Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger Suggests Spending Controls for Premier League Clubs; Manchester United Striker Wayne Rooney Open to Playing As Midfielder

Joey Barton, who transferred from Queens Park Rangers to Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille, will not have the outstanding portion of his match ban relinquished on his new club. The midfielder stirred trouble in QPR while playign against tough oponnent side and eventual champions Manchester City in their final match last season. He got a red card and quarrelled against Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany.

According to FIFA rules, remaining punishments on players shall continue to have effect even if the player has transferred to another club. The French League approved that the rule applies to France and announced in an official statement that Barton will not be able to play for the league until November.

Barton is a known controversial figure who has previous records of participating in violent confrontations. He will debut for the club in a September 20 away Europa League match against Turkish club Fenerbahce.

Meanwhile, Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna expressed his shock on the departure of his teammate, defensive midfielder Alex Song. He said that he never expected Song to follow striker Robin van Persie’s departure – one that he calls a predictable one within the team.

Sagna, presently recovering from injuries, has appeared in 153 Arsenal matches since 2007. Apart from expressing his disbelief on the transfer of Song, he noted that he was envious of Manchester City’s title victory last season, which featured his former teammates Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri. He added that he has not yet signed an improved deal with the club.

Chelsea defender Ashley Cole is currently in talks on a new agreement with the club. His contract is nearing expiration next summer and The Blues are reportedly keen on extending his stay for another year.

Cole, resting his injured ankle, has not reached any terms yet on an improved financial package from Chelsea. The England international’s talent has become a magnet for past transfer reports, including one that involved Real Madrid.

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Photo credits:

Joey Barton [Photograph]. (2012). Retrieved 7 September 2012, from < http://www.caughtoffside.com/2012/09/02/image-gallery-marseille-unveil-new-signing-joey-barton/>

Arsenal Gain First Win Over Weak Liverpool Side

Arsenal’s road towards impressive football predictions for this season’s Premier League look more assured as they dealt with a downtrodden Liverpool squad in a 2-0 victory.

The clean sheet gave recognition to Arsenal’s Robin van Persie replacements Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla, with both scoring their first goals for the club following their first two goalless draws. Abou Diaby kept impressive control of the midfield, to the delight of manager Arsene Wenger.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers faces more pressure in light of another disappointing defeat at the start of the season. Striker Andy Carroll’s West Ham United loan transfer placed the manager under further stress after his club failed to bring in a replacement before the closing of the transfer window.

Chelsea 4-2 Reading

78:54
Eden Hazard takes a shot. Alex Pearce gets a block in. Shot by Juan Mata from deep inside the penalty area misses to the right of the target.

78:03

The referee penalises Emboaba Oscar for handball. Ian Harte takes the direct free kick.

77:26

J-League Review: Vegalta regain first place while Leandro's double pushes Gamba toward safety

The attention of Japanese football fans was split between league play and the Under-23 men's quarterfinal against Egypt, but those at local stadiums had plenty to cheer about

Results

Consadole Sapporo 2-1 Nagoya Grampus, Urawa Reds 2-0 Jubilo Iwata, Vegalta Sendai 1-1 Sagan Tosu, Kashima Antlers 2-2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima, FC Tokyo 0-2 Albirex Niigata, Kawasaki Frontale 4-1 Omiya Ardija, Kashiwa Reysol 4-1 Cerezo Osaka, Yokohama F. Marinos 3-0 Shimizu S-Pulse, Vissel Kobe 1-1 Gamba Osaka

THE WEEKEND STORIES

As the J-League race continued to tighten, Vegalta Sendai returned to first place through a 2-2 draw against Yokohama F. Marinos. Rivals Sanfrecce seemed poised to retain their own lead, but surrendered two late goals to S-Pulse in a 2-1 defeat.

In Saitama, the Reds were in prime position to gain ground on the leaders after creating a 2-0 lead against FC Tokyo, but settled for the draw after surrendering two goals in the second half. Defending champs Reysol also failed to capitalise, settling for a 1-1 draw at lowly Albirex.

