Indian captain Rahul Dravid suffered an injury scare here on Saturday, two days before the team’s departure for a 23-day tour of Bangladesh.
   Dravid was hit on the nose by a bouncer from left-arm paceman Rudra Pratap Singh during practice but an X-ray ruled out a fracture.
   The team’s administrative manager Surendra Bhave said Dravid’s injury was not serious and that he should recover in the next 48 hours.
   ‘The ball hit the visor of Dravid’s helmet. He suffered a nose trauma. It is not serious,’ he told reporters.
   ‘The X-ray showed bruises and he has been advised 24-hour rest. He should be back in action in the next 48 hours,’ he added.
   The Indian team are slated to leave on Monday for neighbouring Bangladesh for their tour which includes three one-dayers and two Tests. The first one-dayer is on May 10.
   India were hit by another injury scare on Wednesday when star batsman Sachin Tendulkar suffered a right ankle sprain.
   Tendulkar has since recovered and has been seen taking part in net practice.
   India’s tour of Bangladesh has assumed significance after Dravid’s men lost to the minnows in the recent World Cup, a defeat which eventually led to the team’s early ouster from the premier competition.

Sharmin Akhtar and Imam Hossain won the titles of the 10 metre Rifle events in the National Shooting Championships at the
   National Shooting Complex on Saturday.
   Sharmin Akhtar totalled 492.9 points to finish first while Suraiya Akhtar
   scored 488.3 to become second.
   Sabrina Sultana was third with 486.3.
   Imam Hossain earned 685.3 points to be the best among the male shooters followed by Saiful Alam Rinky who scored 681.9 and Azizur Rahman Uzzal who totalled 678.8.
   Tripti Dutta, the rising star of the BKSP, clinched her second title after winning the women’s junior event of 10 metre Rifle.
   Afsan Asker (379) and Sharmin Akhtar Ratna (377) were second and third respectively.
   Sifat Sadique (571), Pritom Mohammed Chowdhury
   (567) and Hasan Ali (562) completed the roll of honour of the Men’s junior event of 10 metre Rifle.

All the matches of the Oldham Athletic Football Club in Bangladesh will be open to the spectators for free as a
   number of sponsors came forward to provide the required facilities. Dhaka Regency
   Hotel will be the prime sponsors.
   Noted English football club Oldham’s U-23 team will be arriving in Bangladesh on May 7 to play three exhibition matches with first game on May 8 against Dhaka Mohammedans, the second against U-23 national team on May 10 at Sylhet stadium and on May 12 against Dhaka Abahani at the BNS.
   The team will be staying at the Regency Hotel.
   The other co-sponsors are GMG Airlines, Royal Bengal Airlines, G-10, Tricon
   Products, Shyamoli Life Style, Channel S (UK), Marlboro Express and Hillside Apartments Ltd.
   At a press conference held at the BFF Bhaban on Saturday the president of the BFF, SA Sultan, disclosed the names of the sponsors.
   Monir Ahmed, the senior vice-president of the BFF, Anwarul Huq Helal, the
   general secretary, Monzur Hossain Malu, the deputy
   general secretary, and executive director of Regency Kabir Reza were present on the occasion.

Players were not the only ones tired and bored of the long-drawn cricket World Cup, umpires were left equally exhausted by the tournament’s length, said Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar.
   Dar, who stood in the final of the mega-event which ended last week, felt the World Cup was pretty well-organised but was too long.
   ‘It was a bit too long and in the end tired out the players and umpires. I think the World Cup should be of shorter duration,’ Dar said.
   Dar and fellow umpire Steve Bucknor were at the centre of a rain-affected chaotic final which saw Australia clinch their third successive title in near-darkness.
   Dar defended himself saying the confusion did not occur because of on-field officials.
   ‘I think there was a communication breakdown and we acted on instructions from outside. But the feeling was that the match had to be completed on the reserve day but the captains told us this is the rule,’ he clarified.
   Defending his fellow umpires and officials, Dar said they were also human beings and could make mistakes.
   ‘At times mistakes do happen. The ICC and match officials have done the right thing apologising for the mistake made in the final,’ the umpire, who has supervised 37 Tests and 88 ODIs, said.
   Speaking about his experience of officiating in the final, Dar said he was overwhelmed after being chosen for the summit clash.
   ‘It is every umpire’s ambition to supervise the World Cup final. When I learnt I was to stand in the final it was a dream come true for me. It is also a big honour for Pakistan,’ Dar said.
   Having seen all the international sides from close quarters, Dar said he found World Champion Australians to be the toughest and felt they would continue to be numero uno for the next few years.
   ‘They are mentally a very strong outfit and very different from other teams. They don’t come under pressure at all. Even if they lose wickets they will maintain a fast scoring rate and they have great self belief in themselves. That is their secret to success,’ Dar said.
   Dar stood in six of Australia’s 10 World Cup matches and expressed surprise at his frequent appointment in matches involving Ricky Ponting’s men.
   ‘I don’t know why I ended up standing in their matches. It might be some sort of recommendation somewhere. It might be a policy of having the best umpires supervise matches of the top teams,’ he said.

Slain Pakistani cricket team coach Bob Woolmer was on Friday cremated during a private family function in Cape Town, the family said.
   ‘Yes, my father was cremated this morning (Friday). The service was held at Doves (parlour) in Salt River at 11a.m (0900 GMT),’ Woolmer’s son, Dale, told AFP.
   ‘It was private and only family members attended,’ he said.
   The body of Woolmer, who is believed to have been poisoned while at a World Cup in Jamaica, arrived in South Africa last Sunday, six weeks after his corpse was discovered in a Jamaican hotel room.
   A public memorial service for the 58-year-old former South African coach, whose widow Gill lives in Cape Town’s Pinelands neighbourhood, was held in the city last month.
   Woolmer, who was born in Kanpur, India, was found dead in his Kingston hotel room on March 18, the day after Pakistan crashed out of the cricket World Cup in an upset loss to Ireland.
   His body was held in legal limbo for weeks after an autopsy indicated the former England Test player had been strangled, but investigators have yet to make any arrests.
   The Kingston coroner in charge of the case ruled that Woolmer’s body could not be released until after an inquest that had been scheduled to begin on April 23 was completed.
   Woolmer’s death led to a fevered round of speculations. The most common theory is that his death was linked to match-fixing and illegal betting in cricket.
   Some 30 police investigators are working full-time on the Woolmer case and more than 100 witness statements have already been taken.

Former England batsman Geoff Boycott believes
   India captain Rahul
   Dravid needs to be more assertive for the team to rediscover success.
   ‘Rahul Dravid is a superb batsman, a lovely lad who nobody dislikes but he
   needs to stand up and take charge,’ Boycott said on Saturday.
   ‘He is not a born leader.
   ‘A strong leader is a must. India’s best period in recent years has been with a strong captain (Sourav) Ganguly and a nice man behind the scenes in John Wright.
   ‘They complemented each other,’ Boycott wrote in Mumbai daily DNA on Saturday of the previous captain-coach combination when New Zealander Wright served as India’s first foreign coach for almost five years.
   The Indian board is looking for Greg Chappell’s successor after the Australian resigned as coach following the team’s first-round exit in the World Cup in the Caribbean.
   ‘A coach can help with motivation, shaping a player’s batting or bowling plus organisation, but in the end, the captain should be the guy pulling the strings.’
   ‘Finding another coach is not the panacea to building a great side. I don’t think it matters whether a coach is from India or abroad.
   ‘For me, too much is made of the role of the coach,’ Boycott said.

