The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Chelsea’s Mourinho tips Liverpool for title charge Posted: 13 Feb 2014 02:41 PM PST Mourinho's side are currently top of the table, but fourth-placed Liverpool are just four points adrift and the Portuguese coach feels Brendan Rodgers' men have a major advantage given their lack of European involvement. Chelsea, second-placed Arsenal and third-placed Manchester City have Champions League last 16 ties looming, with all three holding ambitions of a long run in Europe's elite club competition. That could benefit Liverpool and although they are still outsiders to win the title with most bookmakers, Mourinho claims they have to be taken seriously. And he insists it is not just mind games to put pressure on a rival who recorded an impressive 5-1 win over Arsenal last weekend. "When I say we're not the top candidate everyone thinks 'here he is again, with what you like to call the mind games'," Mourinho told Sky Sports News. "But it's just my feeling. The league is amazing but Liverpool have a big advantage because of the fact they don't play in the Champions League." Given the unusually wide-open nature of the title race, Mourinho does not expect his team or any of their rivals to have an easy run-in as the pressure mounts. "Every team needs points for their objective – some for relegation, some for Champions League football and some are trying to be champions," he added. "It's going to be hard for everybody." Meanwhile, England manager Roy Hodgson this week made a concerted effort to end any talk of Blues central defender John Terry coming out of international retirement. Terry's form has been so good this year that former England striker Gary Lineker, among others, called for the Chelsea skipper to come back to the international fold. But Mourinho does not believe the subject of Terry playing for his country should be under discussion. "It's a waste of time to keep speaking about the situation," he said. "Roy Hodgson is the person to kill the discussion or to feed it. End of story. "I'd never intervene. He's in charge and has everything in his hand. He has made that decision. "For me as a Chelsea manager I'm happy players play with their national teams – but at the same time I'm happy an important player like him is fully focused on his work at Chelsea." – AFP, February 14, 2014. |
| Tottenham announce five-year AIA sponsorship Posted: 13 Feb 2014 02:39 PM PST AIA currently sponsors Tottenham's shirts in cup competitions, but it will become the north London club's principal global partner from the beginning of next season. Under the terms of the deal, the AIA logo will appear on the front of Spurs's shirts in all competitions until 2019. "We have enjoyed an excellent relationship with AIA since they became our cup shirt partners at the beginning of this season," said Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. "Together we share long-term ambitions across Asia – a region where the club has seen significant growth in recent years – and this extended partnership with AIA, one of the leading companies in the Asia-Pacific region and a clear market leader in their industry, will further help to support our objectives and engage with our supporters across the region." – AFP, February 14, 2014. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider : Sports To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan