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Germany defeated fellow World Cup semi-finalists Uruguay 2-1 in an international friendly on Sunday, while Honduras drew with El Salvador.An inexperienced Germany team lost 2-1 to Australia in their last friendly outing on March 29, but coach Joachim Loew kept faith with his young side and was duly rewarded.

In a rematch of the third-place playoff at the 2010 World Cup, which Germany won 3-2, Bayern Munich centre-forward Mario Gomez put the hosts ahead after 26 minutes of the match at Hoffenheim’s Rhein-Neckar Arena.

Gomez dispossessed Diego Lugano just inside the Uruguay half before beating two men and shooting past Lazio goalkeeper Fernando Muslera for an accomplished solo opener.

Mainz forward Andre Schuerrle made it 2-0 on 36 minutes, receiving Mesut Oezil’s pass to smash an unstoppable strike beyond Muslera and into the Uruguay net.

It was Schuerrle’s first international goal in just his third appearance for Germany.

Napoli midfielder Walter Gargano pulled one back for Uruguay four minutes into the second half.

Germany’s attacking threat diminished with the withdrawal of Real Madrid playmaker Oezil, but Uruguay obliged the hosts by failing to create a genuine chance to equalise in the second half.

Livewire Borussia Dortmund teenager Mario Goetze missed Germany’s best opportunity to extend their lead late on, but the 19-year-old failed to beat Muslera with an attempted chip.

Also on Sunday, Honduras gave up a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 against fierce rivals El Salvador in Houston.

Carlos Costly put Honduras ahead on 45 minutes at Robertson Stadium and Jerry Bengtson doubled the lead from the penalty spot five minutes into the second half.

But two goals in the space of three minutes from Rodolfo Zelaya and Rudis Corrales helped El Salvador emerge with a draw.

Everton boss David Moyes has admitted his Merseyside derby record remains a source of frustration ahead of Sunday's showdown with Liverpool at Goodison Park.

The Toffees have lost eight of the last ten league derbies on home soil, much to the frustration of their Scottish coach.

On Sunday he will lock horns with friend Roy Hodgson for the first time since he took the Liverpool reins in the summer.

However, a rueful Moyes will not let sentiment stand in the way of a rare derby success for the blue half of the city.

"At Everton it's been difficult to win as many derbies as I'd hoped to have over the years," he explained.

"I could say that I've had a chance to bed down and Roy is just trying that now. He's at a new club.

"Liverpool's record against us is very good, but then you've got to mention that our debt is far, far less than Liverpool's so it's always been more difficult to get results."

Everton will be without five key players in Marouane Fellaini, Phil Jagielka, Louis Saha, Jack Rodwell and Victor Anichebe through injury and Moyes is only too aware of the threat posed by the Reds.

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He added:"I go into the game knowing we have a good team good players, although obviously we're missing a host of players.

"Liverpool have some fantastic individual players who can win games at any moment."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Manchester City are going to lodge a complaint with UEFA following the racial abuse Yaya Toure and Mario Balotelli received from sections of support at Porto’s Estádio do Dragão. The sound of monkey chants could be heard and City is hoping the UEFA delegate will report the incident so action can be taken. Toure revealed after the game that one of the reasons he moved to the Premier League is that Black players don’t receive such abuse in the football stadiums in England.

Elsewhere in the news, Andre Villas-Boas admits that he lost some of the support of his players at Chelsea; Harry Redknapp believes a part-time England role could work ahead of the Euros, while Arsene Wenger is set to dump some of his Euro flops this summer.

Andre Villas-Boas admits that he has lost some of the support of his players, but believes that Roman Abramovich is fully behind his Chelsea project – Guardian

Manchester City is set to lodge a complaint with UEFA after Yaya Toure and Mario Balotelli were racially abused by the Portuguese crowd – Guardian

Harry Redknapp believes that he could partake in a part-time role for England that will see him finish the season off at Tottenham, before taking the reins for the Euros this summer – Guardian

Arsene Wenger is reportedly ready to dump some of his Arsenal flops in the wake of the Gunners crushing defeat in Milan. The Frenchman was left furious at the performance and is prepared to make changes in the summer – Daily Telegraph