The weekend treated both Osakan teams well, with Gamba returnee Leandro sparking a 3-1 win over Ardija with his double, while Cerezo cruised to a 4-0 shutout of Consadole Sapporo.

Nagoya Grampus did just fine without manager Dragan 'Pixy' Stojkovic, who recieved a one-match touchline ban following his ejection from last weekend's shock upset by Consadole. The 2010 champions rode Marcus Tulio Tanaka's four-goal performance to a 5-1 win over Vissel Kobe.

Bolt is fit, says Jamaica doctor

Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake are both “fit and raring to go” at the Olympics, says Jamaica track team doctor Winston Dawes.

He has shrugged off suggestions Bolt will miss the Games with injury and promised “something fantastic” from the sprint pair.

Reigning 100m and 200m champion Bolt is understood to have been suffering with niggling leg and back problems.

But Dawes said: “Both of them are at the top of their game.”

He told BBC Sport’s Leon Mann: “If the conditions are ideal, then we are going to see something fantastic. We may see records go.”

Bolt holds the 100m record of 9.58secs and 200m world best of 19.19 but Blake beat him at the Jamaican trials in both distances less than four weeks ago.

Bolt, who suffers from

scoliosis,
a condition in which the spine is curved from side to side, will be in full health when the 100m preliminaries commence on 4 August.

“He’s back fully,” said the doctor. “He has been training very, very hard and his performance is on track. We expect he’ll be fully fit by the time the Olympics come around.

“He had some slight cramps [in his legs]. He had had an accident before, so that might have shaken him up a little.”

Bolt and Blake will be up against compatriot and former world record holder Asafa Powell along with American pair Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin in the showpiece 100m event.

But Dawes is confident that friends and training partners Bolt and Blake will produce something special.

“They are 100% fit and 100% raring to go. They are mentally fit and they are going to be going all out.”

UKRAINE AIMS TO IMPRESS HOME CROWD VERSUS FRANCE

UKRAINE	Tournament Statistics (as of June 15, 2012)		FRANCE
2	Goals Scored		1
5	Attempts On Target		15
8	Attempts Off Target		4
3	Corners		11
12	Fouls Committed		9
0	Yellow Cards		0
0	Red Cards		0
PREDICTED STARTING LINEUPS
Ukraine (3-5-2)		Pyatov; Selin, Khacheridi, Mykhalyk; Tymoschuk, Gusev, Yarmolenko, Nazarenko, Konoplyanka; Shevchenko, Voronin
France (4-2-3-1)		Lloris; Evra, Méxes, Rami, Debuchy; Diarra, M’Vila; Ribéry, Nasri, Valbuena; Benzema

Date: June 16, 2012

Time: 12:00 AM (GMT +8:00)

DONETSK: Group D is expected to undergo a tremendous turn of events as France returns to Donbass to face host Ukraine on home advantage. France is stuck in a 1-1 draw versus England, a record that calls for better winning resolve from Les Bleus. Ukraine, on the other hand, currently tops Group D after they trounced Sweden before an energetic home crowd at 2-1.

Ukraine must repeat their feat against Sweden in order to get past through France – an international favorite to win Group D. If not, their chances of winning the group stage can be ruined, especially when they face England in their final group match.

Previous Matches

France and Ukraine met for 6 times. Ukraine never won against Les Bleus, with a lackluster record of 3 losses and 3 draws.

The teams recently met at a friendly in Donetsk last 2011. France shattered Ukraine at 4-1, with 2 goals coming from midfielder Marvin Martin.

Throughout those 6 meetings, France evidently grew stronger, particularly in terms of offense. In contrast, Ukraine has yet to be consistent in their winning form, particularly in improving their shaky defense.

Pre-Match Developments

Significant changes are not likely for both teams. No players from both sides are injured. France’s starting lineup might change a little if Laurent Blanc decides to put midfielder Yann M’Vila in place of Yohan Cabaye.

Oleh Blokhin will likely retain Ukraine’s current starting squad, given their impressive performance last Tuesday.

