be in his decline phase. I was frankly surprised to even see that he and his agent were negotiating with the team and that dialogue was still open.
Does anyone think that he may be holding a gun to the team's head to get more money because he's the one the premier faces of the franchise and wants to be compensated for it? Again, I thought he would be traded --- however, does it show that winning isn't paramount for him like I thought?
I would think the Orioles would want to keep Brian on the team; however, wouldn't the prudent thing to do is trade him to a contender and get young talent to help the rebuilding process?
Baseball is a business, and now it seems like Brian Roberts and his agent is treating it as such.
The deal will be for one year plus an option. I haven't been told if that option is a vesting option (meaning it kicks in if Looper reaches a certain level), a club option or a mutual option, in which either side could exercise it. But the deal will have an option of some kind for 2010.
With camp starting this weekend and with the acquisition of Hill, Parrish and Pauley a bit earlier, it looked like the Orioles were done with shopping on the market for pitching help. I don't mind too much that we lost out on Looper --! he would have been a stop gap and is an average pticher at best -- however, he could have made up for a lot of inexperience on the Baltimore roster.
Justin Turner's huge error allowed the winning run to score as he overthrew a ground ball to first base -- that was wide. Washington's Anderson Anderson -- who plated the tying run with a triple -- crossed home plate to end the game.
Hayden Penn -- who may be released or summoned to the 'pen in 2009 -- allowed two runs in the bottom of the eighth as Josh Willingham hit a long two run homer to left to bring Washington within one, 4-3.
It was poor out, and the weather sucked on Wednesday, but the Orioles got their fourth win in the last thirteeen games as they beat the New York Mets, 6-4 at the Yard.
Nick Markakis went 4-for-4 and Aubrey Huff had a go-ahead homer that made the difference -- a two-run shot -- but the talk yesterday was of Matt Wieters. Well, unless you've been under a rock, Matt Wieters hit his first major league homer and drove in his first runs last night off Met starter Tim Redding.
While driving around on business, it seems that the big issue -- or non issue of the day-- of the day (perhaps talk radio was bored) centered around souvenirs.
Notably what one should do with a home run ball -- speficially, the first one by Matt Wieters.
This is courtesy of Peter Schmuck's blog from the Baltimore Sun:
I spent a bit of time this morning chatting with co-workers about the Twins-Tigers game last night, and needless to say, it was universally thought among us it might have been one the greatest spectacles we've ever seen on TV.
Well, now that we have all the teams seated in the playoffs, I'll give my predictions on all the Divison Series:
ALDS Series One: New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins
As much as I would like to see the small-market Twins and their scrappy ways perhaps upset the New York Yankees, I don't think it's going to happen. The Yankees are just too stacked lineup-wise, the pitching has been relatively solid, and of course they have Mariano Rivera to close out games. Now, one could consider that Alex Rodriguez may be hit with another slump, and the pitchng ma! y be shaky; however, New York just seems and looks too good.
Then again, if the Twins can counter against C.C. Sabathia in Game One, and perhaps take a game in Minnesota, things will become very interesting. However, the Twins may be tired after Tuesday night, and seeing how much rest the Yankees have had, I don't see how the Twins can take the series.
ALDS Series Two: Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Red Sox in 5.
I think the Red Sox take the series because of superior pitching -- Beckett, Lester, a healthy Dice-K and perhaps even Clay Buchholz; however, they will run into trouble with the athleticism of the Angels and their patience at the plate. A lot has been said about the ability of both Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek at the plate and how the A! ngels may run on them at all, but I do think the Red Sox have ! enough o f a balanced team to take it.
Again, I'd be curious to see how the Red Sox offense does, because that may decide the series. Boston must have David Ortiz healthy.
Click the below image for a look at the 2009 NHL Playoff Conference Semi-Finals Schedule. Round two of the playoffs will see the Hurricanes take on the Bruins and the Capitals take on the Penguins in the Eastern Conference. Out West the Red Wings will play the Ducks and the Canucks will play Chicago.
Link to TSN where I took the schedule from & did a little Photoshop work
The New York Rangers today let the best young enforcer in the league walk for nothing! If you've been reading PuckCentral you know that I've predicted since the end of the season that the Rangers would not be resigning Orr. I also predicted that Brian Burke would be more than happy to sign Orr to a multi-year contract in Toronto. Well, just over one hour into free agency, Colton Orr was given a four year deal worth $1M per season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have dipped in the free agent market signing forward Colton Orr to a four-year contract worth $4 million. Orr, 27, played the last four seasons with the New York Rangers and tallied five points and 193 penalty minutes last season.
All I can say at this point is that I'm extremely pissed off at Glen Sather and John Tortorella. As far as I can see there is no replacing Colton Orr, he was a top three ! fighter in the NHL and the best young fighter. It's absolutely disgraceful that Orr was allowed to walk.
Thanks for the memories KOlton, you were a great Ranger and you'll remain my favorite player in the NHL, even if you don't wear the Broadway Blue anymore. I'll continue to wear my "Orr" home jersey to the Garden. How the hell do you allow a fan favorite and a guy that wears his heart on his sleeve get away? Seriously, this better not be the direction the Rangers are heading in, I for one don't want to watch a team that gets pushed around on a nightly basis.
Veteran defenseman Kyle McLaren, who had received an invitation to the Rangers training camp, will not be attending, the team said tonight. McLaren, who last played in the NHL for the San Jose Sharks in 2007-08, is injured.
Barcelona telah mendapatkan tanda tangan Lionel Messi di atas kertas kontrak hingga 2016. Namun durasi kontrak baru striker Argentina itu mendapat sorotan. Pada bulan lalu Barca dan Messi menyepakati perpanjangan kontrak berdurasi dua tahun atau hingga 2016, dari kontrak lama yang sebenarnya baru berakhir 2014. Kontrak baru itu kini sedang menjadi sorotan.
Adalah Serikat Pemain! Dunia (FIFPro) yang mengkritisi durasi kontrak Messi di Nou Camp. Bahkan FIFPro telah melayangkan surat kepada Komisi Eropa dan juga FIFA mengenai soal kontrak itu.
FIFPro menegaskan bahwa kontrak yang dilakukan oleh Barca melebihi waktu yang diperbolehkan oleh peraturan FIFA. Protes itu dilakukan oleh Presiden FIFPro divisi Eropa Philippe Piat.