Manchester United were hit with an injury blow last night with Antonio Valencia out for 4-6 weeks after damaging his hamstring in the Red Devils’ 2-0 victory against Ajax – Daily Telegraph

Everton captain Phil Neville is on a revenge mission as he hopes to guide the Toffees a step closer to Wembley. Defeat in the 2009 final has left a bitter taste for Neville and he is determined to put things right this season – Independent

The American giant AEG are set to launch a £450m takeover of Tottenham Hotspur. AEG own the 02 Arena as well as LA Galaxy and if a deal to takeover Spurs is successful, Daniel Levy will be asked to remain on as Chairman of the football club – Daily Express

Both Manchester United and Manchester City are battling it out for Derby County starlet Will Hughes. The youngster has been in great form in England’s U17 tournament in the Algarve, where the Three Lions have cruised through their group stages – Daily Mail

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Tottenham are facing a transfer battle with Inter Milan to secure the services of Brazilian striker Leandro Damiao – TalkSport

Eden Hazard has talked up a potential move to Arsenal claiming that they are one of the options available to him at the end of the season. The Lille ace is attracted to the French contingent at the Emirates, as well as his compatriot Thomas Vermaelen – Sun

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When Manchester City are linked with yet another player I have never heard of for £26 million then it has to surely be another overpriced move for a player who is merely in good form. But then Manchester United entered the race for winger Alexis Sanchez, and I began to take note of this Chilean star who has been turning even Alex Ferguson’s head.

I’ve always wanted a cool nickname but the best my friends could come up with was ‘Dan’, hardly on the same level as Niño Maravilla, so called due to his stylish play, a nickname he earned when breaking the Copa Libertadores record for the youngest player to debut in the South American Club Championship, at the age of just 16. Obviously a cool nickname and an age-related record doesn’t earn you a $3 million move to Udinese, so I’m assuming it was the six goals in twelve games in the Chilean league in only his second season.

Sanchez was signed by the Italian outfit for the future, and was instantly loaned out to Chilean side Colo-Colo and then to Argentinian team River Plate; after successful season-long loans with both clubs, Sanchez finally made his break at Udinese in 2008 and after a few promising performances over the seasons, it was this year that the versatile attacker put himself on the footballing map. A regular fixture in the exciting Chilean side in the 2010 World Cup, Sanchez used the world’s biggest stage to showcase his talents and carried this on into the current Serie A campaign, forming a formidable partnership with Antonio Di Natalie, scoring 35 goals between them, just five shy of the Del Piero and Trezeguet record in the 2007-08 season, and with a few games still to play.

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So that’s the story of this young Chilean’s rise to stardom, but what would he offer either of Manchester’s Premier League clubs? Would he slot in straight away or would he be another Stephane Guivarc’h? Manchester City have flair players in abundance and leaving out one of David Silva, Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko wouldn’t be easy, although with uncertainty surrounding Tevez’ future, perhaps accommodating the Chilean wouldn’t be so hard. With his ability to work as an out-and-out forward or an attacking winger, this would give Manchester City a lot of fluidity up front and I get the feeling Silva and Sanchez could be a match made in heaven. So what would happen instead if the winger decides to ply his trade at Old Trafford? It is hard to see him ousting either Wayne Rooney or new fan favourite Javier Hernandez, but you could see him perhaps playing as a winger ahead of Antonio Valencia; together with Nani on the wings, they would surely be a full back’s ultimate nightmare.

Sanchez’ proposed arrival to the Motherland, whoever it may be with, is no doubt be an exciting proposition for the Premier League.

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Listen to the latest episode of our award nominee podcast – The Football FanCast. – Featuring Razor Ruddock, Gary O’Reilly and King Jacks! Don’t forget to help Razor and O’Reilly become award winners in the 2011 EPL Awards

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has given his full support to Titus Bramble, who has been bailed over allegations of a rape at a Newcastle Hotel earlier this week.

Black Cats chairman Niall Quinn had already given his backing to 29-year-old defender Bramble, with Bruce following up with his own message of support.

He told reporters:"As far as Titus is concerned, the one thing he wants to do is play football. He was in training this morning. He is a resilient so-and-so.

