Sir Alex Ferguson’s patience is tested as Vidic pulls out of Milan tie
Sir Alex Ferguson's increasingly precarious relationship with Nemanja Vidic has deteriorated even further after the unsettled defender pulled out of Manchester United's Champions League match against Milan.
United will have to face the seven-times European Cup winners without their reigning player of the year and, despite his natural reluctance to question his players in public, Ferguson could barely disguise his irritation as he explained why the Serb had withdrawn from the travelling party.
Vidic has missed the last nine matches since withdrawing from the FA Cup third round tie against Leeds United on 3 January, citing a nerve problem in his calf, but Ferguson had been certain that a defender who has been renowned in the past for his desire to put himself on the line for his team would be in contention tomorrow. Vidic's withdrawal is understood to have gone against the feelings of the club's medical staff and Ferguson hinted at major doubts about the player's commitment.
"It's a difficult one because he feels he needs to do a lot of training," Ferguson said. "He has been training for the last 10 days but he still does not feel he is ready to take part in games. That's something we just have to be patient with and that's what we are doing at the moment."
The manager's tone was one of exasperation rather than sympathy, leading to questions about whether he saw Vidic remaining at the club beyond the end of next season. Ferguson robustly insisted there were no plans to sell him but his frustration was evident going into a tie in which he already has misgivings about Rio Ferdinand's involvement in the centre of defence.
Ferdinand has been involved in only two matches during four months in which he has had intensive treatment on his recurrent back problems, and Ferguson admitted that he would have to think closely about whether the England international should be involved or whether it was too risky.
"There's nothing wrong with him mentally but anyone who has had a back injury, even if they are not a sportsman, will know how difficult it can be," he said. "We have put a lot of work into him and he has trained very well. He hasn't missed a session in the last six or seven weeks. We have to make a decision whether he is right to play."
Ferguson went on to say that he planned to use Ferdinand from the start but it is anything but ideal preparation before a match in which Ryan Giggs will be another notable absentee. Privately, Ferguson is said to have informed colleagues that Vidic does not "want to hang around" and this is not the first time he has expressed frustration with the Serb's newly acquired habit of pulling out of matches at late notice. When he withdrew from the Leeds tie during the warm-up an exasperated Ferguson admitted that he "couldn't tell you" why. The 28-year-old did the same before the game against Arsenal on 31 January and, in the meantime, has repeatedly been linked to, among others, Milan.
Ferguson conceded that "a lot of clubs want to buy our players." Asked if he wanted to keep Vidic, he replied: "Of course we want him to stay. He's a great player, one of the best centre-backs in the world. Of course we want to keep him."
The game will see David Beckham face United for the first time since leaving the club in 2003, and the former England captain made it clear he harbours no bad feelings towards Ferguson despite the acrimonious manner of his departure.
Beckham described his former manager as a "father figure" and insisted he had only good memories of his time at the club. "He always has been and he always will be. No matter what has been said in the past, whether good or bad, I only remember the good times," he said.
"He was the man who gave me my chance to play for club I had always dreamed of playing for.
"For me they were only good times. Sir Alex is respected throughout football all around the world. Clubs move forwards and it was my time to leave Manchester United in 2003, and I moved on. I definitely hold nothing against the manager, he's an incredible man."
Manchester City lose Carlos Tévez and up to five others for Stoke game
Roberto Mancini is facing a severe shortage of players for Manchester City's Premier League trip to Stoke tomorrow.
Carlos Tévez has been granted leave to return to Argentina for family reasons and is definitely out, with Craig Bellamy (knee) and Vincent Kompany (groin) also unlikely to play.
In addition, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Stephen Ireland and Martin Petrov all suffered knocks against the same opposition at the weekend and could miss out.
Adam Johnson does return after being Cup-tied for the fifth-round FA Cup match against Stoke at the weekend.
Chelsea ignore Terry absence to reach last eight
FA Cup holders Chelsea shrugged off the absence of captain John Terry to cruise into the quarter-finals with a 4-1 win over Championship side Cardiff in the fifth round on Saturday.
They were joined in the last eight by crisis-club Portsmouth, who beat Southampton by an identical scoreline, while Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by Stoke.