"Menurut aturan yang diadopsi oleh Komisi, durasi kontrak seharusnya antara satu dan lima tahun. Sedangkan kontrak baru Messi dengan Barcelona hingga 2016," ungkap Piat kepada Marca.
Bukan hanya durasi kontrak, kesepakatan baru Messi yang juga termasuk buy-out clause dari 150 juta euro naik hingga 250 juta euro atau sekitar Rp 3,5 triliun, juga mendapatkan kritikan keras.
"Ini tidak sesuai dengan jiwa aturan FIFA," tegas Piat. Meski demikian pihak FIFPro mengaku belum menerima jawab atas surat mereka tersebu! t dari FIFA atau Komisi Sepa! kbola Eropa.
Tottenham's emerging right-back, Paul Ifil, will be loaned out so as to gain first-team experience.
Martin Jol rates the eighteen year old very highly but sees him as a future prospect. With the recent signing of the Canadian right-back, Stalteri, and Kelly playing very well, Ifil's chances of playing in the first-team have become very limited.
Newly promoted side West Ham have shown an interest in taking Ifil for a season-long loan as have Championship side Reading.
We have received two reports from our sources stating that Tottenham Hotspur have offered their Mali International striker Fredi Kanoute to three Premiership clubs.
We can confirm that Daniel Levy is in talks with Everton, Manchester City and Birmingham so as to offload Kanoute for around £5 million.
We haven't been given a reason as to why Martin Jol wants to sell Fredi, but we assume that another striker may be installed if Kanoute is sold to one of the above clubs.
Tottenham hav! e been strongly linked with Feyenoord's prolific striker Dirk Kuyt, but Jol himself said that he's not interested as we already have four strikers. Martin never said that he wouldn't be interested if he was only left with three.
Our mighty head coach has always gone along with the fact that he wants four strikers vying for the two places up-front. If Kanoute is to leave the club in a £5 million switch, then we can expect another striker to replace him.
Many of you have said that we should give El Hamdaoui a chance to prove himself, but we believe that Jol will opt for a more experienced striker.
Kuyt offers the experience of a proven goal-scorer and would fit into our young squad. The only downside is that Feyenoord have said that Dirk Kuyt will not leave the club for less than 18 million Euro's, ap! proximately £12.5 million.
Daniel Levy will not sanction such a bid. Rumours circulated that Spurs had tabled a £14 million bid for Real Madrid new boy Julio Baptista. The truth was that Levy enquired about the Brazilian beast but never made a bid after he was told by the Sevilla president that in order to lure Baptista away, Spurs would need to table a bid of around 17 million Euro's.
If Kanoute does leave the club, then we can expect a new striker to be brought in by either the end of this transfer window, or in the January window. It is highly unlikely that Spurs will pay the asking price of £12 million for Kuyt though.
After the win in midweek against Polish Champions, Wisla Krakow, Tottenham Hotspur looked to and most definitely needed to build on that victory with a win against Wigan at home.
The first half saw yet another lacklustre display from Juande Ramos' side. For all our excellent fitness training, the players looked well off the pace. Bentley, for example, looks like he needs a break.
The good news is that this team looks like it hasn't lost faith in Ramos. Instead, it's still trying to find its feet. The problem with a team trying to find its feet is that it really doesn't help if everyone in the side keeps passing the ball sideways and backwards.
The side saw four changes made to it, with Gomes in goal, a new central defence partnership of Woodgate and Corluka, with Assou-Ekotto and Zokora in the full-back roles. Our midfield housed a new central partnership of Jenas and O'Hara, whilst Bentley and Bale played on the ri! ght and left flanks respectively. Pavlyuchenko, back after being cup-tied in our UEFA Cup game, played up front with Bent.
In the first half, Tottenham had the majority of the possession, but unfortunately failing to do anything with it. Gomes did though, pull off another great save from a half-volley shot off of Scharner's boot.
Wigan lined up in the first half with the following players;
Boo's rang around White Hart Lane upon the final whistle of the first half.
Ramos made a like-for-like sub swap, bringing on Campbell for Pavlyuchenko, who looks so far off the pace, he may in fact be going backwards.
Once again, Tottenham started off this second half brightly, but alas, so did Wigan. It must be Sod's Law that sees a Tottenham side come up against a solid Titus Bramble, but unfortunately, that was the case! .
On 63 minutes, Ramos hauled off David Bentley, re! placing him with Aaron Lennon. Immediately after coming off the bench, Lennon's pace injected a new zest into the game and he should have been awarded a penalty after being clipped by Figueroa within the area.
Tottenham went route one on 73 minutes, with O'Hara chesting the ball onto Lennon's chest within the Wigan penalty area, only for the pacey winger to drill his shot inches wide of Kirkland's goal.
On 79 minutes, Ramos made his final substitution by bringing on Huddlestone for Bale. O'Hara moved to the left side of midfield, whilst Huddlestone took a central midfield role.
Wigan came very close on 87 minutes when Kappo's shot was excellently stop and turned over the cross-bar by Gomes.
Poyet was urging the side on in the final embers of the game. Ramos though, seemed calm and collective. Make of that what you will.
Other than the fact that our team lacks vision, mobility, graft and guile, we most definitely lack a goals! corer. In the entire game, I think we only had two shots on target. That is relegation form. When a home team can only carve out two shots on target, you know they're in trouble.
MILAN - Fiorentina masih terus memperkuat lini depan dengan mendatangkan striker baru. Menurut Goal.com Italia, Fiorentina tengah mempertimbangkan merekrut striker AC Milan Marco Borriello. Boriello bakal makin berkembang karena mendapat kesempatan masuk tim reguler karena Viola hanya memiliki tiga pemain depan, Alberto Gilardino, Adrian Mutu dan Stevan Jovatic. Pasalnya, mereka telah melego Giampaolo Pazzini dan Pablo Daniel Osvaldo. Menurut pelatih Fiorentina Cesare Prandelli timnya masih perlu menambah pemain depan karena mereka akan berlaga di kualifikasi Liga ! Champions, Agustus mendatang. Dan, Borriello bisa menutup kekurangan pemain depan Fiorentina. Apalagi, Borriello terancam tersingkir karena Milan berniat merekrut striker Edin Dzeko. Bila gagal menggaet striker Wolfsburg ini, Rossoneri kemungkinan membidik Emmanuel Adebayor. Karena itu, Fiorentina terus memantau Borriello. Mereka siap menampung bila triker yang tidak bisa tampil di sepanjang musim karena cedera ini kehilangan tempat di Milan. Hanya, Fiorentina tidak sekadar mengincar Borriello. Mereka juga mempertimbangkan Julio Cruz, David Suazo dan striker Torino Rolando Bianchi.
