The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Ferdinand recalled to England squad Posted: 14 Mar 2013 08:52 AM PDT
Ferdinand, capped 81 times, has not featured for England since June 2011, and was snubbed for the Euro 2012 finals in what Hodgson described as a "footballing decision". John Terry's retirement from international football has left England short of pedigree in the central defensive areas, leading to his recall. Critics suggested the original reason Ferdinand was omitted from the Euro 2012 squad was because of tensions with Terry, who was involved in a racism row with Ferdinand's brother Anton. Tottenham Hotspur's central defender Michael Dawson has also been included in the squad while there is a return for former Manchester United keeper Ben Foster after his recent decision to make himself available for his country again. Squad: Goalkeepers: Ben Foster , Joe Hart, Fraser Forster. Defenders: Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Michael Dawson, Rio Ferdinand , Glen Johnson, Chris Smalling, Kyle Walker. Midfielders: Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Leon Osman, Scott Parker, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Ashley Young. Forwards: Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Daniel Welbeck. — Reuters |
| Bayern shaken by wake-up call in final stretch of season Posted: 14 Mar 2013 02:48 AM PDT  Bayern Munich got a wake up call after being beaten by Arsenal, 2-0. — Reuters picMUNICH, March 14 — Bayern Munich players received a stern warning from club boss Uli Hoeness on Thursday to heed the rude wake-up call after they were roundly beaten 2-0 by Arsenal in the Champions League but managed to scrape through to the last eight. The Bavarians, runaway leaders in the Bundesliga and favourites to lift the German Cup, played arguably their worst game of the season in front of a home crowd and toyed with elimination as the Gunners unsuccessfully tried to overtun the 3-1 deficit from the first leg in London. "We have been playing disastrous football in the last three weeks," Hoeness told reporters. "If the team draws the right conclusions from this game then it is still five minutes to 12. But we will not be able to win anything in the Champions League playing like that." "If we keep on playing like we did against Arsenal then we will not beat anyone." At first glance Hoeness' anger may look out of place for a team challenging for three trophies, having conceded just 10 goals in 25 Bundesliga games and having carved out a huge 20-point lead at the top with only one league defeat. But a closer look at their Champions League performance this season reveals they have been far less effective there. As opposed to the Bundesliga, Bayern have kept only one clean sheet in the Champions League so far while also losing twice as many matches than in the league. While the Champions League is obviously a tougher competition, the Bavarians have had a relatively easy ride in the group stage. The faced teams such as BATE Borisov - to whom they lost - and Lille, neither a European heavyweight. Wednesday's game was also the first of 37 matches in all competitions where Bayern failed to score. "We must be glad to have made it through and now we need to be careful," said Hoeness. "For me this was a well-timed warning shot." Bayern are desperate for titles after two seasons playing second fiddle behind champions Borussia Dortmund in Germany. Last year's bitter Champions League final defeat against Chelsea has also left its scars, with the Bavarians eager to rectify it by reaching their third final in four seasons. "It is very good that we suffered this setback in our otherwise sunshine world," said midfielder Thomas Mueller. "This game raised a lot of questions in our safe, little world." — Reuters |
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