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Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo has criticised England, stating that Roy Hodgson’s men were playing for penalties and did not deserve to beat the Azzurri.

The Three Lions were beaten 4-2 on spot-kicks after a 0-0 draw following extra-time of their Euro 2012 quarter-final on Sunday, with Ashley Young and Ashley Cole missing their efforts.

The Juventus midfielder scored a cheeky chipped penalty straight down the middle, and has revealed that Joe Hart’s intimidation tactics played a part in his decision-making process.

“I saw England’s keeper Joe Hart making strange movements and decided to take my kick that way,” The Sun quote Pirlo as saying.

“Hart was fired up and he had been diving around, so it was easier to take it like that.

“Scoring the way I did put pressure on to Young, and that is what made him miss his kick.

“I did not fear being ridiculed by the English. They just wanted to play for penalties and we deserved to beat them, even though it had to go to a shootout.

“We knew we could have dominated them and we could have played better. We certainly ought to have won the game earlier on, as that would have saved some of our energy for the semi-final.

“England are a good team but we prepared ourselves very well for them.

“Mario Balotelli wasted some chances for us but he put himself about well and worked very hard.

“All we want is for him to be in position when the goal chances arrive,” he concluded.

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Italy take on Germany in the Euro 2012 semi-finals on Thursday.

By Gareth McKnight

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In his weekly column for the Sun, former Arsenal legend, Ian Wright wrote: “Star players set to leave, barely any new signings, injuries to top players and a seriously tough batch of opening fixtures. I’m fed up of talking about Arsenal with a negative vibe but it looks like dark days are ahead.”

He added: “Yet it seems Wenger’s revolution has ground to a halt. Now I fear he may end up walking away.” So is Wright correct to worry about Wenger’s future at Ashburton Grove?

Let’s have a look at the current situation that has got Wright to come out with this. It sounds like Fabregas’s transfer to Barcelona is all but done and that Nasri will be swiftly following him out of the door to join rivals Manchester City as the club want to cash in on a player unwilling to sign a new contract. Already the club have lost Gael Clichy to City while Emmanuel Eboue and Nicklas Bendtner’s time at the Emirates appear to be at an end. The summer arrivals have thus far been nominal with only Gervinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Carl Jenkinson coming in. So it understandable to see such a bleak short-term future at the Emirates for Wenger.

However it is too easy to be negative about the new season and about Wenger’s future. It has been obvious all summer that Cesc was going to leave so he must have found a ready-made replacement with Juan Mata and Eden Hazard – two names that have been continuously linked to the club.

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As Arsenal’s longest serving manager, Wenger is going into his fifteenth season in charge of the club and in that time he has had his ups and downs. He has signed a three-year contract until 2014 and I expect him to see it out as why would he leave the club he has helped build, not just on the field but off it?

Just because he has ended up with a weakened team does not mean he will just walk away. If Fergie can get away with rebuilding about four new teams during his time at Old Trafford, why can’t Wenger, especially if he thinks it will benefit the club in the long term?

Players like Wilshere, Ramsey, Chamberlain, Gervinho, are at the Emirates for the long term and this can only be a positive thing. Scott Dann is close to signing and he might at long last be the solution to the shaky centre-back position, although undoubtedly Arsenal fans will criticise the signing.

I don’t think Arsenal are too far off Man United in challenging for the title particularly if they can keep the main players fit while finding suitable replacements for Cesc and Samir and then securing a safe central defender. If the fans get behind Wenger and the team then maybe it could be better season than expected.

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This sort of quote is typical of Ian Wright’s pedestrian punditry where he makes ridiculous comments to cause controversy, can anyone apart from him see Wenger walking away just because Fabregas is going and Nasri is likely to follow him?

Sometimes a club needs freshening up especially after six years without a trophy and I think this will only benefit the club in the future; sometimes you have to move backwards to move forwards and I am convinced Wenger will be around for a long time to come yet.

With the Dutch press suggesting that new Ajax manager Frank De Boer will allow striker Luis Suarez in the January transfer window, I thought it might be interesting to look at the controversial Uruguayan striker in more detail. I have underlined three reasons below that make me uncertain over whether a move for him would be a good idea:

Courting Controversy – Two incidents over the last year have seen Luis Suarez being thrust into the limelight for the wrong reasons. The first came during the World Cup quarter final against Ghana. He handled the ball deliberately on the line in the last minute of extra time and was sent off. He was then seen celebrating when Asamoah Gyan missed the resulting spot kick leading to a penalty shoot-out which Uruguay won. Suarez has ever since been labelled a “cheat” or unsportsmanlike.

The second incident came back in November in a league game against PSV Eindhoven. After an argument between the players, Suarez bit opponent Otman Bakkal on the shoulder. The 23 year old was fined and was given a seven match ban by the Dutch FA. Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf pronounced him to be the “Cannibal of Ajax.”