MILAN - Setelah berupaya mendekati Samuel Eto'o, Manchester City berupaya mengganggu rencana transfer Luis Fabiano dari Sevilla ke AC Milan. Menurut Sport, City sudah mengalihkan perhatian dari Eto'o kepada Fabiano. Tawaran Milan sebesar €18 juta akan ditandingi oleh City. Angka tersebut sebenarnya masih €2 juta lebih kecil daripada yang diinginkan Sevilla. City bersiap melontarkan tawaran €25 juta, sama seperti tawaran yang mereka ajukan untuk mendapatkan Eto'o. Selain itu, Fabiano diiming-imingi kontrak dengan nilai gaji yang besar. Meski Fabiano mengisyaratkan ! keinginan untuk pindah ke Milan melalui agennya, Sport meyakini, Robinho mampu membujuk rekan senegaranya untuk merapat ke Eastlands. Situasi ini akan terus merembet karena jika gagal mendapatkan Fabiano, Milan beralih untuk meneruskan minat mereka kepada Eto'o, meski harus menjalani proses negosiasi dengan Barcelona dari awal lagi.
MILAN - Penampilan yang cukup impesif dari Ronaldinho bersama Milan di ujicoba pra-musim masih belum mengubah pendirian Carlos Dunga untuk memanggilnya masuk ke timnas Brasil. Buktinya, dari 22 nama dalam daftar pemain yang dipersiapkan menghadapi Estonia di laga ujicoba Internasional akhir bulan ini, nama Ronaldinho tidak tercantum di dalamnya. Dengan demikian, Ronaldinho belum lagi tampil untuk timnas Brasil sejak Februari, di mana skuad Samba memetik kemenangan atas Italia di laga ujicoba. Selain Ronaldinho, dua! rekannya di Milan, Alexandre Pato dan Thiago Silva, juga tidak berada dalam daftar. Sementara Diego Tardelli adalah muka baru di skuad ini. Daftar pemain timnas Brasil:
Kiper: Julio Cesar (Inter), Gomes (Tottenham Hotspur)
Pemain Belakang: Andre Santos (Fenerbahce), Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Maicon (Inter), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Lucio (Inter), Luisao (Benfica), Miranda (Sao Paulo), Juan (AS Roma)
Pemain Tengah: Elano (Manchester City), Felipe Melo (Juventus), Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos), Josue (VfL Wolfsburg), Ramires (Benfica), Julio Baptista (AS Roma), Kaka (Real Madrid), Kleberson (Flamengo)
Pemain Depan: Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Nilmar (Segera bergabung ke Villarreal dari Internacional), Robinho (Manchester City), Diego Tardelli (Atletico Mineiro).
MADRID - Winger belia Royston Drenthe masuk dalam daftar pemain yang dijual Real Madrid. Manariknya, Drenthe ingin melanjutkan masa depannya di Santiago Bernabeu, kendati tidak masuk dalam daftar Los Galaticos jilid II. Bersamaan dengan pilihannya itu, Drenthe dipastikan hanya menjadi penonton di semua laga penting Madrid musim depan. Padahal, Milan sudah menyatakan tertarik dan ingin diduetkan dengan striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. "Madrid adalah keluarga saya. Saya ingin tinggal dan meman! faatkan setiap kesempatan," katanya kepada harian olahraga Spanyol, Marca seperti dilansir Goal, Jumat (14/8/2009). Presiden Real Madrid Florentino Perez sengaja membuang sembilan pemain karena kelebihan quota seperti diatur dalam La Liga. Maklum, Madrid menggelar belanja pemain besar-besaran musim ini. Nama bintang yang sudah mendarat ke Santiago Bernabeu adalah Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul Albiol, Karim Benzema dan Xabi Alonso.
MILAN - Kekalahan telak atas Inter Milan akan sulit dilupakan seluruh punggawa AC Milan. Tapi demi menjaga persaingan dengan seteru-seteru beratnya, Rossoneri harus bangkit secepat mungkin. Menjalani Derby Della Madoninna dengan bertindak sebagai tuan rumah, Milan justru dibuat tak berdaya dan dipaksa menelan kekalahan 0-4. Setelah hasil baik di pekan perdana, kekalahan tersebut membuat anak asuh Leonardo dianggap belum bermampu untuk bertarung menjadi Scudetto. Musim kompetisi yang masih panjan! g seharusnya bisa dimanfaatkan Milan untuk memperbaiki skuadnya demi memangkas ketertinggalan dibanding Inter. Rossoneri masih punya peluang untuk tetap jadi pesaiang asal mereka bisa cepat bangkit dan kembali meraih kemenangan demi kemenangan. "Sulit untuk melupakan kekalahan sebesar itu dalam laga derby. Tapi tim ini sangat kuat. Kami akan membicarakan soal pertandingan itu dan menganalisa kesalahan yang kami lakukan, setelah persiapan panjang yang kami lakukan untuk pertandingan ini," ungkap Thiago Silva di Goal. Dilanjutkan bek internasional Brasil itu, salah satu kunci Milan untuk bisa bangkit dari hasil buruk tersebut adalah dengan tidak panik. Bersikap tenang adalah cara terbaik yang bisa dilakukan. "Semua orang tahu kalau dalam situasi seperti ini Anda harus bersikap tenang. Sekarang kami masih harus bekerja keras terkait masalah taktik, tapi Leonardo adalah pelatih yang bagus, pungkas bek tengah itu.