Daren Ganga, the West Indies batsman, has been appointed Ramnaresh Sarwan’s deputy for their tour of England.
   Though Ganga, 29, was considered for the post of
   captain – and is, in many people’s opinion, the eventual heir apparent – Sarwan was preferred due to his greater experience.
   Also joining Sarwan in the management team is Richard Smith, the ECB Academy’s physiologist, who has been appointed West Indies’ strength and conditioning coach.

New Zealand bowler Daryl Tuffey and former international Bruce Blair have backed Daniel Vettori to become the Black Caps’ one-day captain. Tuffey, a Northern Knights team-mate of the veteran spinner, and ex-Knights coach Blair have tipped the 28-year-old to succeed if chosen to replace Stephen Fleming. Blair, who appointed Vettori as his captain at provincial level, said, ‘He makes a lot of right decisions at the right time which isn’t something you can teach someone in a hurry.
   ‘He seems to have a bit of a gut feel.’
   Tuffey, a World Cup colleague of the left-armer, told The Waikato Times, ‘Obviously I’ve been under both of them and I found they are kind of different.
   ‘Flem is a batsman so comes from that mentality and Dan is a bowler. I think Dan’s a fine captain. He will make a fine one-day captain from what I witnessed with him at ND.’
   Other contenders for the role include Jacob Oram and wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum.

Andrew Strauss is favourite to take over as England captain should Michael Vaughan be ruled out of the first Test against West Indies through injury.
   Former England player Darren Gough backed Strauss for the Lord’s Test, which starts on 17 May.
   He told BBC Five Live, ‘Without a doubt Strauss, as he’s done it before and knows what it’s all about.’
   Vaughan broke his finger on Thursday, playing for Yorkshire in an attempt to get more matches under his belt.
   The 32-year-old is rated as doubtful for the first Test and could miss the second one, at his county ground Headingley, too as the injury typically takes a month to heal.
   Strauss led England last summer when Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff were both injured.
   He started with a traumatic 5-0 whitewash against Sri Lanka in the one-day series, but won the Test series against Pakistan 3-0.
   However, a fit-again Flintoff was preferred to Strauss to lead England during the Ashes series in Australia, where England were trounced 5-0 in the Tests but bounced back to win the one-day CB Series.
   But Flintoff was publicly reprimanded and stripped of the vice-captaincy during the World Cup in the Caribbean after a drunken episode involving a pedalo.
   Gough said, ‘Unfortunately he (Flintoff) got done for going out and having a drink but that should not stop him being captain of England.
   ‘But I think they will go for Andrew Strauss.’
   Paul Collingwood is the third name in the frame but he has very little captaincy experience although he would relish the chance.
   He said, ‘To get mentioned with the captaincy is obviously a great feeling. I’ve done a few games for Durham a couple of seasons ago.
   ‘I enjoy the challenges of captaincy but, as I’ve said, hopefully this will be in the future and hopefully Michael Vaughan will be fit.’
   In an attempt to get fit, Vaughan could use a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to speed up the healing process.
   Both Simon Jones and Matthew Hoggard have used the chamber before with varying degrees of success.
   Jones failed to recover from an ankle injury which ruled him out of the fifth and final Ashes Test at The Oval in 2005.
   But Hoggard did recover from a hand injury in time to face Pakistan at Lord’s last summer and took five wickets in the match. Yorkshire physiotherapist Scott McAllister said, ‘It is just one of the options being considered, but it may or may not be beneficial in Michael’s case.
   ‘We’re icing the finger to keep swelling to a minimum and concentrating on making sure it is immobile at all times.
   ‘That combination of regular icing and immobility could well be the best route to follow but we’re keeping an open mind right now.’

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has called on his old rival Arsene Wenger to hand him the Premiership title.
   Ferguson’s league leaders will be crowned champions for the first time since 2003 if Chelsea fail to win at Arsenal on Sunday.
   United moved eight points clear of second-placed Chelsea with a 1-0 win at Manchester City on Saturday and now Gunners boss Wenger, who has been involved in a series of spats with Ferguson, is in a position to send the title to Old Trafford.
   Ferguson, who insists he would rather play golf than watch the Emirates Stadium clash, knows that even if Chelsea do win on Sunday, United can clinch the league with a draw at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday - a prospect he would relish.
   ‘We’ve got a great chance now obviously and I’m hopeful Arsenal will do us a favour,’ he said. ‘A draw would be fine. Hopefully we can get the result we want.
   ‘I won’t watch the match. I was supposed to go to Spain but that might be cancelled so if it’s a good day I’ll go for a game of golf.
   ‘But if we have to go to Chelsea and do it, I will look forward to it.’
   Ferguson saluted his players’ courage as they produced the perfect response to their Champions League exit against AC Milan in midweek.
   ‘What you saw today was human courage,’ he said. ‘Coming back from Wednesday night and having to get through the travel and lack of rest, the players have shown fantastic courage.
   ‘City never actually tried to beat us. They were happy at 1-0, but towards the end they got the penalty kick. We got through it. It wasn’t a great performance but derby games are like that.’
   It was Cristiano Ronaldo’s first half penalty that won the clash against their bitter local rivals.
   Ronaldo had been the victim of a nasty stamp from Michael Ball early in the match and Ferguson said: ‘He’s had a fantastic season but he took a really bad challenge early in the game.
   ‘It’s very difficult to handle a derby and it got a bit out of control.’
   City manager Stuart Pearce took comfort from the way his side battled against the champions-elect. They could have snatched a point but Darius Vassell’s late penalty was saved by Edwin van der Sar and Pearce said: ‘We stayed in this game all the way against a team who, after this result, are likely to be champions of England.
   ‘We were in it right until the last minute, but we missed a penalty and that cost us dearly.’

UEFA president Michel Platini has sent a letter to Milan to congratulate the club for reaching the Champions League final.
   The Rossoneri will play in their 11th European Cup final against Liverpool in Athens later this month after having defeated Manchester United in the semi-final with an aggregate 5-3 win.
   ‘We would like to congratulate your club on reaching the final of the 2006-07 Champions League,’ read the letter to vice-president Adriano Galliani.
   ‘We especially compliment Milan on their outstanding performances during the group stage, as well as the first knock-out round, quarter-finals and semi-finals, and wish your team an equally brilliant performance in the final itself.
   ‘Your club’s achievement reflects the professional attitude and commitment of your team and the club’s officials and confirms that Milan are a worthy member of the European football elite,’ continued Le Roi.
   ‘We should also like to express our sincere gratitude to you, to all of your officials and staff, for the competent and friendly co-operation we have enjoyed with your club throughout the season for all your home matches at San Siro.’
   Milan’s participation in this year’s Champions League had been in doubt last summer because of their involvement in the calciopoli scandal.
   UEFA’s emergency panel, however, ruled in August that the Rossoneri could take part in the preliminaries but had slammed the club, underlining the fact that the six-time European champions were being admitted entry primarily thanks to a legal loophole.