With Terry granted time off to fly to Dubai to be with his wife as he deals with allegations of an affair, Ashley Cole sidelined after ankle surgery and Petr Cech and Nicolas Anelka rested, Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti sent out a slightly unfamiliar line-up at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian's team was still strong enough to kill off Cardiff. In the second minute, Didier Drogba ran onto Jon Obi Mikel's long pass and fired past Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall for his 23rd goal of the season.
Cardiff forward Michael Chopra stunned the hosts when he punished poor marking to head the equaliser from Chris Burke's 34th minute cross.
But Chelsea finally subdued Dave Jones's side and regained the lead in the 51st minute thanks to Michael Ballack's cool finish from Drogba's pass.
Young striker Daniel Sturridge added the third goal when he fired through Marshall's legs in the 69th minute and Salomon Kalou, heading in Paolo Ferreira's cross, completed the rout with four minutes left.
"Our team was changed but we took quality out and quality came back in. It is the professionalism of our players that shines through," Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins said.
"Some people might have thought this was going to be a bit of an easy game for us but those guys took it by the throat and pulled us through when we were not playing particularly well."
Stoke's Rory Delap caused more havoc with his infamous long throw as Tony Pulis's side earned a replay at Manchester City.
Shaun Wright-Phillips put City in front in the 11th minute when Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen and defender Ryan Shawcross failed to deal with Stephen Ireland's long pass.
Shawcross, who had stumbled to the turf, kicked the ball off his own head as he tried to clear and Wright-Phillips was able to tap into the empty net.
But Stoke set up a replay in familiar fashion as Ricardo Fuller headed home a trademark rocket throw from Delap in the 57th minute.
Portsmouth lifted the gloom around Fratton Park with a 4-1 win at local rivals Southampton.
Avram Grant's team sit bottom of the Premier League and face the threat of bankruptcy as they battle debts of 60 million pounds (69 million euros) and a winding up order over unpaid Customs and Revenue tax bills.
But Pompey, FA Cup winners in 2008, were able to put their off-field problems to one side for 90 minutes as they won the first meeting of these old enemies for five years.
Quincy Owusu-Abeyie came off the bench to give Portsmouth the lead with a fine finish in the 66th minute.
Rickie Lambert headed Southampton level four minutes later, but the visitors' extra class killed off their League One opponents in the closing stages.
Ivory Coast forward Aruna Dindane put Portsmouth back in front in the 75th minute and Algeria defender Nadir Belhadj slotted home the third in the 82nd minute.
There was still time for Jamie O'Hara, on loan from Tottenham, to rub salt into Southampton's wounds with a fine strike in the closing moments.
"It's good for the club and the fans. Since the draw everyone has only spoken about this game like there's no league so it is very important for everybody," Grant said.
Elsewhere, Birmingham's Liam Ridgewell scored in the last minute as Alex McLeish's side came from a goal down to beat Championship side Derby 2-1 at Pride Park.
The Rams went ahead when Jay McEveley's long-range effort deceived Joe Hart in the 55th minute.
But Scott Dann equalised with his first goal for Birmingham in the 73rd minute and Ridgwell popped up with the dramatic 90th-minute winner.
Giant-killers Reading, who had defeated Liverpool and Burnley in the competition this season, were held to a 2-2 draw by West Bromwich Albion at the Madejski Stadium.
Terry given time off after affair allegations
Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins has confirmed John Terry will be allowed to miss Saturday's FA Cup fifth round tie against Cardiff.
Terry was sacked as England captain last week following allegations that he had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of international team-mate and former Chelsea colleague Wayne Bridge.
According to newspaper reports, Blues skipper Terry wants the time off to join his wife, Toni, in Dubai this weekend in a bid to save his marriage.
Wilkins explained that Terry and manager Carlo Ancelotti had discussed the defender's break from club duties.
"He will not play this weekend. Carlo is giving him a bit of time off," Wilkins said. "He will come back and prepare for our game against Wolves on February 20.
"They just had a little chat, John and Carlo, and decided that would be the best for all concerned."
Terry played 90 minutes for Chelsea on Wednesday but was unable to prevent his side slipping to a 2-1 defeat against Everton at Goodison Park.
Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins has confirmed John Terry will be allowed to miss Saturday's FA Cup fifth round tie against Cardiff.
Terry was sacked as England captain last week following allegations that he had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of international team-mate and former Chelsea colleague Wayne Bridge.