MILAN - Entah atas dasar apa, AC Milan memainkan lagu soundtrack Liga Champions di kamar ganti pemain dalam kemenangan 1-0 atas Bologna. Milan gagal tampil maksimal di Serie A dalam beberapa musim terakhir, tetapi berhasil meraih gelar tertinggi klub Eropa ketujuh pada 2007, dan tampil cukup mengesankan saat menghajar Marseille 2-1 pada pertengahan pekan. Kepada wartawan, seperti dikutip Reuters, pelatih Leonardo mengungkapkan, "Untungnya kami punya lingkungan yang mengizinkan kami melakukan sesuatu." "Liga Champions dan Serie A adalah kompetis! i yg berbeda, tetapi hal yang penting bagi kami adalah mempertahankan permainan dan konsentrasi yang sama," kata Leonardo yang mungkin cukup puas dengan penampilan di Marseille.
MILAN - Apa yang harus dilakukan AC Milan untuk keluar dari keterpurukan yang dialami tim saat ini? Kuncinya terletak pada penampilan Ronaldinho dan Alexandre Pato. Hal itu diungkapkan bek muda Rossoneri asal Brasil, Thiago Silva. Bek 25 tahun itu percaya, kedua kompatriotnya mampu membawa Milan merangkak ke papan atas klasemen Serie A. Dengan syarat, Dinho dan Pato harus memperbaiki penampilan mereka saat ini. Sebagaimana diketahui, klub yang kini dibesut Leonardo Araujo memang gagal membukt! ikan kapasitasnya sebagai salah satu klub elit Eropa. Sepeninggal Carlo Ancelotti, Kaka, serta Paolo Maldini, Rossoneri seolah terjun bebas ke papan tengah klasemen. Saat ini Milan menempati peringkat ke-12 dengan koleksi nilai 9, hasil 2 kemenangan, 3 hasil imbang, dan 2 kekalahan. Cibiran dan cemooh tak pelak terlontar, bahkan dari kubu Milanisti. Leonardo kini memiliki beban berat untuk segera membawa perbaikan bagi Andrea Pirlo dkk. Menurut Silva, hal pertama yang harus dilakukan Leonardo adalah memastikan Dinho dan Pato bermain lebih baik pada laga-laga berikutnya. Jika keduanya mampu tampil apik, mantan punggawa Fluminense itu percaya, kemenangan akan segera menghampiri. Ronaldinho adalah pemain yang baik dan kami berteman di luar lapangan. Selalu menyenangkan bersamanya," puji Silva. "Kami tengah mengalami masa sulit. Tapi, jika Ronaldinho dan Pato tampil bagus, maka Milan akan kembali meraih kemenangan," cetusnya kepada situs resmi Milan, Sabtu (10/10/2009! ). Milan akan menjamu AS Roma pada lanjutan Serie A, 19 O! ktober m endatang. Silva yang sudah absen beberapa lama akibat cedera kabarnya bakal kembali diturunkan pada laga tersebut. "Saya merasa baik-baik saja dan siap menghadapi Roma, (ini semua) berkat bantuan para staf Milan," tuturnya. "Saya tidak sabar kembali. Kami harus benar-benar memanfaatkan keuntungan sebagai tuan rumah melawan Roma," pungkas Silva.
Torres, who admitted earlier this week he was not at his best so far this season, scored the winner for Liverpool against West Ham late on to earn his side all three points.
The Spaniard is determined to build on his performance at Upton Park and help Liverpool to success this season.
"I hope there will be many more goals," said Torres.
"I know when I'm working hard they will arrive so I have to keep working hard all the time for the team. "
Praise Torres also paid tribute to team-mate Ryan Babel for setting up his winner against The Hammers.
Babel came off the bench to provide the cross for Torres' headed winner 15 minutes from time
"Everyone knows Ryan is a fantastic player," added Torres.
"He played on the right wing and he gave me a fantastic cross which was easy for me to attack the ball and score. It is easy for a striker when the cross is as good as that.
"He is a player wi! th quality who can do things like this, so without Ryan I couldn't have scored. It's thanks to him I could score the goal to win it for us.
Pengadilan arbitrasi sepakbola menolak tawaran banding yang diajukan Striker Romania yang kini bermain di Fiorentina atas ganti rugi kepada mantan klubnya Chelsea sebesar 14.5 juta poundsterling. The Blues mengeluarkan pemain timnas Romania tersebut tahun 2005 setelah dinyatakan positif menggunakan kokain. "Pengadilan arbitrasi sepakbola menolak tawaran banding pemain timnas ! Romania, Adrian Mutu atas hukuman yang dijatuhkan FIFA Dispute Resolution chamber pada 7 mei 2008 silam yang mengharuskan dia membayar €17,173,990 sebagai kompensasi pelanggaran kesepakatan kontrak."
Uno dei grandi protagonisti della passata stagione della Fiorentina, Adrian Mutu, chiede un ritocco verso l'alto dell'ingaggio per restare in viola. L'attaccante rumeno ha ribadito più volte la sua felicità nel capoluogo toscano, ma evidentemente ha ricevuto una proposta difficilmente rifiutabile ed ora chiede ai dirigenti della società uno stipendio degno di un big di una grande squadra."Alessandro Moggi, l'agente di Adrian Mutu, mi ha chiesto un fortissimo aumento dell'ingaggio del romeno. A questo punto giro la richiesta alla proprietà perchè noi abbiamo il tetto degli ingaggi fissato a 1,5 milioni di euro netti l'anno e non possiamo sfonda! rlo. Mi rimetto alle decisioni della società", ha rivelato il ds Pantaleo Corvino a margine della presentazione alla stampa di De Melo. Mutu, che fino a poche ore fa sembrava incedibile, ora irrompe sul mercato: il prezzo del cartellino è di 25 milioni di euro, diverse le pretendenti, anche all'estero, su tutte il Bayern Monaco dell'ex gigliato Toni.
In studio M.Lestingi con i suoi ospiti per analizzare con servizi,approfondimenti , contenuti esclusivi e indiscrezioni tutte le trattative di mercato. I veri appassionati di calciomercato non possono mancare.
Per la Nazionale olimpica di calcio emozioni forti. A regalarle non è solo la vigila dei quarti contro il Belgio. Casiraghi e i suoi ragazzi sono infatti arrivati nella città olimpica e hanno visto per la prima volta il Villaggio atleti. E per gli azzurri si è aperto un mondo: ''Ora sì che siamo alle Olimpiadi'', dicono Montolivo e Mimmo Criscito. I Giochi ora hanno davvero contagiato tutti.