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has expressed his relief after a blood test revealed he was not over the legal drink-drive limit when arrested last week.
   Essien had been arrested prior to Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final first leg game against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.
   The Ghana international was suspended for the tie but returned for the second leg at Anfield on Tuesday night.
   Chelsea crashed out of the competition for the second time in three years at the semi-final stage when Liverpool won a dramatic penalty shootout 4-1.
   But Essien has now been given the all-clear by police following a blood test which revealed he was not in breach of the law.
   Essien declared, ‘I would never drink and drive and I am glad the blood test results came back and confirmed that I was not over the limit.
   ‘The people close to me know that I don’t really drink anyway but I certainly would never be so irresponsible to put my own and other peoples’ lives at risk.
   ‘I am very aware also that footballers are role models to a lot of young kids and I take that seriously so would not want any kids to think that I would behave in an irresponsible way. That is why I wanted to clear my name and make sure people know I am a responsible person and was not over the limit.
   ‘This story has caused a lot of upset also to my mum and family in Ghana. There has been a lot of things written about me that are just not true. It’s important to me that people write the truth - that I was not over the limit. There are no charges being brought against me.
   ‘As far as I was concerned the police were doing their job, I happily co-operated with them, even signed autographs for some of the officers’ kids. I presumed when I was allowed to drive home after two-and-a-half hours at the station that they were happy I was not over the limit.’

Barcelona’s interest in Xabi Alonso comes as no surprise to the Liverpool star’s older brother Mikel, as he believes that any club aspiring to win things would want to sign him.
   The Blaugrana are said to be monitoring the Reds midfielder’s situation and could make an offer during the summer to tempt the Basque playmaker to return to La Primera. After leaving his brother at Real Sociedad, Xabi Alonso has improved immeasurably and his sibling believes he would be a huge asset to any club that are interested.
   ‘Xabi is a great player and I am not just saying that because he is my brother, I am being objective,’ Mikel told Sport.
   ‘His short passing, long balls and defending has all improved a lot in England with the intensity there and is a great professional now. He has intelligence which is always the most important thing for any midfielder. At all times he knows what he is supposed to do and where to be.
   ‘At the level he is playing, all great teams that want to win titles are interested in him. That is normal. I can understand why Barcelona are interested in Xabi.’

Clarence Seedorf admits he cried as Milan reached the Champions League final and demands Inter president Massimo Moratti give them some respect.
   ‘Those were tears of hard work, sweat, anger and joy,’ explained the midfielder after the 5-3 aggregate semi-final victory over Manchester United.
   ‘It was also all the emotion we felt as a group having gone through so much in the first few months of this season. Within those tears was seeing everything we have achieved. It was a feeling I just could not contain.’
   Seedorf is the only man in Champions League history to have won this competition with three different clubs and is looking forward to the final against Liverpool on May 23.
   ‘They are a tough side. We respect them, but we also proved on the field what we can do. We will play this game the same way we face every fixture at this level, as each time we gain more experience, not just from the Final we lost in 2005.’
   According to the Dutchman, it is experience that stood them apart from Manchester United in that semi-final, overturning a 3-2 first leg defeat with a 3-0 victory.
   ‘Milan give their best when they are up against it. The result isn’t the important thing here, but rather how we got it, and in this case experience was crucial.’
   There was one blot on the landscape, as former Inter man Seedorf was angry at comments from the other side of the San Siro. ‘Moratti should compliment us and be happy for the city of Milan. Inter won the Scudetto and Milan are in the Champions League final. Now is the time to drop certain comments that help nobody, because there is no point looking back to the past.
   ‘Moratti should enjoy his title as a great winner, but that also means respecting his opponents and all of Italian football.’

Mark Boucher, Makhaya Ntini, Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock and Ashwell Prince have been nominated for the 2007 Mutual and Federal South African Cricketer of the Year award. Cricket South Africa have announced the nominees for the South African International Awards which will be announced at a banquet in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
   AB de Villiers, Andrew Hall, Kallis and Pollock were the nominees for the Standard Bank One-Day International Cricketer of the Year award while Boucher, Pollock and Prince were nominated for the Players’ Player of the Year award.
   Fans voted for their favourites, and among those who could win the Supersport Fans’ Cricketer of the Year award were de Villiers, Ntini and Pollock. Pollock received nominations in all five international categories.

Roberto Donadoni has criticised the decision to start the next Serie A season just days before crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers with France and Ukraine.
   The Italy boss had hoped his players would begin the domestic campaign on August 19, but the Lega Calcio rejected that proposal in yesterday’s meeting.
   Instead the kick-off date has been set for the weekend of August 26, giving the Azzurri precious little time to prepare for their crunch matches.
   They are set to face their Group B rivals France on September 8 and Ukraine on September 12.
   ‘I am surprised,’ said Donadoni. ‘Of course it would have been better to play these European Championship ties with three Serie A games in our legs.
   ‘We will have to make do with the circumstances we are given and try to do as best we can after two rounds.’
   So soon after the failure to host Euro 2012, the row between club and country in Italy is brought to the fore again.
   ‘Is the Nazionale put on the back burner? There’s no point making these things into an issue, perhaps there were other needs that took precedence,’ he added.

Plaintiffs including England’s Premier League sued Google Inc.’s online-video sharing site YouTube on Friday for copyright infringement, marking the second big legal challenge to YouTube.
   According to court documents filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the Football Association Premier League Ltd, better known as the English Premier League, and music publisher Bourne Co sued YouTube.
   The lawsuit charges that YouTube deliberately encourages massive copyright infringement on its Web site to generate public attention and boost traffic. This has resulted in the loss of valuable content, the complaint said.
   ‘Defendants, which own and operate the Web site YouTube.com, have knowingly misappropriated and exploited this valuable property for their own gain without payment or licence to the owners of the intellectual property,’ the lawsuit said.

Javier Saviola has been offered a new contract by Barcelona, but the deal would see him named as the third-choice striker and his salary dramatically cut, according to reports.
   The Argentinian striker must now decide whether to stay put and battle for a place or leave on a free. With his current contract due to expire next month, Saviola was waiting to hear what the Blaugrana were offering before listening to offers from other clubs.
   All was revealed during talks between Barca’s technical secretary, Txiki Beguiristain, and the player’s agent, Diego Queiruga, this week. The new deal on the table has a maximum length of two or three years and would see his basic salary cut from over £4m per year to around £1.5m.

