Newcastle 3 - 0 Man Utd

Newcastle 3 - 0 Man Utd
By Saj Chowdhury Wednesday, 4 January 2012

Manchester United's, title challenge, suffers another blow, after they, are swept aside by, Newcastle, at Sports, Direct Arena,

Manchester United's title challenge suffered another blow after they were swept aside by Newcastle.The visitors, who lost to Blackburn on New Year's Eve, went behind before the break when striker Demba Ba hooked in his 15th goal of the season.

Yohan Cabaye doubled Newcastle's lead with a 30-yard free-kick before Phil Jones diverted in a late own goal.Wayne Rooney had a shot blocked on the line and Dimitar Berbatov's header hit the post for the champions.The Jones howler, which came deep in stoppage time, summed up Manchester United's night at the Sports Direct Arena.Visiting manager Sir Alex Ferguson said prior to the match that his side may be affected by the strong winds and they failed to cope in the difficult conditions while Alan Pardew's Newcastle thrived. But the away side were also slow to the loose ball and ineffective in attack.The defeat leaves the champions three points behind fierce local rivals Manchester City who beat Liverpool 3-0 on Tuesday.And with Tottenham breathing down their necks, Ferguson will need to call upon all his great managerial experience to lift his players again after two successive league defeats....

Scotland boss Craig Levein hopes for Darren Fletcher return

Scotland boss Craig Levein hopes for Darren Fletcher return
Wednesday, 4 January 2012

Scotland, manger Craig Levein, hopes to have, captain Darren Fletcher, available for the, 2014 World Cup, qualifying campaign, starting, in September,

Scotland boss Craig Levein has not given up hope of having captain Darren Fletcher available for the start of 2014 World Cup qualifying in September.The Manchester United midfielder is taking a break from football as he is suffering from the bowel condition ulcerative collitis.

"He's out for four months' complete rest, and then we can reassess things," Levein told BBC Scotland's Sportscene."I'd be desperately hoping [to have him for the qualifiers]. He's a huge loss."Scotland begin their campaign to reach the World Cup in Brazil with a double-header against Serbia and Macedonia in Glasgow.When Fletcher announced in December that he was facing an "extended" spell away from the game, there were immediate doubts over his ability to help his national team.The news also sparked fears for the player's career, but Levein has raised the possibility that, with proper rest, Fletcher could return to fitness in time to lead his country later in the year."He's had this for nearly four years now," Levein said. "He's been pushing himself and he's really suffering it this time.....

Real Madrid vs Málaga Report

Real Madrid vs Málaga Report
By Angela Asante, January 4 2012,

soccer news, football news, football articles, football articles

Real Madrid, redefined, team work, and character. last night, in their, comeback victory, over ,Malaga,

Real Madrid redefined team work and character last night in their comeback victory over Malaga.Jose Mourinho picked up a strong starting XI as Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain led the forward line with the assistance of Kaka and Callejon.

Lass and Xabi Alonso combined in the defensive midfield area as Real Madrid’s back four missed the services of Sergio Ramos. For Malaga, former Merengues Ruud van Nistelrooy started.The first goal in 2012 at the Santiago Bernabeu went the visitors’ way. Sergio Sanchez was too strong to beat in the air and his header from a corner ended up crossing the line.Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Callejon tried to respond with efforts of their own, but the score line remained 1-0 until Martin Demichelis doubled the advantage for Malaga. Shockingly, Iker Casillas conceded his second header of the night as Pellegrini’s new-look men were in for an upset.At the hour mark, it really looked like defeat would be Real Madrid’s. Los Blancos, however, had other ideas. In dramatic fashion, they turned the tables around to make their opening of the year 2012 a memorable one.In fact, Jose Mourinho’s triple substitution at the start of the second half certainly paid off. The Portuguese manager sent in Sami Khedira, Karim Benzema and Mesut Özil in replacement of Arbeloa, Kaka and Callejon respectively.German international Khedira thought he had scored in the 57th minute but the referee rightfully disallowed the goal for offside. Still, Real Madrid kept pushing forward through the energy of Benzema, Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo. Finally, Sami Khedira got his name on the scoring sheet after marvelously controlling the ball in the buildup.At 2-1, there was hope for Real Madrid. In a blink of an eye, Los Blancos went leveled. Gonzalo Higuain’s shot from a tight angle played the trick inside the 70th minute.French striker Karim Benzema sealed the comeback 12 minutes from normal time to give Real Madrid a 3-2 advantage ahead of the second leg of this tie.

Barcelona vs Osasuna: The game will not be easy, says Guardiola

Barcelona vs Osasuna: The game will not be easy, says Guardiola
By Isaac Asante, January 4 2012,

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Barcelona, play Osasuna, later in the day in the Copa del Rey, but Pep Guardiola, believes the match, will look nothing, like the meeting, they had earlier this season.

Barcelona destroyed Osasuna 8-0 in a league match on 17 September 2011 at the Camp Nou. The two clubs once again face each other in Cataluña, but Guardiola is not even eyeing an easy challenge.“That was a long time ago,” he said while referring to his side’s major triumph over Los Rojillos. “The situation has changed.”Preferring to look at his mission in its entirety, he added: “This is a 180-minute match and we have to try to get a good result.”Indeed, good results are just what Barcelona need if they are to get through their busy schedule this month with satisfaction. Using the team’s key players wisely is the central idea of Guardiola’s plan, but he has yet to decide whether Lionel Messi will perform tonight or not.He has however affirmed that “the sooner he returns the better.” Iniesta is also said to be making great improvements, and he is therefore expected to play a few minutes against Osasuna.

Chelsea’s Juan Mata backs Villas-Boas and Torres as Blues maintain hopes for glory

Chelsea’s Juan Mata backs Villas-Boas and Torres as Blues maintain hopes for glory
By Angela Asante, January 4 2012,

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Although Andre Villas-Boas and Fernando Torres are under scrutiny at Chelsea, key player Juan Mata has found reasons to believe in the Blues’ chances for success this year.

The 23-year-old Spanish midfielder can look down at this individual performance at Chelsea with pride. The former Valencia play maker has already provided 9 assists and scored 5 goals in 23 appearances for the Blues. However, his good form has been overshadowed by the entire team’s flaws from a general point of view.“It's true we've had a little crisis of results,” Juan Mata admitted before reiterating his belief in Chelsea’s criticized manager.“But Villas-Boas is doing things very well and both the players and the club have a lot of confidence in him. He won everything with Porto last year.”

Andre Villas-Boas is not the only person targeted by the public’s criticism. Striker Fernando Torres is also constantly blamed for Chelsea’s failure to reach higher standards. Mata, however, is among the few people that haven’t lost hope in Torres.“Torres was very good in the last game [against Wolves which Chelsea won 2-1]. He wanted to play a full game, is training hard and wants to contribute to the team.“He can rest assured that the team and the coach all have confidence in him. I'm sure he will score many goals for the club,” Mata concluded.

With their victory over Wolves, Chelsea did just enough to remain in the top 4 zone. The Blues seat above Arsenal by a point, but they lack behind league leaders Manchester City by 11 points. Meanwhile, 5 points separate them from Tottenham Hotspur.The bad news for Chelsea fans is that Spurs have played a game less. This means that the gap between the third position and the fourth position could increase from 5 points to 8.This weekend, Chelsea will have the chance to kick-off their FA Cup campaign on a high. They will be at home to former Premier League team Portsmouth.