Montolivo pensa al Belgio, ma si è esaltato per aver incontrato al villaggio due suoi miti, i cestisti Gasol e Nowitzki.
Ci pensa Pierluigi Casiraghi, a mantenere la concentrazione sui q! uarti di finale: ''La squadra è pronta''. In ogni caso anche Casiraghi non riesce a fare a meno di sottolineare lo spririto olimpico che si respira a Pechino, capace di cancellare le diversità tra sport e sport, tra stelle e sconosciuti.
Anche Tommaso Rocchi, che avrebbe di che maledire, per l'infrazione subita alla testa del perone, è felice per l'esprienza che sta vivendo: ''Qui si vive all' interno del mondo dello sport: tutto parla di noi atleti, di medaglie, di storie. Quando si dice che l' olimpiade è un' esperienza unica, non è una frase fatta. E' una storia che ti segna la vita. Domenica torna a casa, ma quasi quasi cerco di tornare per la finale''.
E' l' augurio per la squadra che fa l' attaccante laziale, unico fuori quota del gruppo.
Un turbinio di emozioni che non deve allentare la tensione della partita: il Belgio è un avversario ostico. Ha battuto la Cina e la Nuova Zelanda, ha perso dal Brasile - in avvio - di torneo - ma solo! 1-0 e a 11 minuti dalla fine. ''Spero che la squadra riesca a! giocare come nelle prime due partite - dice Casiraghi. Se battiamo il Belgio siamo tra le prime quattro. Non mi parlate di sorteggio fortunato. Il Belgio vale le altre avversarie e poi noi italiani ci gasiamo quando l' avversario è più forte''.
Più esplicito Criscito. ''Il Belgio è molto tosto, ma noi vogliamo l' oro e abbiamo i mezzi per prendercelo''. E Montolivo ha scritto la ricetta: ''Dovremo essere aggressivi e cercare subito il gol. Il Belgio ha una grande organizzazione di gioco e questa e' la sua grande forza. Oro? A me basterebbe una medaglia. Sarebbe un' esperienza irripetibile''. Quasi come quella al Villaggio olimpico
LE PROBABILI FORMAZIONI Italia (4-3-2-1): Viviano, De Silvestri, Bocchetti, Criscito, De Ceglie, Cigarini, Montolivo, Nocerino, Rossi, Giovinco, Acquafresca. All.: Casiraghi. Belgio (3-5-2): Belly, De Roover, Vermaelen, Pocognoli, De Mul, Haroun, Mirellas, Vertonghen, Maertens, Simaeys, Dembele. All.: De Sart Arbitro: ! Baldassi
TUTTE LE SINTESI DEI QUARTI DI FINALI SARANNO DISPONIBILI DA QUESTA SERA SUL BLOG.
L'ingaggio di Maradona non è solo una mossa di marketing. Anzi. All'Inter sono convinti che l'ex Pibe de Oro possa essere utile alla causa nerazzurra, soprattutto sul fronte mercato. E la prima operazione riguarda, guarda caso, Sergio Aguero. L'attaccante dell'Atletico Madrid è il compagno della secondogenita di Diego, Giannina, in dolce attesa. Logico, dunque, che Maradona possa avere un rapporto privilegiato nel contatto tra Inter e il bomber.
El Kun" è da tempo nel mirino di Branca e compagni, tanto che la scorsa estate la società di via Durini si era presentata a Madrid con un assegno da 25 milioni di euro più il cartellino di Stankovic. L'Atletico aveva dalla sua parte una clausola rescissoria da 55 milioni e un contratto valido sino al 2012 e non se ne fece nulla.
Adesso, però, la posizione di Aguero, ventenne attaccante argentino, è molto più morbida, anche perché a fare da tramite tra lui e l'Inter si è messo un certo Maradona.
In ogni caso, Diego ha pronto un sostanzioso elenco di giocatori papabili per Mourinho. A partire da quell'Angel Di Maria del Benfica che è esploso all'Olimpiade cinese e che piace parecchio ai nerazzurri, pronti a investire su questo centrocampista argentino che potrebbe seguire le orme di tal Javier Zanetti.
Un campionato così imprevedibile e avvincente mancava da tanti anni in Italia.Ribaltoni dell'ultimo secondo e vere e proprie beffe rendono ancora più interessante un torneo,che almeno adesso,premia la squadra che merita meno sul piano del gioco e condanna quella che regala più spettacolo e più allegria. Ieri il Milan al Via del Mare,avrebbe meritato sicuramente più di un pari in virtù di quel gioco espresso e dalle azioni che ne sono derivate.Borriello è l'ariete che i rossoneri cercavano:bravo di testa e nel scardinare la difesa con la sua enorme forza fisica,risulta tuttavia troppo "impacciato"sotto rete.La nota positiva della serata è Ronaldinho.Il brasiliano alterna dei momenti di pausa a momenti di grande calcio e risulta sempre decisivo.E'lui l'arma in più di questo Milan.Da rivedere la coppia centrale di difesa :Bonera e Favalli non sono garanzia di sicurezza(ammoniti entrambi in 5'min) e sono sempre in balia di giocatori dinamici. Si as! pettano segnali di vita sulla terra da parte di Nesta e Senderos.
L'11^giornata è anche e soprattutto il sorpasso dell'Inter ai danni del Milan.Infatti,la squadra allenata da Josè Mourinho ha battuto con il risultato di 1-0l'Udinese,cortesia al 47' del secondo tempo del "cattivo"Cruz. L'evidente mancanza di identità e i limiti sul piano del gioco caratterizzano la domenica nerazzurra.Al termine della gara,ai microfoni della Rai e di Sky,Mourinho fugge via davanti alle domande su Mancini e risulta nervoso davanti ai critici. Si ha l'impressione che qualcosa stia cambiando nel progetto del ct:a Serie A live confessa ad Arrigo Sacchi di non sapere se riuscirà a mettere in atto il "suo" pensiero calcistico ed inoltre boccia Quaresma,sempre più oggetto misterioso,e richiama Adri. Qualcosa bolle in pentola.Qual'è la vera Inter?Lo sapremo al termine del terribile ciclo Palermo-Juventus-Napoli. Del Piero è la Juve.La Juve è Del Piero. Il bianconero è s! empre più inarrestabile e questo suo stato di grazia si riflet! te sulla squadra(6 vittorie consecutive e qualificazione in Champions). Gli scienzati di tutto il mondo stanno cercando di interpretare il "genio" delle sue punizioni:quella palla non gira semplicemente su sè stessa,ma regge la traiettoria e resta bassa. Bella Napoli!Vittoria di prestigio sulla Sampdoria che riporta i partenopei al secondo posto in classifica,gomito a gomito con i rivali rossoneri. Gila e Milito trascinano rispettivamente Fiorentina e Genoa e il miracolo di Zenga prosegue. Grande Lazio.Zarate diventa sempre più un mito per la curva nord ed inoltre ritorna Rocchi(2 gol). Il 3-0 sul Siena non fa effetto quanto i 14 punti di differenza tra biancocelesti e giallorossi e siamo appena entrati nella settimana del derby,la partita che a Roma vale una stagione.