Claude Makelele has
   rejected suggestions he has
   had a bust-up with Jose Mourinho.
   This season, the 34-year-old Chelsea midfielder seems to have lost his position as one of Mourinho’s ‘untouchables’,
   yet the France veteran
   claims his lack of playing time is simply because of exhaustion.
   ‘I have been very tired, a physical tiredness,’ he told L’Equipe.
   ‘I have had to recover and, to me, in such condition, it is logical not to play. There is absolutely no bad relationship with Jose Mourinho.
   ‘What has happened was in harmony with the technical staff and myself.
   ‘There is no dispute. I have just been exhausted.
   ‘I had no rest since the World Cup and I played a lot of matches for my club and the French team.
   ‘If you are not efficient anymore in the team, you have to stop. I can’t stand to play if I am not at my best.’
   Although Makelele had been close to retiring from the national side after the World Cup, he admits he is still deciding whether he will take part in Euro 2008.
   ‘I don’t know, I don’t know. There is still one thing to win with Les Bleus, that is for sure.
   ‘But in the French team I believe I won what I wanted to win: just respect.
   More than recognition, I wanted respect.
   ‘To me, earning respect was more important than winning the World Cup.’

The Indian hockey team put in a creditable performance before going down to Olympic champions Australia in the first match of the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia on Saturday.
   The young Indian team under new coach Joaquim Carvalho and captain Prabodh Tirkey kept the hockeyroos at bay in the first half but the citadel was finally breached in the 51st minute.
   Eli Matheson put in a first time deflection and that turned out to be the only goal of the match.
   Playing without seven of their World Cup stars, the Aussies nevertheless underlined the depth in talent to emerge winners.
   But then, it was a match that India gifted to the 2006 World Cup runners-up, wasting at least half-a-dozen clear scoring chances.

Manchester City have ended their home programme of Premier League matches by scoring only 10 goals—the lowest number scored at home in the English top flight since League soccer began in 1888.
   Their 1-0 defeat in the local derby to Manchester United at Eastlands on Saturday was their eighth successive home league match without a goal and means their tally of 10 goals in 19 matches is the worst ever.
   The previous record was shared by Woolwich Arsenal, who scored 11 in 19 matches in 1912-13 and Sunderland, who also scored 11 in 19 matches in 2002-03.
   City missed a penalty in last week’s home match against Aston Villa and also against United on Saturday.
   Their defeats in both of those games means their 19
   home matches produced five wins, six draws and eight defeats.
   City last scored a home league goal in a 2-1 win over Everton on New Year’s Day when Giorgios Samaras converted a 72nd-minute penalty.

Jose Mourinho has held showdown talks with Roman Abramovich’s right-hand man Eugene Tenenbaum over the futures of Chelsea stars Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko.
   Tenenbaum, who is now the link man between Mourinho and Abramovich, was called to a meeting with the manager at Chelsea’s training ground with Shevchenko present following another chaotic week at the club.
   Mourinho wanted Ballack sacked after the Germany midfielder flew to Munich last Friday for an operation on his ankle without the permission of the club, but Tenenbaum is refusing to agree to the manager’s demand.
   The Chelsea boss is also determined to sell Shevchenko in the summer after the striker apparently aggravated a groin injury hours before the squad flew to Merseyside for Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Liverpool.
   Incredibly, Shevchenko resumed training this week as the squad prepare for today’s Premiership clash at Arsenal, but he will have an operation on the injury at the end of the season.
   Mourinho has already lined up a replacement for Shevchenko – Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres is at the top of his shopping list – but no decisions have yet been taken on his future.
   The Chelsea manager still believes that Shevchenko could have shrugged off the injury and at least been a substitute at Anfield – and he has the backing of his squad in his dispute with the £130,000 a week stars.
   According to club sources, Mourinho is still shocked that Shevchenko, who scored Chelsea’s crucial equaliser in Valencia in the Champions League quarter-final, could miss the club’s biggest game of their season.
   Ballack has four years left on his contract and there will be few takers for a player who was regarded as a genuine world-class midfielder when he arrived from Bayern Munich on a free transfer.
   Mourinho may find it easier to move Shevchenko on after Milan, who sold him to Chelsea last summer for £31 million, confirmed their interest in re-signing the Ukrainian.
   The Chelsea striker has scored just 14 goals for the club this season and he fears that there is no future for him in England after failing to establish himself under Mourinho.
   There is still the prospect of an emotional return to the San Siro this summer, but the Italians will not match Shevchenko’s salary or Chelsea’s valuation.
   Milan president Silvio Berlusconi is revelling in the situation Shevchenko finds himself in and there was more than a hint of mischief about his latest efforts to tempt the player back to the San Siro.
   Berlusconi said, ‘He would like to come back – now we will see. For sure, our doors are open to him.
   ‘More than that, our doors are wide open to him. I would have liked Milan to play Sheva for a question of personal relations.
   ‘He is fond of me and I am fond of him. I am sorry his team lost, but it is better not to have to face him in order to lift the cup.’
   Meanwhile, Chelsea have denied that club director Eugene Tenenbaum held ‘showdown talks’ with Jose Mourinho over Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko.
   A statement from the club read: ‘Contrary to a media report this morning, there has been no meeting at the training ground or anywhere else between Jose Mourinho and Chelsea FC plc director Eugene Tenenbaum about the futures of Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko.’

Barcelona and AC Milan are set to go head-to-head for the signature of Andriy Shevchenko this summer.
   The Ukrainian striker may well have played his last game for Chelsea after the club announced Friday that he will undergo a groin operation at the end of the season. Shevchenko missed Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final defeat by Liverpool because of the injury and is a doubt for the club’s remaining four fixtures, starting with Sunday’s trip to Arsenal.
   Milan president Silvio Berlusconi said on Saturday that the Italian club would welcome the striker back to Serie A without hesitation and that Shevchenko wanted the move to happen.
   Berlusconi added, ‘He would like to come back, now we will see. Certainly for him the doors are not open, they are wide open.’
   The former Italian prime minister also insisted he was relieved that Liverpool and not Chelsea would be facing his team in the Champions League final in Athens on 23 May.
   ‘I would not have been happy to face Sheva because of our personal relationship,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry his team lost but it is better that we don’t have to fight with him to lift the cup.’
   But should Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich decide to sell Shevchenko, then Barcelona could also offer him a way out of Chelsea after accepting that Samuel Eto’o will be leaving Spain this summer.
   Club president Joan Laporta had promised Frank Rijkaard that he would try to bring the Ukrainian to the Nou Camp before his move to the Premiership at the start of this season.
   Barcelona are now thought to be willing to pay £15 million for the 30-year-old, but there is also a possibility of a swap deal including Eto’o.
   Chelsea chief scout Frank Arnesen has recommended Eto’o to Abramovich, claiming he is the best centre-forward in the world.
   Abramovich had a £30m offer for the Cameroon international, who has a £75m buy-out clause in his contract, dismissed out of hand by Barcelona last year.
   Eto’o has had a disappointing season at Barca and his fractured relationship with team-mate Ronaldinho is thought by many within the club to be unsustainable for another season.
   Laporta’s technical advisers have submitted a detailed dossier on Shevchenko’s potential role as an outstanding centre-forward in a 4-3-3 formation between Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi.
   Rijkaard believes the Ukrainian would be a bargain and that Barcelona’s style of play would suit him down to the ground.
   Eto’o may not be the only arrival at the Bridge, as Chelsea prepare to lose Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou next January during the African Cup of Nations.
   Reports have linked the champions with a move for Fiorentina striker Luca Toni. Chelsea could also boost their striker options by recalling Hernan Crespo from his two-year loan at Inter Milan.
   But the Argentine, who will be a free agent next summer, never settled properly in London and does not want to return.
   He said, ‘I hope Chelsea forget to recall me. I only need to find a good hiding place and wait for the option to run out so that the Chelsea officials forget who I am.
   ‘Chelsea have the option to recall me and have time to do so until the end of May by simply sending a fax to Inter.
   ‘If they don’t do this my loan will be extended and I will be free. If instead they remember to send the fax, we will have to discuss my position and negotiations will start.’