"We want the matter cleared up as soon as we possibly can and I reiterate what the chairman has put out, how we are fully supportive of him and we will stand right behind him.

"It is obviously unfortunate what has happened and it gets bad publicity and bad press for the club, which nobody wants to see.

"But we are absolutely adamant that Titus has done nothing wrong.

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"If there is anything he has done wrong, then he has had a night out when he shouldn't have."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Arsene Wenger will be hoping to leave the Emirates tomorrow with a chorus of cheers, to make up for the rather raucous reception he received at the final whistle last weekend. The Gunners support took exception to the removal of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from the action in the second half, which was only made worse as his replacement Andrey Arshavin failed to deal with Valencia’s run that led to United’s late winner. The French boss refused to accept the criticism that came his way, claiming he has made thousands of substitutions over the years and have never been questioned before.

Tomorrow will be an important occasion for Arsene Wenger, as the FA Cup represents Arsenal’s best chance of silverware this season. Although the Gunners are on the run of three straight defeats, you do sense that they will have too much for Villa and will cruise through to the 5th Rd.

This week at Football FanCast we have had a mixed bag of blogs that include; what to expect from Stan Kroenke; greater protection for Oxlade-Chamberlain, while Thierry Henry was exactly what Arsenal needed. We have also included the best Gunners blogs on the net this week.

 

Best of FFC

What can fans expect from the Arsenal chief?

Is this really Arsene Wenger’s Greatest Arsenal XI?

The Arsene Wenger quandary

Top TEN – Arsenal should NEVER have let him go

Greater protection for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain?

Simply A Turning Point For Arsenal Fans?

Paska hints at new Rosicky deal

Is it the ‘not knowing’ that is really eating Arsenal fans?

Thierry Henry is exactly what they needed

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Best of WEB

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Alex Fynn talks David Dein, Arsene Wenger and the clubs future – Le Grove

There’s only two Arsène Wengers – Online Gooner

Down On His Luck, Brow-beaten But Arsène Is Not Broken. Jack Is… – A Cultured Left Foot

Trabzonspor star open to Arsenal move – Gunnersphere

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Could Hazard and Vertonghen really be on their way to Arsenal? – Highbury House

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Quote of the Week

“You have an 18-year-old kid making his first Premier League start and a player who’s captain of his country and they are querying the substitution? Let’s be serious.

“I’ve been a manager for 30 years and have made 50,000 subs. I do not have to justify every decision I make. I stand up for it.” Wenger talking to Sky Sports.

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Last time out

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Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini is desperate to have Carlos Tevez back for the Premier League run home.Argentina forward Tevez sustained a hamstring problem in the recent 3-0 defeat to Liverpool and will not be available when City host West Ham on Sunday.

Mancini said there is also a doubt whether his captain will be back for the FA Cup Final against Stoke on May 14.

“On Tuesday Carlos started to run and of course we will do everything possible to help him recover,” Mancini said.

“It is difficult to say now if it is possible or not but it will be possible only if Carlos can play in our game against Tottenham the week before.”

Edin Dzeko finally broke his Premier League duck last weekend after having gone 10 league games without scoring.

The 27 million pound Bosnia forward scored the winner at Blackburn on Monday and Mancini backed him to star next season.

“I am very happy for Edin to score because he has not played many games and I know that is difficult for any striker,” Mancini said. “I am happy because I think he is a fantastic striker.”

“Next season he can do everything because he can score more goals. After pre-season he will be better.”

City could still finish in third place and have an FA Cup Final to look forward too – a stark contrast to the fortunes of Sunday’s opponents.

West Ham have spent the whole season drifting around the relegation plughole and have just four games left to make sure they do not fall down the drain and out of the Premier League.

“Our season will finish step by step and now we have West Ham to play,” Mancini said.

“We had a hard game against Blackburn last week and we played brilliantly in the first half. In the second half it was different because they started to play long ball and it was difficult for us.”

“Sunday will be a tough game. We are at home but it will be difficult because I saw West Ham play Chelsea and they were on top for an hour. That shows how well we will have to play on Sunday.

Manchester City will be without defenders Jerome Boateng (knee) and Micah Richards (hamstring).

Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand is adamant that the club’s players are behind captain Lee Cattermole, even though the former Middlesbrough and Wigan Athletic star has been sent off twice already this season.