Si profila una grande opportunità di mercato per i top club europei, tra cui ovviamente quelli italiani. Theo Walcott, ala classe '89 dell'Arsenal, potrebbe svincolarsi grazie all'articolo 17 della Fifa e sarebbe acquistabile con la spesa di meno di 400.000 sterline. Si tratterebbe infatti di un semplice indennizzo corrisposto ai Gunners, che al momento hanno il giocatore sotto contratto sino all'estate 2010. Inter, Juve e Milan sono sull'attenti.
La normativa della Fifa prevede che un giocatore con età inferiore ai 28 anni possa s! vincolarsi solamente tre anni dopo la sua firma del contratto con il club. L'accordo tra Walcott e l'Arsenal risale al gennaio 2006 e questo rende libero il gioiello della Nazionale di Fabio Capello di poter pensare a un trasferimento.
Il malcontento del giocatore nasce dal suo stipendio di 20.000 sterline settimanali, il più basso tra i big dell'Arsenal, e dalle trattative per il rinnovo contrattuale che fin qui non hanno dato esito. Arsene Wenger dovrà stare quindi molto attento, perchè una società che presentasse a Walcott un'offerta importante potrebbe soffiargli uno dei suoi giovani più promettenti.
Inter, Milan e Juventus sono in prima fila, ma le grandi insidie vengono ovviamente dalla Spagna, con Real Madrid e Barcellona pronte a realizzare l'affare.
Qualche tempo fa Totti confessò che di fronte a una chiamata di Lippi in vista dei Mondiali 2010 non avrebbe detto 'no'. Ora è lo stesso ct della Nazionale ad aprire uno spiraglio al ritorno in maglia azzurra del capitano della Roma proprio in occasione della rassegna sudafricana: "Totti? Prima di privarmi del carisma e dell'esperienza di certi fuoriclasse ci penserò bene. Non farò le convocazioni pensando a un debito di riconoscenza".
Il ritorno in Nazionale di Francesco Totti, che disse addio all'azzurro dopo il trionfo di Berlino,! non è dunque soltanto un'ipotesi suggestiva. Marcello Lippi infatti ci sta pensando o comunque ci penserà alla luce dei Mondiali 2010: "Prima di privarmi del carisma e dell'esperienza di certi fuoriclasse ci penserò bene - ha detto in un'intervista al Corriere della sera magazine - Non farò le convocazioni pensando a un debito di riconoscenza".
Sull'amichevole con il Brasile, a poche ore dalla sfida di Londra: "Mi servirà per capire come stanno crescendo i nuovi e che spirito hanno ancora i campioni del mondo. Bisogna considerare, però, che questa sfida arriva sei mesi dopo il mio ritorno, mentre le partite con Germania e Olanda, le amichevoli di prestigio della mia precedente gestione che ci hanno fatto capire quali potevano essere le nostre prospettive, le giocammo dopo più o meno un anno e mezzo".
Uno, addirittura, sarebbe stato timidamente già avvicinato. Si chiama Julio Cruz e alla sua porta ha bussato il Milan, che, sottotraccia, sta vagliando il mercato alla ricerca di punte. Perchè dietro Pato e l'highlander Inzaghi, c'è il rischio di un vuoto determinato dall'incognita-Borriello e dal flop di Shevchenko. Si pensa, dunque, all'eventualità di prendere un attaccante esperto, di grande curriculum: sulla lista c'è anche David Trezeguet
Da tempi non sospetti il bomber di casa Juve è stimatissimo dai dirigenti del Milan (massim! e Silvio Berlusconi), attenti a tendere l'orecchio verso Torino per capire come si sta evolvendo la crisi fragorosamente esplosa sette giorni fa tra giocatore, Ranieri e società. Certo, l'eventuale corteggiamento nei confronti di Trezegol sarebbe una questione di portafoglio, oltre che di cuore: l'attaccante è sotto contratto con Corso Galileo Ferraris fino al 2011 e, se mai decidesse di disfarsi del suo ribelle più amato, Madama non sarebbe incline ai saldi, nemmeno per uno che il 15 ottobre prossimo giungerà alla boa dei 32 anni, assai importante per un giocatore.
Una storia che invece non toccherebbe i soldi (se non quelli, va da sé, dell'ingaggio) è quella che coinvolge Julio Cruz, che sembra avere definitivamente perso la battaglia del rinnovo con l'Inter. Moratti si è arreso, ha vinto Mourinho e al Giardiniere più prolifico del mondo del pallone non resta che fare le valigie. I primi indizi sul suo futuro stanno portando all'estero: il Monaco si è già fatto! sotto con proposte concrete. Ma un'altra chiamata, qualche te! mpo fa, è già arrivata e proveniva dal distretto telefonico di Milano. Il Diavolo, oltre ad avere verificato più volte sulla sua pelle il valore dell'argentino, porta sempre con sé il ricordo di tante felici operazioni compiute con i "divorziati" dell'altra parte del Naviglio, da Pirlo a Seedorf, da Brocchi a Favalli. Arrivato, quest'ultimo, a parametro zero e utile alla causa a tal punto da essere ancora in corsa, a 37 anni, per un prolungamento di un ulteriore anno. Al Milan va così.
MINSK - Un pareggio rocambolesco e una bruttissima Juve per mezz'ora, una Juve che è andata sotto di due gol, dimostrando che le perplessità destate nelle ultime due giornate di campionato non erano frutto di casualità: centrocampo in difficoltà, difesa perforabile, attacco inconsistente. E senza Buffon la differenza si vede, eccome.