English superstar David Beckham will be the highest-paid player in MLS by a wide margin with a base salary of $5.5 million and guaranteed compensation of $6.5 million, according to documents released by the league’s players’ union on Friday.
   Beckham, who will join the Los Angeles Galaxy in July, also is expected to collect several million dollars from his team’s investor, Anschutz Entertainment Group, from marketing opportunities and profit-sharing considerations.
   Beckham’s earnings are in stark contrast to the nearly 30 per cent of the players in MLS, who, under developmental contracts, are paid either $17,700 or $12,900.
   Three other players also will earn more than $1 million: Chicago forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Mexico), New York forward Juan Pablo Angel (Colombia) and New York midfielder Claudio Reyna, the former US World Cup captain who joined MLS this spring after a 12-year European career. All four of the players earning more than $1,000,000 were signed under the league’s new designated player rule, in which clubs are permitted to sign world-class players to salaries beyond the league norm.
   Beckham’s future team-mate, Landon Donovan, will earn $900,000, while US national team forward Eddie Johnson of Kansas City will collect $875,000 overall, but under a one-year grandfather clause, they are not considered designated players.
   The average guaranteed salary in the league is $115,432, but it drops to $82,901 without the four designated players.
   DC United has so far decided not to pursue a designated player this year, and its payroll reflects it. Only seven of its players will earn more than $100,000 this season, led by Brazilian forward Luciano Emilio’s $293,125.
   The most glaring United salary is Bobby Boswell’s $30,870, but the 2006 MLS defender of the year turned down a recent contract offer that would have at least tripled his earnings. Boswell apparently wants to keep his options open after his current deal ends next year and consider possible overseas offers. Some MLS players have faced resistance from the league when foreign clubs offer to purchase their rights while under contract.
   United’s Brazilian midfielder Fred did not practice yesterday after suffering a groin injury during Thursday’s 1-1 tie with New England and seems certain to sit out tomorrow’s match against Chivas USA at RFK Stadium. Defender Devon McTavish (hip flexor) also is expected to miss the game.
   United have finalised a partnership with Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro, which will lead to interaction between the clubs and might pave the way for DC players to train in Brazil during the MLS off-season.

Manchester United still recall the humbling experience of giving Chelsea a champions guard of honour at Old Trafford.
   That came two seasons ago as Jose Mourinho’s men went to Manchester with the Premiership already in the bag.
   Boss Alex Ferguson ordered his players to show the Blues respect to mark their achievement before a meaningless league clash which United went on to lose 3-1.
   Now the Red Devils are determined the Blues will have to return the gesture at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
   It is not about revenge but it will be a sign they have the Premiership title even before what was billed as the duel for the crown.
   United midfielder Kieran Richardson, 22, told The Sun, ‘I remember when our team lined up for Chelsea two seasons ago after they had won the title.
   ‘It would be nice to go there having won the league and get the same gesture back.’
   That would also make up for the feeling of hurt from 12 months ago.
   United went to the Bridge that day, were hammered 3-0 and had their own title hopes extinguished as Mourinho’s side claimed a second successive Premiership.
   Richardson said, ‘Last season when we went there we didn’t play our best.
   ‘After the game everyone was really upset about our performance and the way Chelsea were able to win.
   ‘That was one of my worst experiences, being in that changing room after the game. We don’t want that feeling this time – we want it to be a good feeling. We want to go there now and get one up on them.’
   To claim the title this weekend United are going to have to win the Manchester derby at Eastlands on Saturday and hope Chelsea fail to win at Arsenal today.
   Richardson said, ‘At the start of the season the manager told us we would need to get 90 points to win the title because the standard has got so high. He looks like being spot-on.’

Mikel John Obi has taunted Manchester United by claiming: You don’t deserve the title.
   The £16million Chelsea star, who snubbed a move to Old Trafford after a bitter row, insists the Blues have been the better side.
   The Nigerian told The Sun, ‘We deserve to win the title because of our hard work, determination, the injury crisis and everything.
   ‘I think United have been lucky at some points this season while we’ve had a long list of injuries to cope with. Overall, we’ve been the better team.
   ‘On the strength of our performances we would be worthy champions, because we gave it our all.’
   Chelsea, who are at Arsenal today, are five points adrift of United, who face local rivals City today.
   But Mikel, 20, insists the title race is not yet over. He said, ‘We’ve played more games than any club in England and still we are showing our ability to win games under any circumstance.
   ‘It’s only a few days to go but I am confident the title will remain at Stamford Bridge. We deserve it.’
   United would need to lose at City for Chelsea to have a chance of staging an upset when the two sides clash at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. Mikel added, ‘There is a possibility they could slip up.
   ‘Football is certainly an unpredictable game and anything could still happen.’
   Mikel joined Chelsea after a huge transfer wrangle, with United getting £12m compensation after he initially signed for the Reds. He added, ‘This is where I wanted to be and the manager is someone I adore.’
   His boss is already plotting for next season with the help of skipper John Terry and vice-captain Frank Lampard.
   Mourinho said, ‘We are having our meetings and I have been speaking with players.
   ‘I have been trying to explain the vision of the future. We have already the pre-season plans on the walls of the dressing room.’
   But Mourinho added, ‘This season is not over. We have four matches to play, four matches where we can win two trophies. We can win one, or we can win none.’

