Golaccio! – Page 16 – The crazy world of Football!

SLUGGISH START

Paris St Germain have made a poor start to the new campaign. They have already lost a lot of ground domain title rivals Monaco this season.

This is despite bringing in a big-money names once again in the summer. French football has seen the arrival of two great strikers in the form of Radamel Falcao and Edinson Cavani. Falcao moved to Monaco, while Edinson Cavani was a £ 55 million signing for PSG. Despite such additions, PSG have struggled under the new management of Laurent Blanc. He took over the club only in the summer to replace Carlo Ancelotti, who left for Real Madrid.

Paris St Germain have made a poor start to the new campaign. They have already lost a lot of ground domain title rivals Monaco this season.

However, there have been signs in recent weeks that he PSG are slowly finding their feet under the new manager. They have been able to score more goals and secure a lot of points in the last few weeks than at the start of the campaign. Unlike in the league campaign, they made a good start to the Champions league season by winning 4-1 against Greek club Olympiakos in the group stages. Cavani was on the scoresheet in this match, while the likes of Marquinhos and Thiago Motta also scored to give the French giants a comfortable victory.

After the match, Blanc praised his players for putting in a great performance.

“The first half we were a little sluggish, because we had problems with positioning on the left side. Olympiacos also had a lot of energy to press us and caused us problems by creating opportunities and corners. Nevertheless, we opened the scoring, but we did not hold it long enough to settle in the game. The second half was much better, positioning was better. I also sincerely believe that the pace of Olympiacos fell because in the first half, they were very aggressive,” said Laurent Blanc.

PSG SNAP UP CAVANI

After months of speculation, PSG have finally managed to secure the signing of Napoli striker Edinson Cavani. The Uruguay striker has been linked with almost every major club across the world. PSG, Real Madrid, and Chelsea were thought to be in the hunt for his services.

Napoli had placed a £ 53 million price on his signature, which was the main reason behind the deal taking a long time to complete. Many clubs including Manchester city and PSG were not prepared to pay the fee due to the UEFA financial fair play regulations. However, PSG have finally got the player after agreeing to pay £ 53 million for his services.

This is the second major move of a player to the French league after the arrival of Radamel Falcao only a few weeks ago to Monaco. Falcao is expected to have cost around £ 50 million, which is only a shade lower than the amount paid by PSG for Cavani. The 26-year-old has been one of the best strikers in Europe over the last few years. He recently helped Napoli finish second in the table just behind Juventus. After winning the league title only last season, PSG will be looking to push on in European competitions under the regime of Laurent Blanc.

“The transfer of Edinson Cavani is further proof of the club’s ability to attract the best players in the world. The player was seduced by the club’s sporting project and is delighted to be joining an ambitious side, impatient to take on new challenges. We are especially happy to present such a hugely coveted player of immense talent to our supporters,” said PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. PSG needed to make a statement once again after losing manager Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid. The appointed former Bordeaux manager Laurent Blanc as his replacement.

CAVANI WANTS SPAIN MOVE

Napoli striker Edinson Cavani, who has been linked with several clubs across Europe, has stated that he would like to play in Spain. This has alerted the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Chelsea and Manchester City were thought to have a keen interest in the striker, who has proven in the last few years that he is one of the best in the business. The 26-year-old Uruguay star is widely expected to leave Napoli at the end of the season. The Italian club recently lost their manager Walter Mazzarri, who was instrumental in the success that the club has had in the last four years.

Napoli striker Edinson Cavani, who has been linked with several clubs across Europe, has stated that he would like to play in Spain. This has alerted the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The departure of Cavani, who is loved a lot by the Napoli fans, could signal an end of the era at the club. Napoli recently announced that Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez will be replacing Mazzarri at the club. The arrival of the Spaniard is unlikely to prevent the departure of Cavani, who has been valued by the club in excess of £ 45 million. The 26-year-old finished as the top scorer in the Italian Serie A last season. Cavani is currently looking to help Uruguay win the Confederations cup and also qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

“When we are little we always dream, and the first teams that come into your head are those on the world stage, for their marketing, their image, their publiCity. That makes you dream about how nice it would be to play for Real Madrid, to play for Barcelona. It is all an unknown and nobody knows. When the moment comes we will see. As long as there is nothing signed, there is nothing done. All the talk does not concern me nor distract me. Only God knows what might happen,” said Cavani after the season concluded in Italy.

FRIEDEL BACKS AVB

The American goalkeeper Brad Friedel has said that he believes that the manager Andre Villas-Boas is the main reason behind Tottenham’s good run of form in recent months.

After a tough start to his Tottenham career, Villas-Boas have been able to reap the rewards in recent months. His Tottenham team have currently being one of the inform teams in the Premier league, while they have managed to extend their lead over the archrivals Arsenal in the process. The club are currently fourth in the Premier league and in with a real shout to finish in the Champions league group stages next season.