According to newspaper reports, Blues skipper Terry wants the time off to join his wife, Toni, in Dubai this weekend in a bid to save his marriage.
Wilkins explained that Terry and manager Carlo Ancelotti had discussed the defender's break from club duties.
"He will not play this weekend. Carlo is giving him a bit of time off," Wilkins said. "He will come back and prepare for our game against Wolves on February 20.
"They just had a little chat, John and Carlo, and decided that would be the best for all concerned."
Terry played 90 minutes for Chelsea on Wednesday but was unable to prevent his side slipping to a 2-1 defeat against Everton at Goodison Park.
Arsenal are out of title race, says Chelsea’s Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack has said the championship is now between only Chelsea and Manchester United, and has told Arsène Wenger to stop making excuses for Arsenal's inability to win crucial games against their title rivals.
The Germany midfielder branded Arsenal too predictable, and said it may be impossible for the club to ever win anything – their last trophy was the FA Cup, five years ago – unless Wenger is able to make the team more tactically flexible. Arsenal now sit third in the league following their 2-0 defeat on Sunday, nine points behind Chelsea, who lead United by two points.
Ballack was clear when asked if the Premier League has become a two-horse race. "It looks like it," he said. "It's a race between Manchester United and us. But as I said a few weeks ago, it can go quickly that somebody drops points. But at the moment it looks like it's down to the two of us."
Responding to Wenger's comments that he believed the best team had lost, Ballack was dismissive. "I think he always says this when he loses. When he loses he always finds an excuse.
"But football is not possession on the ball or playing nice passes. Good football is winning games and that's what we do when we play against them. We deserved the win because we played very effectively. It was how we wanted to play before the game. It was our strategy. Maybe in the second half we concentrated a bit too much on defending but if you're 2-0 up you can do this.
"For me good football is a mix of winning, successful football, mental strength, good football technically and also physically. I think we have a good mix in the team and we have done this all season. We can't do more. First in the table."
An ongoing criticism of Arsenal under Wenger is that the team is unable to switch tactics from its free-flowing, passing style, and is also unable to deal with more muscular opponents.
Ballack confirmed that Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, had focused on this. He said: "We want to do our job. We knew the way they would play – we saw it in the first game we played against them [when Chelsea won 3-0 at the Emirates in November] and in the way they played against Manchester United last week [when Arsenal lost 3-1]. It is always the same style. If you get your tactics right like we did today I think you can beat them. That's what we did."
Ballack, who also echoed Didier Drogba's support for John Terry after his loss of the England captaincy, was asked directly if Arsenal would ever win anything playing with their current style. "This season and the [last] season they didn't show they were able to win the league," he said.
The 33-year-old explained why he feels Chelsea are able to challenge for major honours. "We have a lot of big-game players and big characters at Chelsea. That is why we are a good team and it's really great to be part of this club," he said. "Everybody fights for everybody, there is good spirit and good experience in the group, we've had a few years together and there is a lot of personal quality among the players. Even if we don't play a fantastic game we have a few players who can decide a game with one action."
Ballack gave particular praise to Drogba, who scored both of Chelsea's goals against Arsenal. The striker now has 12 in 12 games against Wenger's team. "He is such an important player for us. In big games like this he is always there. That's why he is such a big player," said Ballack. "Two fantastic goals, the second was a great one.
"He's a very individual type. The way he plays he's a different type compared to [Wayne] Rooney or [Andrey] Arshavin. He has unbelievable physical strength combined with technical finishing. He has a lot of qualities and not a lot of players have this. It is much better to playing with him than against him."
Juventus seeking to prise Rafael Benítez away from Liverpool
Juventus have identified Rafael Benítez as the man to replace Ciro Ferrara as manager and hope to capitalise on the Spaniard's frustration with financial constraints at Liverpool with an imminent approach for his services.
Ferrara is close to the sack following a run of six defeats in eight games, the latest courtesy of a stoppage-time winner by the former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise for Roma, and officials at the Turin club have drawn up a list of possible replacements for the inexperienced coach. Liverpool's manager is understood to head their list and will be formally invited to join Juventus once Ferrara has departed, although Benítez could delay his appointment until the summer should he choose to accept.
