Monthly Archives: June 2013

Cavani angered by transfer rumours

The Uruguay star insists he is not worried about where he will play his football next season and is only focused on playing for his country

Edinson Cavani says he is angered by persistent rumours surrounding his future as he looks to fire Uruguay to victory in their Confederations Cup third-place play-off against Italy on Sunday.

The Napoli striker has been linked with a whole host of clubs across Europe, with Real Madrid and Manchester City both reported to hold a strong interest in acquiring his services.

But the 26-year-old has grown tired of the persistent rumours and has refused to discuss his future anymore in a bid to focus on his next international test.

“Your talking at the beginning didn’t disturb me but now I have to confess these rumours are bothering me,” he told reporters.

“You’re talking too much about things you shouldn’t be talking about now. I’m still engaged in this competition and just thinking about the next game [versus Italy].

“I play in Italy, I know all of them. I was expecting them to play a great tournament, so I must congratulate them. But tomorrow, we want to win. I want to raise my country in the world standings as much as possible.”

Oscar Tabarez echoed his striker’s words: “We are facing a strong side but at this stage anything can happen. We want to try to the end and finish this competition in the best possible way.”

Luis Suarez and Diego Godin then revealed they would be using the clash with the Azzurri as an opportunity to exorcise their demons from losing the World Cup 2010 third place play-off to Germany.

“Every time we pull on the Celeste shirt we want to win and claiming third place would really mean a lot to us,” Suarez revealed to Fifa.com.

“What’s more, it still rankles that we didn’t finish on the podium at South Africa 2010, when we lost to Germany.”

“It was really painful for us all, because we came so close to reaching the final,” Godin reiterated. “All we’re thinking about now is beating Italy. Finishing fourth is not the same as finishing third.”

Suarez: Italy a threat without Balotelli

The Azzurri lost their top forward to injury at the end of the group stages but the Liverpool hitman feels Cesare Prandelli has a number of worthy replacements

Luis Suarez says Italy can “hurt” Uruguay in Sunday’s Confederations Cup third-place decider without star striker Mario Balotelli.

The AC Milan attacker is back at home, having been ruled out of the tournament with an injury sustained in the group stage defeat by hosts Brazil.

The Azzurri missed ‘Super Mario’ in their semi-final shoot-out defeat by Spain on Thursday, but Suarez still says Cesare Prandelli’s men have more than enough firepower in reserve.

“Even if they do not have Balotelli, there are a lot of players of the same quality, like [Sebastian] Giovinco,” the Liverpool hitman told Globoesporte.

“Besides, Italy are always the same. They love to exploit the space left by opponents. If we do not play a great game, they can hurt us.”

Suarez strengthened his argument by citing the way in which Italy came from behind to beat Japan 4-3 in an epic encounter in the group stages.

“We should not be surprised that they did that,” he said. “Italy are a team that you have to put away when you have the chance; otherwise they will always find a way to come back.”

Suarez admitted Uruguay’s primary concern is making sure they are back in Brazil next summer for the World Cup, but insisted that they intend on finishing their Confederations Cup campaign on a high.

“Getting third would be very important for us , even if we are also already thinking of the qualifiers,” the 26-year-old added.

Uruguay sit fifth in the Conmebol qualification standings.

Gerrard excited by new faces

The Reds midfielders is thrilled by the Merseysiders’ recent signings, including Simon Mignolet and Iago Aspas and cannot wait to play with his new team-mates

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is excited about the quality and timing of the club’s new signings.

The Reds have announced four new aquisitions already this summer, with Kolo Toure, Luis Alberto, Iago Aspas and Simon Mignolet all agreeing to move to Anfield.

Gerrard feels that the fans should be pleased with the early business and hopes that they can push them to secure Champions League football next season.

He told the club’s official televsion channel: “Especially with the news of us making a few signings, I’m really looking forward to getting started.

“It’s always important to get faces in as soon as possible; they can get a full pre-season under their belt, get to know the lads and how the manager wants to play.

“There are some exciting names in there so everyone is excited.”

The skipper admits that he does not know much about the new Spanish pair but has faith in the club’s scouting system.

“I know very little about them but I have got a lot belief and confidence in Brendan [Rodgers] and the scouting department that they are going to make the right decisions and I have seen bits and bobs of new signings we have made,” he remarked.

“I am really looking forward to getting back to work next week and seeing what the new players have got to offer and see if they can help strengthen our squad to put in a better fight for a top-four finish.”