Unamused by Matthew Hayden’s ‘third world’ remark, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday hit back at the Australian opener and said the Aussies are always slow in going through their overs, no matter which part of the world they play.
   ‘The Australians have played all over the world and their over-rate has been slow all over the world,’ was Dhoni’s sarcastic comment at the mandatory pre-match media conference before Monday’s second One-Day International against England.
   Back home after the 2-0 defeat in the Test series against India, Hayden spoke about, what he perceived, poor ground conditions and inordinate delays during the matches ‘that happen in Third World countries’.
   ‘They (opposition batsmen) are very difficult to get to face up,’ Hayden said. ‘Often we find ourselves with hands on hips waiting for someone to either face up or someone in the sight board to move away; all the little frustrations that happen in Third World countries and the heat as well,’ he said.
   Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has already hit back at Hayden for his excuses for his team not maintaining the required over-rate at Nagpur which cost them dear at a crucial stage of the fourth and final Test when they could not use their frontline fast bowlers.
   ‘This was a completely uncalled for remark by him. A player of his stature should not have made the comment,’ BCCI’s Finance Committee Chairman Rajiv Shukla said. ‘If slow-over rate is your habit, why blame India for that and call India third world? We are a very prestigious nation and it was not a nice comment by him,’ Shukla said.
   Akram said the Aussies were ‘sore losers’ and that Hayden should have known that India was now hundred years ahead of Australia ‘which is no more than a village’.
   ‘The thing about the Aussies is that they are sore losers. They get personal when they get beaten. It is all a matter of sour grapes and after going home, they’ve started calling India a third-world country’, Akram said.

India’s Yuvraj Singh, who pounded England with a match-winning century in the first one-day international, could miss today’s second match due to a back injury.
   The left-hander smashed an unbeaten 138 off 78 balls at Rajkot on Friday as India hammered the tourists by 158 runs to take the lead in the seven-match series.
   Yuvraj, who batted with a runner after pulling a back muscle in the early part of his innings, missed training on Sunday ahead of the second game.
   ‘There is considerable improvement in Yuvraj’s condition, but we will take a final call on him before the match,’ Indian captain Mahendra Dhoni told reporters.
   India may once again have to do without in-form seamer Ishant Sharma, who missed the Rajkot match due to an ankle sprain suffered during the preceding Test series against world champions Australia.
   Sharma, 20, was named the man of the series with 15 wickets in four Tests as India won 2-0 to take the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
   Dhoni said England will bounce back despite the heavy defeat and warned team-mates against being complacent.
   ‘We are always wary of becoming complacent because, if we lose, we will be criticised that we were overconfident,’ the wicketkeeper-batsman said.
   ‘We are always focused on what needs to be done. England have a very good bowling attack and they are a good side. It’s a much better attack than what they had two years ago. We are certainly not taking them lightly.’
   England are unlikely to call up left-arm seamer Ryan Sidebottom, who missed the first match due to an Achilles problem, even though his fitness had improved.
   ‘If it is a risk we won’t do it, but I just feel it’s a little bit early,’ England coach Peter Moores said.
   ‘I have got to be advised by the medical team and he has certainly bowled very well in the nets with great control.’
   Moores was confident Kevin Pietersen’s men were capable of turning the corner after suffering their third-biggest one-day defeat in Rajkot.
   ‘We have had some knockbacks, but that’s part of what international sport is about,’ the coach said.
   ‘You are judged by how well you take those knockbacks and how you react to it as a team, and we’re in that place at the moment.
   ‘There is a long way to go in the series, still six games to go. We had a great one-day scrap with India in England a couple of years ago, when we won the first one quite convincingly and they bounced straight back.
   ‘We would like to do the same.’