His life story could fill volumes, but there’s a chapter or two to be written in it just yet, despite what the rumours may suggest.
   Reports of Diego Maradona’s death have been exaggerated, but not greatly. A few weeks ago the first rumour reached the airwaves. A friend of mine happened to be at Claudia Maradona’s house at the time and recounted how, in tears, Diego’s first wife brokered an appearance by the man himself on TV to prove he was still alive.
   Last week, when similar news seeped on to wires around the globe, Maradona was already hospitalised. He was admitted to an intensive care unit on April 21, diagnosed by his personal physician Dr Cahe as suffering from ‘decompensation’. On Friday, his daughters Dalma and Giannina appeared on Argentina’s highest rating talk show, Siempre Susana, to deny he had died. ‘It’s very tough on his parents,’ said Giannina. ‘They’re elderly and it’s very upsetting for them to hear on the news that their son is dead when he’s alive.’
   Today, reassuringly, the information emerging from the Avril Clinic in Buenos Aires is that Maradona is making a steady recovery and will be able to leave the clinic now and again for a meal with his family under the supervision of a ‘therapeutic’ minder.
   A man who has always enjoyed excess rather than moderation, Maradona’s latest trouble could well have been triggered by too much pizza. Alas, it is his relationship with more hardcore substances that has always fascinated the world, particularly the press. But following a stomach-stapling operation a couple of years ago, he underwent a transformation into a clean-living, hard-working, slim TV presenter.
   After the surgery, which was performed in Colombia, he was put on a strict diet of lightly-mashed, easily-digestible foods, no alcohol, and so on. In January 2001 he was admitted to a hospital in Uruguay following a New Year knees-up, and one of the doctors who tended to him later told me that he had ingested about seven pizzas, several cakes and champagne by the gallon. He has had a problem of cocaine abuse, but it almost pales in comparison to his appetite in general.
   Last week I took part in a panel discussing football matters with Jimmy Burns, who wrote a biography of Maradona over a decade ago. Jimmy recounted a tale he wrote then: when Diego was a little boy he fell into a sewer and his uncle pulled him out by the neck. Jimmy was given this anecdote by a psychiatrist who claims Maradona told him this was an example of emerging from the shit – and a suitable metaphor for life.
   I remembered writing at the time, how come his shrink is talking to journalists? Fame can be a bitch sometimes, surely. Once, a distinguished lawyer was instructed by Maradona to represent him in a case involving the use of an air rifle against extreme door-steppers in Maradona’s holiday home. The lawyer told me he went to see the judge in charge of the hearing to explain that in some cases fame acts against the interests of the defendant. He wanted to ensure discretion, caution and tact: the extremely high profile of the defendant in this case was crucial to the case itself. The judge said he understood: then, when he first met Maradona, the same judge said ‘before we commence any proceedings, would you mind if I get my picture taken with you, and could you also sign these shirts for me?’
   Maradona’s life story could fill volumes: it seems almost fictional, a rags-to-riches fairytale without a happy ending. A recent fictional account has already been panned by critics and a documentary by Emir Kusturica is close to completion. Several other projects are always on the go. But it is the man himself, the real Diego, rather than representations of him by others that fascinates me.
   Since his latest admission to hospital, tabloids the world over have been looking for details of the psychiatric treatment Diego’s receiving, what sent him over the edge this time round, and what are his sexual exploits like these days, etc. It’s here that the words of Phil Tufnell spring to mind. Explaining his motivation for appearing on I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here, the former England cricketer said, ‘The trouble in my line of work as a former sports star is you’re always being what you were instead of what you are.’
   Poignant words, which highlight for me the Maradona conundrum – media interest in what he has not subsided. If only he could have remained what he once was.
   The most beautiful, talented, cheeky, intelligent footballer to have ever graced the game. The little boy from the ghetto who rose to stardom, driven entirely by his talent and hard work. Because he was a hard worker. Team-mates and managers always praised his commitment, his ability to sweat, his loyalty to the training ground. Natural talent alone would not have sufficed. Diego devoted himself to the game and his teams.
   In his autobiography, Diego talks about the superlative ability to rotate his ankles as one factor that enabled him to do things with his left foot most mortals struggle to do with their right hand. This extreme rotation of the ankle appears to be mirrored by his visual system, for there is much evidence that his field of vision was almost panoramic; almost as if he was observing the whole pitch from above. Jorge Valdano famously likes to tell that after that second goal against England in 1986, Maradona said to him, ‘I could see you running along, but I didn’t pass it because I thought I could do it.’ Valdano says, ‘Son of a bitch, on top of everything he was doing he could see me!’
   Who knows what the makeup of this extraordinary little man really is. Sadly, magazines claiming to print Maradona brain scans have been exposed as fakes; many of the publications had tried to claim that he had a huge hole his brain, caused by cocaine abuse. Medically unfounded, the pursuit missed the point.
   What is remarkable about Maradona’s mind/brain is not damaged. If we were to be able to study him cognitively, I think we would find evidence that he is a true genius. Perhaps, the greatest one alive in the world today. Still alive.
   — The Guardian

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is one of five players who have begun talks over new contracts, manager Rafael Benitez confirmed on Friday.
   Midfielder Xabi Alonso, defenders Jamie Carragher and Steve Finnan and keeper Jose Reina are also being offered new deals.
   Gerrard, who led Liverpool to a second Champions League final in three seasons this week, could agree a new four-year deal before this year’s final against AC Milan in Athens on May 23.
   ‘We have had some conversations with four or five players,’ Benitez told reporters on Friday.
   ‘We decided to stop talks briefly because we were playing in the semi-final of the Champions League.
   ‘But we are talking again and hopefully can agree something before the final happens.
   ‘The players already have contracts but we told them we want to do the deal and we are really close (to agreeing terms),’ Benitez said. After toying with a move to Chelsea in 2004 and 2005, Gerrard, 26, decided to stay at Anfield and will be rewarded with a contract media in England report could be worth as much as 6 million pounds ($11.96 million) a year.
   Benitez also answered criticism by departing academy coach Steve Heighway, who is angry that the Spaniard is taking more control of the club’s youth policy.
   Benitez began his coaching career working with the youth team at Real Madrid.
   ‘I was working for 10 years with Real Madrid and we had 40 players go on to play Premier League football in Spain, so I have some experience,’ he said.

Rafael Benitez believes that Champions League glory will help Liverpool attract the players they need to win the Premiership.
   In reaching the final for the second time in three years, Liverpool have set down a marker that they can compete at the highest echelons of the game.
   And the Reds boss is confident their European achievements will give him a powerful, persuasive tool in the transfer market this summer.
   Benitez told the Daily Mirror, ‘I think we are sending a clear message to the top players now, that we are a good team, a top side and a big club that is improving and growing all the time,’ Benitez explained.
   ‘We have got to the final two years in the last three, and that shows our improvement and our potential.
   ‘Some players think that Liverpool is a big club with big salaries and big money,
   and maybe then they think we are good enough to win a trophy.
   ‘But now when you see what Liverpool have achieved, the players we want will see it is a good team, and we have a good future – and that we can help them improve over the next five years, and offer an exciting future.’
   ‘We want passion, we want players who want trophies,
   ‘You have to have the right mentality to be at this
   club, because we are a side showing how much we are improving and who can compete at the top level in Europe consistently.’