Ukraine-France Predictions

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A crucial factor in this match is the frail defense of both teams. The absence of injured defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy in Ukraine’s lineup can further cripple their efforts to defend the goal. France’s defense must learn not to rely too much on their team’s attacking power. Otherwise, they might be damaged by Ukraine’s desire to score before their home crowd. Ukraine’s legendary striker Andriy Shevchenko is one player Les Bleus have to watch out.

A repeat of France’s 2011 friendly victory against Ukraine is highly possible in this game. Their offensive stride powered by Karim Benzema, Franck Ribéry, Mathieu Valbuena and Samir Nasri (who scored France’s goal during its match versus England) can make Ukraine’s weak defense useless. The international pedigree of French players reflects more experience. That gives Les Bleus an obvious victory in their second Group D fixture, despite playing against Ukraine in their home field.

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Spain Looks Forward to Advance versus Republic of Ireland

SPAIN	Tournament Statistics (as of June 14, 2012)		REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
1	Goals Scored		1
9	Attempts On Target		5
9	Attempts Off Target		8
7	Corners		1
12	Fouls Committed		12
3	Yellow Cards		1
0	Red Cards		0
PREDICTED STARTING LINEUPS
Spain (4-2-3-1)		Casillas; Arbeloa, Ramos, Pique, Alba; Alonso, Busquets; Xavi, Iniesta, Silva; Torres
Ireland (4-4-2)		Given; Ward, Dunne, St Ledger, O’Shea; McGeady, Whelan, Andrews, Duff; Walters, Keane

Spain (N) vs. Ireland Match Preview 

Date: June 15, 2012

Time: 2:45 AM (GMT +8:00)

GDANSK: The prospects of Group C teams have become more unpredictable after Republic of Ireland suffered a disappointing loss versus Croatia at 3-1. Spain and Italy stalled one another in a draw at 1-1, citing signals of stronger winning determination from both teams.

Spain’s duty as defending champion is to strengthen their defense in order to thwart any scoring attempt of Republic of Ireland – a feat which can determine La Roja’s defense of their championship title. Republic of Ireland, on the other hand, has to recoup from their fatal mistakes against Croatia which caused the Croat’s currently wide gap from the rest of Group C.

Previous Matches

The most recent match between Spain and Republic of Ireland was during the 2002 World Cup. The match was a closely-fought one at 1-1, only to be won by Spain via a penalty shootout.

Spain won all of their last 15 competitive games, including their 2010 World Cup championship title. They are also the champions of EURO 2008.

Republic of Ireland was unbeaten in 14 matches (both competitive and friendly). Their 3-1 loss to Croatia was their heaviest major tournament loss.

Pre-Match Developments

It is unsure whether Vicente Del Bosque will pit in Fernando Torres in Spain’s starting lineup after the striker failed to show competence during their match against Italy. Their six-man midfield against the Azzurri might be altered, although changes have yet to be announced.

Giovanni Trapattoni, on the other hand, is persistent with his current starting lineup. Despite his team’s poor performance versus Croatia, no changes have been announced on Republic of Ireland’s starters.

Spain-Republic of Ireland Predictions

Sports Statistics Information Centre

(as of June 14, 2012)

v  Disclaimer: All information above is provided free for members as a 12BET service. The prediction statistics are purely a view point and there is no guarantee on the returns. Hence all members or visitors are requested to apply their prudence before acting on any of the recommendations. Neither 12BET nor any of its promoters, members, or employees holds any responsibility of any losses incurred (if any) by acting on the recommendations.

Republic of Ireland is placed at a difficult time after their focus on strengthening their defensive and counterattacking techniques have been shattered by a solid Croatia. The Irish squad lacked strikers in their roster, thus they are faced with the challenge of how to shoot the ball inside the net.

Spain, on the other hand, has to return to playing formidable possession football, which helped them gain their 2008 EURO and 2010 World Cup championship titles. Their recent match against Italy was far from resembling their usual possessiveness of the ball, which became apparent when the Azzurri treaded comfortably on La Roja’s midfield.

Overall, Spain can expect a convenient win against the Republic of Ireland, especially if they choose to become more firm in their possessive playing approach. Spain can be countered with frustrations if Republic of Ireland strengthens their defensive play for this match. 

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