Goal scoring record – The biggest doubt of course for any striker coming from Holland to the Premier League is whether they have the ability to continue their excellent goal scoring record they had in the Eredivisie. Mateja Kezman and Alfonso Alves are just two names that come to mind, who had excellent goal scoring records in Holland, but failed to impress in the Premier League. Suarez has an excellent goalscoring record for Ajax with 81 league goals in the last three and half years, but will this be replicated in England?

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Before his lengthy suspension, Suarez had gone nine matches without scoring a goal and had only scored 1 goal in five Champions League matches. European competition is where standards are highest and his record in this season’s group stage was not great, although he had success in previous seasons in the Europa League. The biggest deciding factor if he is to be successful, will be down to his technical and physical attributes. In this area though I think Suarez will be fine as he can hold up the ball as well as having a fair bit of pace.

Partnering Fernando Torres – Another question mark is whether Suarez and Fernando Torres could be partnered together at Liverpool. Kenny Dalglish has already reverted back to playing 4-5-1 and I doubt Suarez would be comfortable playing in any other position other than alongside Torres. The Uruguayan does not have the physical qualities to play as a lone striker like Torres nor would it be easy for him to play out of position in the two wide areas. A change back to 4-4-2 would be necessary and the question becomes, would Suarez compliment Torres in the forward line?

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Certainly they bring different attributes to the party. Suarez likes coming deep for the ball and getting involved in build up play, while Torres likes getting in behind defences. I still would however prefer a different stronger, target man figure alongside Torres, so the Spaniard could feed off knock downs and be free to play his own game rather than be the sole target man himself. Suarez would be a different partner but I could see the partnership working out.

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Holy Crap – it’s live fantasy football! Become part of Spurs v Man United and play Picklive for FREE Watch and bet live – spices up any game!

With five England players just one yellow card away from a one game suspension at Euro 2012, The Guardian reports that boss Roy Hodgson has urged those in question to put the team first ahead of their quarter final against Italy on Sunday.

Captain Steven Gerrard is one of the 5 in question, joined by the ever present James Milner, Ashley Cole, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ashley Young. England’s gritty and determined performances defensively thus far have given the whole country a wave of optimism, but they have come at a price due to the bookings of those five individuals.

With another defensively orientated display expected in Kiev on Sunday, Hodgson has insisted that those who do feature at risk of picking up a suspension put their individual motives behind them and help guide their team to a Euro 2012 semi-final regardless.

UEFA’s amnesty on yellow cards for all those players who have picked just one up will come into play after the quarter finals, so those booked in any of the semi-finals will be eligible for the final in Kiev on 1st July.

Hodgson is not expected to refrain from selecting those at risk, and those individuals won’t be expected to shy away from tackles for their own good with an English place in the semi-finals at stake.

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Real Madrid’s star-studded team have landed in Los Angeles for their pre-season tour of the United States.The La Liga giants are staying in Beverly Hills and will have their first training session on Tuesday at the UCLA campus in Westwood.

Real will use the campus as their headquarters for the next two weeks to prepare for a series of friendlies.

Their schedule includes a match against the LA Galaxy on Saturday before facing Mexican side Chivas Guadalajara in San Diego on July 20th.

Jose Mourinho’s side are hoping to regain the La Liga title having lost out to arch rivals Barcelona for the past three years.

In an effort to overhaul the Catalans, manager Jose Mourinho has added Fabio Coentrao, Hamit Altintop, Nuri Sahin, Raphael Varane, and Jose Callejon to his squad.

Mourinho has stated that he wants to sign another striker, with Sergio Aguero from Atletico Madrid and Neymar from Brazilian outfit Santos both linked.

Madrid will travel to Germany, England and China before they embark on their La Liga campaign.

Arsenal avoided a shock defeat in the FA Cup this weekend as a last minute Cesc Fabregas penalty ensured that the Gunners are in the hat for the 4th Round. Arsene Wenger could have done without the replay, as the games come thick and fast during the second half of the season.

At FFC we have seen a mixed bag of articles which includes Wenger’s principles questioned; Arsenal miss a trick with Bergkamp and one deal in January that Arsene must get right.

We also look at the best Arsenal articles around the web this week.

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VIDEO: The GREATEST Premier League goal ever…you decide!

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The most important DEAL Arsenal will complete this month

Time to revamp the January window so to avoid this annual circus?

The Top TEN January transfer window disasters

Principles are one thing, but success is another for Arsenal

Have Arsenal missed a trick with Dennis Bergkamp?

Top TEN Transfer Window guarantees this January

Has Wenger made a mistake with Aaron Ramsey?

Has time now come for Arsene to CASH in on winger?

Loan deal could prove the making of young Gunner?

One rule for the big boys and one for everyone else?

Another Wenger transfer masterstroke or a shrewd commercial move?