Sotto di due gol, i bianconeri hanno reagito alla grande e la "formica atomica" Giovinco ha offerto due palle deliziose ! a Iaquinta che, con una doppietta, ha cambiato il volto della partita. La Juve nel finale avrebbe potuto addirittura vincerla. Ranieri ha inserito Giovinco sulla destra, accentrando Camoranesi (poi Marchisio) inizialmente in mezzo al campo. In difesa De Ceglie preferito a Molinaro.
La Juventus ha dormito per circa 25', prendendo due gol e collezionando degli errori difensivi incredibili. Ciò che poi non si è capito è stato il difetto di comunicazione fra giocatori e Ranieri per gli evidenti problemi fisici di Le Grottaglie che (inascoltato) ha chiesto il cambio. Così - dopo alcuni pericoli corsi dalla difesa bianconera - l'impossibilità di intervenire del centrale, ha portato al gol del vantaggio dei bielorussi al 15': Kryvets ha ricevuto da Liktharovic, ha colto in contropiede Chiellini che non è riuscito a bloccare il veloce avversario che ha infilato la coppia centrale bianconera, ha dribblato Manninger e ha messo nella rete incu! stodita.
Knezevic ha! sostitu ito Legrottaglie, ma nel giro di pochi minuti il Bate ha raddoppiato: traversone da sinistra di Nekhaychik, Nedved (sulla destra) si fa superare, Manninger (in difficoltà in diverse circostanze) non esce e Stasevich insacca di testa. Un disastro, la Juventus.
Il centrocampo juventino, con un Giovinco abile solo in fase offensiva, ha sofferto molto. Ma l'infernale ritmo dei bielorussi, sul 2-0, si è abbassato. Una gran punizione di Del Piero (29') è stata deviata da Veremiko molto bene, poi Giovinco da destra ha trovato la testa di Iaquinta, abile a bucare il portiere del Bate. ! La partita è cambiata: prima Camoranesi ha offerto a Iaquinta una bella palla (parata) ma l'attaccante era in offside. Poi Giovinco ha servito Nedved che di sinistro ha costretto alla respinta Veremko e poi Del Piero ha tirato alto. In pieno recupero, un altro bell'assist di Giovinco in profondità per Iaquinta sulla sinistra: l'attaccante ha infilato il portiere bielorusso fra le gambe rasoterra. Dopo un brutto inizio la Juve ha raddrizzato la partita.
Ranieri ha sostituito nell'intervallo Camoranesi con Marchisio. Meglio la Juve nella ripresa, ma la difesa ha concesso alcune palle pericolose ai bielorussi: una a Nekhaychic al 9', ma il tiro è stato ignobile. Poco dopo Volodko di testa ha messo di poco a lato. Anche la Juve ha avuto una palla gol al 16' con Del Piero, che ha toccato di poco fuori. Un tiro pure per Sissoko, deviato, mentre Del Piero (in due circostanze) e Neved hanno creato alcune situazioni pericolose. Insomma i bianconeri ! hanno ce rcato di vincere la partita, ma ha concesso spazi agli avversari che avrebbero potuto approfittarne meglio. E tuttavia il finale è stato loro: un'occasione di testa per Nedved (fuori), per Amauri in mischia (stoppato), per Chiellini (rovesciata), ma gol non ce ne sono stati più e per la Juventus sono stati due punti persi.
Pubblicato da Gennaro Alessio D'Angelo - REDAZIONE F.C. JUVENTUS
Claudio Ranieri is expected to be unveiled as the new coach of Roma this week. The former Juventus and Chelsea tactician will replace Luciano Spalletti, who resigned earlier today. The Rome-born Ranieri is set to sign a two-year deal with the Eternal City outfit and will take charge for the first time at Siena on September 13. "An agreement has been reached," said Ranieri's agent, Mattia Grassani, to the Italian media. "Ranieri will sign a two-year contract with Roma tomorrow before being unveiled to the media." Ranieri started his playing career at Roma and is delight! ed to have been offered the chance to guide the Giallorossi. "This is a great satisfaction for me," he said. "This is a dream come true as I follow a professional journey that began many years ago. "I am honoured and convinced I will be able to do and give the best for Roma." Roma lie at the foot of the Serie A standings after starting the new season with back-to-back defeats. The Giallorossi lost 3-2 at Genoa before suffering a 3-1 defeat to Juve on Sunday at the Stadio Olimpico. Spalletti resigned this morning after holding talks with club president Rosella Sensi. "I offered my resignation and the club has accepted it," said Spalletti. Ranieri, who was sacked by Juve just five months ago, has plenty of experience in Italy's top flight having guided Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina and Parma in his coaching career. Former Roma coach Carlo Mazzone believes Ranieri is the ideal man for the job. "I used to coach Ranieri at Catanzaro an! d I know him very well," he said. "I told him once that as a R! oman he should have guided AS Roma. "He is the right man for Roma, he has the experience to help the team get back to winning ways." The 57-year-old Ranieri will have a challenge on his hands to bring the good times back to Roma. Under Spalletti, Roma won two Coppa Italia titles (2007, 2008) and an Italian Supercup (2008), as well as finishing runners-up three times in Serie A behind champions Inter Milan. However, Roma fans were left frustrated with the club's failure to make any big-name signings over the summer. Defenders Nicolas Burdisso from Inter Milan and Marco Motta from Udinese were the team's most notable arrivals.
The Champions League 2009/2010 has reached the 2nd matchday of the group stage. For the Italians Inter and Juventus drew, Fiorentina won at home against Liverpool while Milan lose at San Siro against Zurich.
MILAN - On the days of Tuesday 29 September and Wednesday 30 September the matches of the 2nd matchday of the group stage of the Champions League 2009/2010 were played. Here's how it went:
Tuesday 29 September 2009 - 20.45
Grou! p
Match
Result
E
Fiorentina-Liverpool
2-0
E
Debrecen-Lyon
0-4
F
Rubin-Inter
1-1
F
Barcelona-Dinamo Kiev
2-0
G
Unirea Urziceni-Stuttgart
1-1
G
Rangers-Sevilla
1-4
H
Arsenal-Olympiacos
2! -0
H
AZ Alkmaar-Standard Luik
1-1
HERE ARE THE STANDINGS OF THE GROUPS
GROUP E: Lyon 6, Fiorentina, Liverpool 3, Debrecen 0
GROUP F: Barcelona 4, Dinamo Kiev 3, Inter 2, Rubin 1
GROUP G: Sevilla 6, Stuttgart 2, Rangers, Unirea Urziceni 1
GROUP H: Arsenal 6, Olympiacos 3, AZ Alkmaar, Standard Luik 1
Ryan Babel has denied ever saying he was unhappy at Liverpool and insists he will stay to fight for his first-team place at Anfield.