Ashley Cole insists he is unfazed at the prospect of returning to play at Arsenal for the first time since his controversial summer switch to Chelsea.
   The England star was a firm fans’ favourite during his time at Highbury, but he will be public enemy number one upon his debut at Emirates Stadium today.
   Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has asked his own fans not to get at Cole, but his words are unlikely to deter the boos and jeers from the home crowd – who remain angry at the manner in which the left-back departed.
   ‘Sometimes you can’t stay somewhere and you have to move on. I’ve done that now and for me it’s for the better,’ Cole told the Daily Mirror.
   ‘My time at Arsenal was up and now I’ve started a new challenge, a harder challenge because you’re at the champions and everyone wants to beat you. But I’m enjoying it. At the Carling Cup final I was getting stick from the Arsenal fans but hopefully I had the last laugh.
   ‘Again, sometimes it’s stupid that they are still going on about it. But there’s nothing I can do and I’m over it now. I spoke to a few of the players after and to the manager.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty left Manchester United with one hand on the Premiership trophy as his side earned a crucial 1-0 win at crisis-ridden Manchester City on Saturday.
   Ronaldo scored from the spot on 34 minutes to notch his 23rd goal of the season after he had been tripped by Michael Ball.
   It was the perfect response from United in the wake of their humbling 3-0 Champions League semi-final defeat to AC Milan in midweek - losing 5-3 on aggregate - and increased their lead over Chelsea at the top of the table to eight points.
   United will be crowned champions for the 16th time unless Chelsea beat Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
   The writing was on the wall for Manchester City - who are subject to two rival bids to buy them and also had to suspend their star midfielder Joey Barton earlier in the week after a training ground altercation with Frenchman Ousmane Dabo - once they had fallen behind as Stuart Pearce’s side finished their home campaign having scored just once at Eastlands in the Premiership since New Year’s Day.
   But City still contrived to miss a penalty 10 minutes from time when Darius Vassell saw his spot kick saved by Edwin van Der Sar after Wes Brown had tripped Ball.
   United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was able to recall influential defender Rio Ferdinand, badly missed in the San Siro, while Alan Smith was recalled in attack alongside Wayne Rooney.
   Eastlands’ biggest crowd of the season generated a tremendous atmosphere, not least because the home side could hammer a huge dent in United’s title aspirations.
   This was arguably the greatest incentive of all for the majority of the 47,000 inside the ground, but in order to do this City would have to end their woeful home goal drought.
   Ball was guilty of a nasty stamp on Ronaldo in the opening minutes, which combined with Ferguson’s irate reaction towards a linesman did little to ease the tension as it became evident United were not going to have things all their own way.
   Pearce’s decision to select a five man midfield did little to enhance his side’s chances of scoring, but the purpose was to stifle the forward runs of Michael Carrick, Ryan Giggs and Ronaldo.
   United had to wait 20 minutes for their first opening, Ferdinand finding Ronaldo with a precise ball but his control let him down.
   Moments later Ronaldo flicked Giggs’s corner to the back post where Ferdinand was waiting, but his header back rebounded off the crossbar and was gratefully gathered by Andreas Isaksson.
   The home team were happy to sit back and try and hit their opponents on the counter attack.
   Emile Mpenza stung the palms of van Der Sar with a powerful turn and volley on 16 minutes, while Demarcus Beasley did the same with a similar effort from the edge of the penalty area 13 minutes later.
   Just when United’s frustrations were beginning to surface, however, the breakthrough came when Ball’s outstretched foot was enough to send Ronaldo crashing to the turf.
   Referee Rob Styles pointed to the spot, from where the Portugal international lashed a clinical penalty into the bottom corner to secure the advantage.
   His strike was to prove more than enough as the visitors cruised through the second half without their lead being threatened.
   Pearce threw on Trevor Sinclair and Paul Dickov in a bid to give home fans a goal to cheer but it made no difference.
   City’s last chance came when Brown was penalised for a colllison with Ball. Vassell drove his penalty down the middle but van der Sar, diving the wrong way, managed to save the shot with his legs.
   That save surely means United’s four year wait to regain the title is over.

If Chelsea lose their Premiership title at Arsenal today Jose Mourinho will be able to look to the opposing bench for an unlikely shoulder to cry on.
   Mourinho might be in need of some sympathy if Chelsea’s dismal week ends with Arsenal dealing a fatal blow to their slender hopes of overhauling leaders Manchester United.
   United can extend their advantage over Chelsea to eight points by beating Manchester City on Saturday but, regardless of that result, Mourinho’s side need to win against Arsenal to keep the title race alive.
   There is no love lost between the two London clubs and, after being on the receiving end of Mourinho’s acerbic tongue several times, it would be no surprise if Gunners manager Arsene Wenger was relishing the chance to kick Chelsea while they are down.
   But Wenger insists he can relate to Mourinho’s misery after a traumatic five days that saw Chelsea lose more ground to United and then suffer a heartbreaking Champions League semi-final exit against Liverpool.
   After all, Wenger saw Arsenal’s season disintegrate within two weeks as they lost the League Cup final to Chelsea and then crashed out of the FA Cup and Champions League.
   ‘They are certainly disappointed because it’s a terrible blow to go out of the Champions League,’ Wenger said. ‘The feeling that you are on a high and living in a world with a lot of expectations suddenly goes and it’s a very big blow.
   ‘I do have sympathy for them. Players are players and you always understand how painful it is to go out of the competitions – that applies to players, coaches or whoever.’
   Wenger believes Mourinho will find it hard to lift his players after the massive blow of effectively conceding two trophies in such a short space of time.
   ‘In the League Cup final we could have scored the second goal but we didn’t,’ he said. ‘The effect of that was terrible. From that game, we lost Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure to suspension, we went out of the FA Cup three days later and then we were under tremendous pressure against PSV Eindhoven and in one minute it was over.
   ‘We played our whole season in that one game and it was terrible for us. It is impossible to say how long it will take Chelsea to recover.
   ‘I think it took us three weeks to recover. We played our games to win but there was something not there in our play. Many teams just collapse when they go out of the Champions League.’
   Ashley Cole’s first return to Arsenal since his acrimonious departure in August will give this London derby an extra edge.
   The England left-back can expect a torrid reception from Arsenal fans angry at his departure to their bitter rivals. He was dubbed ‘Cashley’ because his excessive wage demands were at the root of the move to Stamford Bridge, and Wenger admits he had no option but to sell him.
   ‘We made some mistakes which were psychological,’ Wenger said. ‘At some stages, there was not enough desire on our part to bridge the gap between him and us.
   ‘He felt that we let him down but that was not our view. Letting him go was the best way of dealing with that situation because if you have a player who does not want to play for you then you always give in.’
   While Chelsea are in danger of finishing the season on a low note, Joe Cole is just glad to be back after knee and foot injuries ruled him out for most of the campaign.
   ‘I am really excited about the end of the season,’ he said. ‘But for me the task is to get fully match fit and you only get that from playing matches. There is simply no substitute.
   ‘You just want to show desire every day, even when you’re injured. Many people didn’t expect me to be playing against this season but I wanted to prove them wrong, to come back and help the lads.
   ‘I hadn’t played any football for five months when the manager told me at half-time against Valencia in the Champions League that I was going on. I can’t tell you just how good that felt. It was a bit like making your debut for a new club.’