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Best of Web

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Exciting youngster flirting with Arsenal again \ Drug scandal \ He’s on his way out! – Le Grove

Stone Cold Friday: On The Right Track – A Cultured Left Foot

Random Thoughts From The Barnet Hills – Online Gooner

City boring, Fabianski bored! There will be days like this I guess…. – Highbury House

Undeniably, a deal Arsenal must swiftly secure – Gunnersphere

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Holy Crap – it’s live fantasy football! Become part of Man United v Liverpool and play Picklive for FREE Watch and bet live – spices up any game!

Fabio Capello has thrown his hat in the ring to become the next manager of Chelsea, according to The Daily Mail.

The former England manager walked away from the Three Lions role earlier in the year due to the FA’s decision to strip John Terry of the national captaincy, and has been out of work since.

With Andre Villas Boas sacked earlier in the campaign, Roberto Di Matteo took over as interim boss at Stamford Bridge, and has rejuvenated their senior players and the season.

However, it is believed that Roman Abramovich would prefer a more senior manager, with Pep Guaridola his number one target.

Due to the fact that the ex-Barcelona head coach is set to have a sabbatical away from the game for one year, the Russian billionaire is examining his options, and as such Capello may be an option.

Capello is ready to travel to Munich to watch Chelsea’s Champions League final with Bayern Munich on Saturday, and as such will look to make contact with the west London club.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has stated his desire to bring both Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri to Eastlands.The Italian believes Argentina forward Aguero could be the ideal replacement for the unsettled Carlos Tevez and has not been shy in announcing his interest in Arsenal’s Nasri, either.

Atletico Madrid star Aguero put football’s biggest clubs on alert after revealing his intentions to leave the La Liga club, and is set to make a decision on his future after playing for Argentina in the Copa America.

Atletico’s rivals Real Madrid look to be City’s biggest competition in securing the 23-year-old’s signature, with the player reportedly open to a move within Spain or to England.

Mancini believes Aguero would be a perfect fit at the English Premier League club: “At the moment I am waiting because if we lose Carlos, Aguero is a player that can play for Manchester City because he is young, because he is a good player like Carlos, he can score a lot of goals and can play with Mario (Balotelli), with Edin (Dzeko),” Mancini told Sky Sports News.

“It is probably yes, (we will make a bid). I think in this moment we only have to wait.”

The former Inter boss also made no secret of his desire to bring in France midfielder Nasri as he continues to stall on a new contract at Arsenal.

“Samir is under contract with Arsenal. Also, for Samir it depends on many things,” Mancini said.

“I hope that we can buy because we need other players and I hope that this player can arrive before the end of the month.”

City’s Premier League rivals Chelsea appear set to sign Genk goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois after the Belgian club released a statement on Saturday.

Chelsea reportedly plan to immediately loan out the highly rated 19-year-old, but it will not be back to Genk as had been originally mooted.

Belgian First Division champions Genk claim Courtois pushed for the transfer – at a value of around nine million euros – to be completed.

A statement on Genk’s official website read: “Genk have done everything in its power to persuade the player and his representatives that he should stay in Genk but this did not work out.”

“After Courtois did not turn up to a meeting this morning during the build up to the match against Lyon, Genk had no other choice but to accept the bid from Chelsea, which is the biggest it has ever received for any one player.”

Striker Emile Heskey is to make his comeback for Aston Villa in Saturday's home derby clash against West Brom, while Ashley Young returns after suspension.

Young was forced to sit out the 3-0 defeat at Liverpool on Monday as he served a one-game ban for picking up five yellow cards this season, but is available again for the Villa Park showdown against the Baggies.

Heskey, who had scored three goals in six games for Villa, has not played for more than a month following knee surgery although boss Gerard Houllier says he will definitely feature at the weekend.

He said: ''Emile will definitely be involved on Saturday. It's down to other people to analyse the minutes we've played with Emile, the goals he's scored and made. But you would see the difference, he works hard for the team and we've missed him.''

The Baggies game will come too soon for midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker, despite his return to training from knee problems, while skipper Stiliyan Petrov is a fortnight off a return to light training following his Achilles injury.

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Houllier added on ESPN: "Petrov is ahead of schedule and in two weeks he should be back in training. Reo-Coker had his first full training session with us yesterday. I'd be surprised if he is in contention (for Saturday)."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has stated that he will not leave the club this summer, despite interest from Real Madrid.

The Argentina international has been a major part of the newly-crowned champions’ first team since signing from Atletico Madrid last summer, and scored the winning goal against QPR on the last day of the season to hand Roberto Mancini’s men the title.

However, Real Madrid have been monitoring the South American’s progress and are thought to be weighing up a summer move for the forward.

Despite this, Aguero has stated that he has no intention of leaving the Etihad Stadium, and is looking forward to playing in Europe for the side next season.

“I will continue with City, I want to play in the Champions League here. Today City lives up to anyone, so I do not want to go. I decide where to go. If I say I will stay, I will stay,” he told Radio La Red, translated to English by The Daily Mail.

The news is backed up by Mario Balotelli’s commitment to remain at the club also, despite disciplinary matter over the course of the last campaign.

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By Gareth McKnight

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