It had been reported that, while on international duty with Holland, Babel had told reporters he was unhappy with life in Liverpool and wanted to m But the Dutch striker stongly denies this and said: 'I didn't say any of those things.
'I did an interview in Holland and I don't know who in England got hold of it but it was the worst trans! lation I have ever seen.
'It was like that when I was at Ajax and that isn't a problem for me. I didn't accuse the manager of anything. 'I heard about what was being reported when I was away with Holland. 'When I got back to Liverpool I went straight to the manager and told him it wasn't true. 'He accepted that and there is no problem. Now I just want to concentrate on playing.
'If I keep working hard then hopefully I can get some more minutes and in the end get a place back in the starting line-up.'
City are mounting a serious challenge to the Premier League's established elite and their new-look, star-studded squad has made a 100 per cent start to the new season.
Eastlands boss Mark Hughes has been given unprecedented funds which are the envy of his rival managers, but Hicks feels City's super-rich Middle East owners will be forced to tighten the purse strings.
"It's not sustainable at City, they won't continue to invest like that as it doesn't make good economic sense," Hicks said.
"Hopefully they will make the improvements they need to make and then run it more like a business. The smart clubs operate for the long term and you must look at who have had success for many years."
The Anfield outfit's American supremo, who recently saw the club's coffers bolstered with a ?0million-a-year shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered Bank, is keen to balance on-field success with off-field prudence.
Commitment "! You have to look at cash flow rather than accounting and we intend to operate Liverpool where it has a very strong positive cash flow so we have the resources to be as competitive as possible on the pitch. That's our commitment," Hicks added.
"We had strong, positive cash flows last year. Our debt levels are at a very comfortable level and we are going to continue bringing it down.
"Our goal is to have less debt than any of the top clubs and that's a commitment we have made and will continue to make."
Hicks expects manager Rafa Benitez to be requesting funds from the recent sponsorship deal to improve his squad in the January transfer window and hopes further investment into the club will enable the board to approve further spending.
"Knowing Rafa Benitez, I suspect he's got his eye on part of it," he said.
"As we build our revenues it gives the ability to be more competitive on the pitch and this is a very important o! ne, but we think we have other opportunities in the future as ! well."
Vermaelen (left) was impressive both in defence and attack for Arsenal
! Arsenal produced a scintillating opening-day display to hammer a woefully out-of-sorts Everton.
Denilson fired Arsenal ahead with a curling 25-yard strike before new signing Thomas Vermaelen doubled their lead with a header from a free-kick.
William Gallas headed the third before two Cesc Fabregas goals made it 5-0.
Gunners substitute Eduardo was on hand to tap in a late sixth before Louis Saha rolled in the most inconsequential of goals for Everton in injury time.
In the aftermath of this defeat for Everton, questions will inevitably be asked about the mindset of Toffees centre-back Joleon Lescott, who has made it clear he would like to join Manchester City and here formed one-quarter of a very poor home backline.
There will be no need for such soul-searching at Arsenal though as they produced a stunning display of incisive, fluent counter-attacking football to ! equal the biggest opening-day victory in Premier League histor! y.
< p>For the first 25 minutes the hosts matched their visitors as the presence of 10 midfield players on the pitch, led to shared possession in a congested central third.
In pre-season, Nicklas Bendtner doubled his shirt number but in being asked to play an unfamiliar role as one-fifth of Arsenal's midfield quintet his usual work-rate was similarly increased, and it was he who fashioned the chance from which his team opened the scoring.
The tall Dane brought the ball down and fed Fabregas, who in turn found Denilson 25 yards out and his first-time shot curled away from Tim Howard's despairing dive and found the top left-hand corner.
Wenger delighted after Arsenal rout
Denilson proved equally useful at the other end minutes later when Marouane Fellaini muscled himself some room in a crowded penalty area to allow him to head Leighton Baines's right-wing corner goalwards but the Brazilian was well-placed on the line to punt clear.
It was to be a costly miss for the home side for in Arsenal's next attack Robin van Persie swung a right-wing free-kick to the far post where Vermaelen had found space round the back to double the visitors' lead with a header into the far corner.
It was a harsh lesson, but one Everton failed to heed for barely five minutes later another Van Persie free-kick, this time from the left, f! ound Gallas unmarked in front of goal and with the simplest task to glance his header in.
Any fight David Moyes may have drummed up in his side at half-time was knocked out of them two minutes into the second half as Van Persie fed Fabregas through on goal and his shot found its way under the onrushing Howard and into the net.
The Spanish midfielder - the creative force at Arsenal's heart - showed just why he is so coveted by European champions Barcelona when he scampered through and struck a low drive into the bottom left corner for his second and the Gunners' fifth.
Eduardo, making his Premier League return after his lengthy absence through injury as a late substitute, got himself in on the act when he found himself in the right place to tap in a simple sixth for the Gunners.
Andrey Arshavin's toe-poke had struck a post and fallen at the Croatian's feet leaving the easiest of finishes.
Everton introduced Saha in an attempt to register a presence on the scoreline, and while the French forward did indeed side-foot in a goal after Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia had parried a shot from Steven Pienaar, it was far too late to garner any respectability for the home si! de.
Everton manager David Moyes:
"Yo! u deal w ith it and you move on so we'll look it at it and try to do better next time.
"We have to pick ourselves up quickly.
"There's no positives you can take out. We didn't play well today and we have to take the blame.
"We've had pre-season problems but mainly because we haven't been able to get players playing."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger:
"You have to accept that one game is only one game, what is important is that we have the desire and believe in our qualities.
"Everybody in our team can score goals and everybody likes to go forward so when things go for us like today, anyone can score.
"The Champions League (against Celtic on Tuesday) is a big game for us and we know we need a positive performance."