Former West Ham United star Ferdinand was handed the captain’s armband when Cattermole was dismissed in the 22nd minute of last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Wigan Athletic.

Cattermole is banned for this weekend’s game against Arsenal, with Ferdinand saying:“When it happened, you could see in his face how gutted he was. I spoke to him before he went off and just told him to keep his head up.

“Catts is a fantastic player and everyone can see what he brings to the team – his competitiveness and enthusiasm are why the manager made him captain.

“Sometimes he lets it boil over, but he wouldn’t be the same player if you tried to take his competitive edge away from him. He deserves to be captain. He’s only young and he has a lot of time to learn. For me, he’s still the right choice.

“I picked up the armband when Catts went off at Wigan because I was the nearest. Every time I’ve captained this football club I’ve enjoyed it but, in my eyes, Lee is the right man for the job.

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“But in the meantime, over the next two games against Arsenal and my old club West Ham, I’d be very, very proud to captain the side.”

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Transfer speculation will be going into overdrive as the transfer window opens in January. What areas of the squad should Sir Alex Ferguson be looking before the window slams shut?

We currently find ourselves in a precarious position with the number of injuries we have, especially in the midfield area, so it is to be expected that the press will link us with a number of players.

Sir Alex Ferguson has already stated that he won’t be rushed into signing anyone and there is no panic but coach Rene Meulensteen has let slip a player that United could seek to sign if he becomes available.

Christian Eriksen has created a bit of a buzz starring for Ajax and Denmark and his performance against England earlier this year raised his stock further.

Meulensteen has confirmed to Voetbal International he is a player that interests Man United,

“This is a player that is on our radar.

“But that is to be expected. If people weren’t looking, no-one would ever have an opinion on these players.

“It is true that a player like Eriksen would fit our transfer policy. He is being strongly linked with us, but to suggest that we are about to make a move is not true.”

I can’t help but be excited by the prospect of Eriksen joining the club. Having seen him play on a number of occasions this season, it’s clear that he has come on in leaps and bounds. He’s starting to look like the real deal and could be a real asset for Manchester United .

If the price is right, I hope that United can take a step forward and make a genuine bid for the 19-year-old. He may be young, but he has a big future.

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But what’s your take? Should United go after Eriksen? How much would it take to ply him from Ajax’s grip?

Written by Chudi from TheBusbyWay

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Roma coach Vincenzo Montella is refusing to be distracted by off-field matters ahead of his side’s Coppa Italia semi-final with Inter Milan.Roma became the first Italian club to be owned by foreigners on Saturday, when a consortium led American businessman Thomas Di Benedetto acquired a 67 percent share of the club for 70.3 million euros.

After losing 2-1 to Palermo on Saturday – the side’s second successive loss at home – Roma are hanging on to a Europa League spot by just a single point from Juventus, and Montella believes the furore surrounding the takeover had weighed on his players’ minds.

Having all but conceded the team’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League, Montella is targeting a strong showing in Tuesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final first-leg with Inter.

“The Coppa Italia, both for Roma and Inter, is almost the last realisable objective available to us this season,” Montella said.

“Tomorrow evening two wounded teams will face each other and for this season they will need big motivation. The team that has the greater personality and temperament will win.”

“The difference will be made by personality, not by individual acts.”

Montella, in charge in an interim capacity since replacing Claudio Ranieri in February, said he was looking forward to locking horns with Inter coach Leonardo on Tuesday in Roma’s last chance for silverware this season.

“I hold him in great esteem, he is a really smart guy and he’s doing a great job at Inter Milan, if we consider what he did at AC Milan last season too, so I’m happy to meet him tomorrow,” Montella said.

Montella said he was unfazed by criticism of Roma’s recent poor results and said he would stick by his coaching philosophies.

“Mine is a simple and clear idea and I think I’ve already explained that before: I’m doing and I’ll do everything I believe is right to improve the players’ performances,” he said.

“If I act like this it’s because I believe it right. I hear what the people and the supporters say too, so if I wanted the people and media on my side it would be very easy for me.”

“My main task here, since I’ve arrived and up to the end of the season, is to make them give their best, considering their characteristics and how they behave.”