The American goalkeeper Brad Friedel has said that he believes that the manager Andre Villas-Boas is the main reason behind Tottenham’s good run of form in recent months.

Tottenham recently managed to secure their third consecutive victory in the form of the 3-2 win over London rivals West Ham. Gareth Bale scored a late winner against West Ham to keep the good run of form going, while the club have also been dominant in Europa league as well. They are looking to favourites to progress into the next round of the Europa league after comfortably beating Lyon in the first leg. Friedel has praised the relationship that Villas-Boas has with his players, while also commenting on his training methods as well. He has pointed out to the several late goals scored by the team as a sign of superior fitness.

“There’s a great team spirit here. People saw the celebrations against West Ham. AVB got quite a lot of stick earlier on in the season but there were never any problems within the changing rooms. The spirit is really good. He’s got a really good relationship with all of the players. They want to do well for him, for the club and for each other. You can see by the amount of late goals we’ve score recently that we’re not going to stop trying for him. It’s a really good place to be right now,” said Friedel.

NAPOLI NET WIN

Napoli has defeated AS Roma in a Serie A match played at Stadio San Paolo on Monday. Napoli won the match by a profound margin of 4-1. This was the 12th victory for Napoli in the ongoing Serie A league. With the help of this win, Napoli has moved up to no. 3 in the points table with 37 points in 19 matches.

On the other hand, this was the 7th defeat for Roma in the competition. Despite this defeat, Roma’s position in the points table didn’t change. Roma is still at no. 6 in the points table with 32 points in 19 matches.

Edinson Cavani was the stand out performer for Napoli in the match against Roma. The Uruguayan striker was in fantastic form in Monday’s match and he scored three out of the four goals scored by the Napoli team.

Cavani’s hat trick was a bit special. He scored one goal with his right foot, one with his left foot and the third one with his head. So, he scored a perfect hat trick.
With these three goals, Cavani has now become the leading goal scorer in the ongoing Italian Serie A League. He has featured for Napoli in 16 matches in the league so far and has scored 16 goals. Stephan El Shaarawy is at no. 2 with 14 goals.

In the post match press conference, Cavani looked ecstatic. When asked about his performance in the match, he said, “It was one of those days when everything went right for me. I hardly made a mistake. It’s certainly a memorable match for me.”

The manager of Napoli, Walter Mazzarri, also hailed Cavani. Mazzarri said, “It was simply a great performance by Cavani. He looked absolutely unstoppable today and won the match single handedly for us.”

CAVILIERI SET TO START

The Brazilian national team manager Mano Menezes has said that the former Liverpool goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri will be making his first start for the national team in the match against Argentina on Wednesday.

Brazil will be taking on Argentina on Wednesday as part of the Superclassic of the Americas competition, and this match will be the deciding encounter. The 29-year-old Diego Cavalieri has been in superb form over the last two seasons, which have led to this Brazilian call-up according to the manager. Diego Cavalieri has been instrumental in helping the Brazilian team Fluminense secure the Brazilian championship title this season.

This is the second title that the club has won in the last three seasons, and the form of the 29-year-old has not gone unnoticed. He has been by far the best goalkeeper in the Brazilian Championship due to his experiences of playing in Europe with Liverpool. His inclusion into the starting lineup means that the Botafogo goalkeeper Jefferson will have to be happy with a place on the bench. He was the captain of the national team in the recent 2-1 win over Argentina earlier in September. The goalkeeper has now said that this match could be the biggest of his career so far.
“It’s going to be Diego Cavalieri,” said the Brazilian manager Menezes ahead of the match.

“I believe that everything happens at the right time. You have to work hard and keep focused for opportunities to arise. I am aware of the responsibility I have been given and I’m ready to take on the challenge,” said the 29-year-old former Liverpool goalkeeper about the possibility of representing the Brazilian national team. This match will be extremely important for Brazil, as Argentina are one of the few strong teams they will be facing leading up to the World Cup.

ROSSI BACKS NAPOLI

The former Lazio and Lecce boss Delio Rossi has said that the Italian Serie A title this season will be fought between Juventus and Napoli because they are the two strong teams in the division.

Delio Rossi has said that both the Milan clubs will be suffering from a number of changes made during the summer transfer window. While AC Milan have lost a number of high-profile and regular first-team players over the summer, Inter Milan have been extremely prudent in making many good quality signings. Even then, they are in the transitional phase according to the former Lazio manager Delio Rossi.

As a result, he has said that Napoli and Juventus will be the two main favourites to win the title this season. He has praised the squads and tactics of both these clubs by saying that they offer a brilliant combination of all other clubs. Napoli recently managed a major coup by being able to get the star striker Edinson Cavani sign a new deal with the club. As a result, it is expected that he will stay at the club at least for one season before activating his € 60 million release clause.