Benítez is aware of the Italians' interest and his agent, Manuel Garcia Quilon, last night refused to rule out the possibility of a stunning departure from Anfield. "Benítez to Juventus? In football you never know," Quilon said. "I don't know what will happen in four to five months. In football everything changes quickly, but the basic principle is that Rafa still has a four-year contract with Liverpool." Benítez's agent insisted, however, that a move to Juventus is not a fait accompli. Quilon added: "Right now, that hypothesis is not correct, because he is a very important figure [at Anfield]. The idols of the fans are [Steven] Gerrard, [Fernando] Torres, and Benítez."
With the gamble on Ferrara yet to pay dividends Juventus want a more experienced, proven coach to take control at Stadio delle Alpi. The coveted Guus Hiddink, whose uncertain future as Russia coach has placed several Premier League clubs including Liverpool on alert, priced himself out of a move to Turin by demanding £3m to reprise his Chelsea fire-fighting role from last season and take charge until the end of this campaign, plus a £6m-a-year salary thereafter.
Benítez earns around £4m a year basic at Anfield under the terms of the five-year contract he signed last March. Juventus may struggle to match those terms but Benítez could earn more net in Italy on a reduced contract, given the 50% tax rate that comes into effect in Britain in April.
While Benítez, a fluent Italian speaker who cites the former Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi as his tactical role-model, has been fiercely loyal to Liverpool he has become increasingly dismayed at the impact of the club's substantial debt on his squad. The 49-year-old is acutely aware that the problems caused by the ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett will ultimately affect his reputation, indeed he has attracted fierce criticism for a poor season, and there is a sense a move to a club of Juventus' standing may suit all parties.
The Liverpool hierarchy intend to review Benítez's position at the end of this campaign, one that has brought an early exit from the Champions League, FA Cup, Carling Cup and no Premier League title challenge, but cannot afford the maximum £16m he could claim if sacked. Hicks and Gillett would not face such a crippling bill should their manager walk away, although they hope to improve the club's finances with new investment in the coming months.
With his job under pressure Benítez may view Juventus as a welcome release, even though the Italians' hierarchy is also beset by problems. Luciano Moggi, the former director general who was disgraced in the Calciopoli scandal, launched an outspoken attack on the club president Jean-Claude Blanc yesterday, saying: "Juventus are paying the price for the inadequacy and incompetence of their directors".
Several Italian newspapers are reporting that, should Benítez accept the Juventus offer, Hiddink would replace the Spaniard at Anfield. They include La Stampa, which is owned by the Exor investment company and whose chairman, John Elkann, is also vice-chairman of Juventus and the grandson of the club's late former owner, Gianni Agnelli. Last week Liverpool officials rejected claims by Hiddink's agent that they had made an approach for the Dutchman.
Benítez's transfer strategy has stalled in recent days with Ryan Babel remaining at the club despite earlier attempts to offload him, Sunderland's Kenwyne Jones priced out of his reach and no answer, as yet, on the pre-contract offers made to strikers Milan Jovanovic of Standard Liège and Bordeaux's Marouane Chamakh. On the eve of tonight's Premier League visit to Wolves, where Gerrard will return from a hamstring injury, Benítez admitted he does not expect to see any of the money Hicks will raise through the £350m sale of his Texas Rangers baseball franchise. He also confirmed the club's balancing act in the transfer market is an attempt to entice new investors to Anfield.
"I don't think so, no," Benítez said of Hicks's windfall. "We are now run like a company and they are another company. It is a different thing. The majority of clubs are now run like companies. You have to think about football and business, both things together. This year we have done a fantastic job trying to balance the books and to do the right job for the company. In football, we had to take some risks and we have to improve now on the pitch.
"This year we have had to sell if we want to buy and keep things level. That's part of the risk, and sometimes it has gone well and sometimes less well. If people can see the club is healthy, it'll be easier to bring in investors."
Rooney quartet sends Man Utd to top of Permiership
LONDON (AFP) – Wayne Rooney scored four goals in a match for the first time in his career to send Manchester United back to the top of the English Premier League table on Saturday after a 4-0 win over relegation-threatened Hull.
The England forward took his tally for the season to 20 goals as United strolled to an Old Trafford victory that leaves them two points clear of both Arsenal and Chelsea.
The champions have however played two more games than Chelsea and one more than Arsenal, who were both involved in FA Cup ties this weekend.