When Ryan Giggs held aloft the Premiership trophy for the first time in May 1993, it opened the door to the most glittering period in Manchester United’s glorious history.
   The 33-year-old believes winning the title again could be the catalyst for another golden era at Old Trafford.
   By their lofty standards, United have endured three relatively lean years since they were last champions in 2003 – having to make do with an FA Cup and a League Cup.
   Giggs can win a record-breaking ninth title to move alongside Alan Hansen as the second most decorated British player ever with 16 major honours – one behind Phil Neal – this weekend if United defeat Manchester City Saturday and Chelsea fail to beat Arsenal today.
   And just as claiming the title in 1993 after 26 years of trying gave United the self-belief to go on to win two Doubles and the Treble and over the next six years, Giggs reckons success this year could transform the current team into serial winners.
   The likes of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Alan Smith and Michael Carrick don’t know what it’s like to win the title and Giggs feels the experience will make them even better players.
   ‘What’s been lacking in our game over the last couple of years has been consistency,’ he said. ‘Once we’ve got our consistency and the base of winning the league, the rest will come and we’ll win more trophies. When you’ve won things, it does help you to cope in difficult situations.
   ‘You want challenges as a footballer whether for myself, who’s won the league a number of times, or for the young lads like Rooney and Ronaldo, who’ve never won one and who’ve got that hunger.
   ‘Our challenge was to win back the title and it’s the one trophy I want most, purely because it proves you are the best team in the country over 38 games.’
   United have earned comparisons with the 1994 Double-winning side and the 1999 Treble winners and Giggs admits he has been blown away by some of their football this season. But he has told his team-mates that they can only be considered great if they turn their rich potential into trophies.
   ‘This team has the potential to be a great side, but you’re only a great side when you do win things,’ he told the Daily Mirror. ‘That’s what we’re all trying to do and I think only after that can you can start comparing it with 1999 and 1994.
   ‘Some of the football we’ve played has been some of the best I’ve been involved in. The speed, intelligence and experience you need in a team – it’s all coming together.’
   But the Welshman is not banking on the Gunners doing United any favours and instead is focused on winning their three remaining league games.
   ‘If Chelsea lose, great, but if they win, we won’t be devastated.
   ‘We’ve just got to keep it on a level really. We can’t worry about the other teams too much.
   ‘It’s in our hands and that’s the beauty of it.
   ‘It’s an exciting time of the season and it’s a position we’ve wanted to be in for a number of years. We’re in it now so let’s make the most of it.
   ‘We just have to keep it going now for the last push.’

Jose Mourinho will give 18-year-old striker Scott Sinclair a run out against Arsenal today in a game Chelsea must win to hang on to any chance of a third Premier League trophy in a row.
   The Portuguese coach, who gave his players two days off after the disappointment of losing to Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday, said he had already chosen his team for the London derby at Emirates stadium.
   With important players such as defender Ricardo Carvalho and midfielder Michael Ballack injured, Mourinho said he had little leeway – especially as he needed a fit team for the FA Cup final in two weeks’ time.
   ‘I know the players I have and I know the players I don’t have. Of course we think about the final but we have not many choices,’ Mourinho told Chelsea TV on Friday.
   ‘But what I am going to do because...I have to make the decision to keep him in the squad or to send him on loan for a few months, is (Scott) Sinclair. He will be involved.’
   Sinclair, a Chelsea youth and reserve player, came on as substitute in a League Cup game against Wycombe Wanderers in January before making an impression with several goals during a loan spell at Plymouth Argyle.
   With Manchester United five points clear and three games to play, Mourinho has accepted his side’s chances of Premier League glory are remote.
   If United beat City, Chelsea must beat Arsenal and then look forward to a head-to-head with United at home on Wednesday.
   Until this week Chelsea had been in with a chance of four trophies after winning the League Cup in February. Now Manchester United stand in the way of both the Premier League and the FA Cup.
   After the defeat on penalties by Liverpool, speculation increased that Mourinho would be forced to quit. The Portuguese has had much publicised disagreements with billionaire owner Roman Abramovich this season.
   On Friday he was keen to talk about his plans for next season, however.
   ‘Our team is full of winners and you don’t become a loser just because you lost an important game or are not as successful as you were in previous seasons,’ Mourinho told Chelsea TV.
   ‘Winners are always winners and the mentality is inside. I think the future is more important than the past, as it is when we win, but when we lose, we have the reason to say it more strongly and we look forward for the future.
   ‘We are having our meetings, I am speaking with the players, I was today with the captains, trying to explain the vision of the future and the vision for next season,’ he added. ‘We have already the pre-season plans on the walls of the dressing room so they can think about it.’
   ‘But this season is not over. We have four matches to play, four matches where we can win two trophies.
   ‘We can win one, or we can win none, but we have four trophies to play and I think it is very, very important to show the nature of the players, the players mentality.’

Thierry Henry says Arsenal will not be bothered about doing Manchester United a massive favour in today’s London derby against Chelsea.
   Depending on United’s result against Manchester City, Alex Ferguson’s team could clinch the Premiership title if Chelsea fail to win at the Emirates Stadium.
   Henry, still sidelined with a groin injury, told The Sun, ‘Unfortunately, the game has more ramifications for Chelsea than it does for us.
   ‘Obviously we would prefer for ourselves to be in that position but it didn’t turn out that way.
   ‘However, it is still a London derby and if Liverpool slip up we could finish third.
   ‘The players will not be trying to win the game for anyone else apart from ourselves.
   ‘It is important to end a difficult season on a high and finish as high as possible.
   ‘When you are playing a top team like Chelsea then the desire will always be there but we will be inspired no matter what and winning for Manchester United will not come into it.’
   Ashley Cole makes his return to the club and Henry admits the atmosphere will be red-hot.
   On Friday it was revealed that former Gunners star Patrick Vieira was surprised at Cole’s decision to leave Arsenal for Chelsea last summer.
   Henry said, ‘I agree with Patrick – we were all surprised and upset to see Ashley leave.
   ‘However, Gael Clichy has been superb and we have to move on.
   ‘As for the reception, I am not naive enough to know that he won’t get a bit of stick but we can’t forget what a great job he did for us over the years.
   ‘But I do like Ashley – he is a great guy.’
    Equally, today’s match will be a massive one for William Gallas who went in the opposite direction last summer.
   While Chelsea have been in the hunt for four titles, Arsenal have been off the pace.
   Henry said, ‘It is important that when you make a decision in life you never look back. You cannot change it anyway!
   ‘I can’t speak for William but I am certainly very happy that he is here.
   ‘William is a great guy who I have known my whole life.
   ‘It has been frustrating for him as he has had a lot of injuries throughout the season.
   ‘But anyone knows that a fit William Gallas is a great asset for any team.
   ‘We have known each other for so long. We were born on the same day, went to the same school and now play in the same team. We are always laughing and joking with each other.’
   Henry, 29, is undergoing continued treatment on his groin injury – which has kept him out of action since the start of March – and he is hopeful of being fit for the start of next season.
   He added, ‘The injury is going OK – it is just frustrating as I want to be out there helping the team.
   ‘We are all working hard so I am back for the start of the season. It is so frustrating when you want to help your team and you can’t.’

AC Milan have opted to wear their all-white strip for the Champions League final against Liverpool in Athens on May 23, a repeat of the 2005 final which the English Premiership side won on penalties.
   Milan were drawn as the home side for the final and could have worn their famous red and black striped shirts.
   But just as in the 2005 final, Milan have chosen their
   second strip, allowing Liverpool to wear their traditional red kit.
   Milan’s white strip had proved lucky before they
   lost the Istanbul final two years ago.
   Before that the Serie A giants had won four European Cups wearing white, in 1963, 1989, 1990 and 2003.
   Liverpool were 3-0 down
   at half-time in the 2005 final
   but pegged Milan back with three goals in a six-minute spell.
   Extra-time failed to separate the two sides and Liverpool won the shoot-out to lift the trophy.