“The two most complete teams I have seen are Juventus and Napoli. They both followed a strict philosophy. Napoli took a certain type of young player, and that will come in handy not only now but also in the future. Juventus have always targeted players who are already ‘built’. Fiorentina did the only thing they could do – initiate a total revolution. Roma have also recruited well,” Rossi said. Both Napoli and Juventus have made a great start to the season after winning the opening two matches. Juventus are top of the table by virtue of having scored one goal more than Napoli.

CAVANI CLOSE TO NEW DEAL

There have been reports claiming that the Napoli striker Edinson Cavani is close to signing a new deal with the club that will see the release clause in his contract rise to € 60 million.

The Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani is one of the most wanted players in world football after clubs like Manchester city and Chelsea have been after him. However, Napoli have been able to resist the chances of the Premier league and the Spanish clubs. Edinson Cavani was one of the main reasons for the club doing well in the Champions League last season.

There have been reports claiming that the Napoli striker Edinson Cavani is close to signing a new deal with the club that will see the release clause in his contract rise to € 60 million.

Even though they are not in the European competition this time around, it has not prevented Napoli from being able to sign the star striker on a long-term deal. It has been rumoured that Napoli were willing to double the wages of the striker. As result of this new deal, it is highly unlikely that Napoli will be seeing the back of Cavani in this transfer window. Chelsea have been heavily linked with a move for the striker especially after having lost Didier Drogba in the summer. The Premier league club only have Daniel Sturridge and Fernando Torres as the two strikers.

Even though they have also been interested in a number of other strikers, Cavani was thought to be at the top of the list. Napoli were demanding around £ 35 million for the striker, but Chelsea were not looking to pay more than £ 28 million. As a result of not matching the transfer fee, the Premier league club were unable to sign the striker. Even Manchester city with all their financial muscle were unable to afford the striker and his extraordinary wages. “We want a striker in the style of Edinson Cavani or [Fernando] Llorente, who are our primary targets along with Edin Dzeko,” said a Juventus official last week.

CAVANI IN CONTRACT TALKS

Chelsea have begun the negotiations with the Italian club Napoli over the potential sale of the striker Edinson Cavani, who has become a hot property in world football in the last few years. Edinson Cavani was one of the main reasons for Napoli’s extraordinary success in recent seasons in both domestic football and in European football.

Despite being a relatively small club, Napoli made it into the last 16 of the Champions League last season. Since then, there has been a lot of talk surrounding Edinson Cavani leaving the Italian club, with Chelsea being extremely interested in the Uruguay international.

Even though Cavani did not enjoy the best of forms at the London 2012, in which Uruguay were knockout at a much earlier stage, his transfer value has not decreased a little bit. Napoli are extremely strong on their valuation of £ 35 million for the striker, which has made the interested parties think a little bit regarding the completing of the deal. However, Chelsea are extremely desperate to bring in other striker before the end of the transfer window. Fernando Torres is the only recognised main striker at the club following the departure of Didier Drogba in the summer.

Chelsea tried to complete the signing of the Brazil international Hulk in the summer transfer window, but they were put off by the £ 38 million demands by the Portuguese club FC Porto for his signing. Edinson Cavani might not cost the same amount of money, but he is not going to be cheap either. The Uruguay international still has a long-term deal with the Italian club, which has put them in a strong position when it comes to negotiating the transfer fee. So far, Chelsea have spent close to £ 70 million in revamping the squad in the summer.

MANCINI CHOOSES ROBIN

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has hinted that the club would not be making a move for Napoli striker Edinson Cavani after the excessive demands by the Italian club.

He has said that Arsenal striker Robin van Persie is a much more suitable target for the club given that his transfer fee would be relatively low. It has been a shift in the transfer policy for Manchester City after winning their first major title in form of the Premier league.

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has hinted that the club would not be making a move for Napoli striker Edinson Cavani after the excessive demands by the Italian club.

They believe that they need not pay over the odds to bring in the best quality players. As a result, they are not added to pay more than £ 15 million for Robin van Persie.

This figure would nowhere be closer to the valuation of Edinson Cavani by his club Napoli. It is thought that the Uruguay ace is being valued at close to € 70 million by the Italian club. As a result, even the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea would be priced out of a move for the Uruguay international. Even though Roberto Mancini is a big admirer of Edinson Cavani, he has all but ruled out a possible move for the Uruguay striker.

“Who would I choose between Van Persie and Cavani? The Dutchman is a champion, while the Uruguayan has everything and I wanted to take him to Inter Milan when he played at Palermo. But to take him at the current price is impossible and Van Persie is a different matter altogether. Chiellini? I thought about him last year, not now. There are many other options. Thiago Silva? AC Milan will not sell him. Kolarov? I would like to keep him even though he didn’t play that much in the last few months and that is a difficult situation for him to accept,” Mancini said.