World number three Novak Djokovic thrashed Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko 6-1, 7-5 in the Masters Cup final on Sunday to lift his second major trophy this year.
   The Australian Open champion fizzed through most of the match at a packed Qi Zhong Stadium and snuffed out a late revival as he ended a six-month title drought at the lucrative season finale.
   Djokovic, who becomes the first Serbian year-end winner and takes home 1.24 million dollars in prize money, also moves to within just 10 points of Roger Federer’s second rankings spot.
   ‘I feel very happy. I didn’t manage to win a couple of finals this year but I’ve done it now and I’m ending the season the way I started, with a win in a big event,’ he said.
   ‘So it’s a great start for the coming season.’
   With defending champion Federer knocked out and top-ranked Rafael Nadal injured, it was up to Djokovic to add a dash of class to the final and he duly delivered in a clinical first set.
   The 21-year-old Serb was immediately spraying backhands past Davydenko and he broke at the first attempt when the Russian netted. Davydenko was soon in deep trouble when he mis-hit a backhand to go 4-0 down.
   Djokovic lifted a perfect lob over Davydenko, who managed just six points in the first five games before finally holding serve 5-1. The Serb briefly wobbled as he served for the set, saving two break points before going ahead. The fifth-ranked Davydenko unfroze at the start of the second set and he won a peach of a point with a savage approach shot and tightly angled backhand volley.
   But the Russian’s shoulders slumped again as he hit an easy smash wide and was broken again as the backhand volley failed him. He saved two match points on serve and then, as Djokovic served for the win, broke for the first time.
   However, Djokovic broke back for 6-5 and made no mistake at his second attempt to serve it out, sinking to his knees in celebration as Davydenko netted a return at 40-0.
   ‘It’s difficult to be positive when you’re losing 5-0 and you see you have no chance,’ Davydenko said.
   ‘When you feel 100 percent like you’re going to lose, it’s very difficult to be positive. Normally I play very fast and with good control, and today I didn’t.’
   Djokovic had already beaten Davydenko in the group stage here along with Juan Martin del Potro and downed Gilles Simon in the semi-finals. He lost all three group matches on his debut last year.
   After the Australian Open, Djokovic won Masters events in Indian Wells and Rome but had not claimed a title since May. He joins an honour roll which includes such greats as Federer, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras.
   Davydenko was appearing at his fourth straight end-of-year tournament after another busy season when he won more than 50 matches including titles at the Miami Masters, Poertschach and Warsaw.
   The Russian, who beat Britain’s Andy Murray in the last four, is left waiting for his first top-level title after four Grand Slam semis and nearly three-and-a-half years in the top 10.
   Belgrade-born Canadian Daniel Nestor and Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic earlier won the doubles title, beating US twins Bob and Mike Bryan 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 in the final.
   The 4.45-million-dollar end-of-season event is making a final appearance in Shanghai before moving to London as the World Tour Final.

Hyderabad (158/7) beat Lahore Badshahs (150) by eight runs
   Drama. Farce. Jangling nerves. A great catch. Controversy. A run out. Phew. Game over. Hyderabad Heroes won a thrilling eight-run victory to push the ICL championship into the third final. Abdul Razzaq shocked the top order and Chris Harris rocked the middle to shove Lahore Badshahs to an unexpected defeat.
   Lahore needed 27 runs from 14 balls when the catch was taken. Mohammad Sami swung to left of long-off where Justin Kemp twisted his body, stretched his right hand out, dived, plucked the ball, held his balance, and fell inside the boundary line. Controversy followed. The game stopped for at least five minutes as Lahore thought Kemp had touched the boundary. So Sami waited, the crowd sat puzzled, Harris called his men to the edge of the boundary and Inzamam had a chat with the umpires. A complete farce.Inzamam finally signalled Sami to get into the dugout and the new batsman walked in. The argument between the two dugouts continued and angry words were exchanged between Azhar Mahmood and Steve Rixon, Hyderabad’s coach.
   The game wasn’t over, yet, though. Saqlain picked 12 runs off Razzaq in the 19th over with a six and a four and the equation reduced to nine runs from six balls. Shahid Nazir panicked first ball as he failed to connect with the shot and tried to steal a leg bye but was caught out by a direct hit from Chris Harris.
   The end only reflected what a strange match it was. Lahore appeared to have got one hand on the trophy when they restricted Hyderabad to 158 but stumbled badly in the chase. The spirited duo of Sami and Saqlain got them close in the end but the chase lacked firepower at the start.
   Razzaq harassed Imran Nazir with length deliveries that shaped away before ending his misery with an in dipper. He struck again almost immediately removing Naved-ul-Hasan with the one that straightened off a length to hit the off stump.
   Shahid Yousuf created some momentum with a brisk innings. He hit Razzaq for three boundaries in the fifth over and slammed four boundaries that included one big six over long-on off Stuart Binny. Imran Farhat, who remained a patient witness to the Yousuf attack, fell to a rush of blood to trigger a collapse. He charged out to Nicky Boje, only to be stumped leaving Lahore wobbling at 53 for 3.
   Harris tightened the noose further by luring Mohammad Yousuf to hole out to the cow corner and Shahid Yousuf to feather a catch down the leg side. And when Inzamam swept Inder Shekhar Reddy straight to long-leg, it was all but over. Lahore needed 72 from 44 balls and the lower order, especially Sami and Saqlain, tried their best but couldn’t finish it.
   Earlier, Saqlain and Shahid Nazir had triggered Lahore’s comeback after Jimmy Maher had got Hyderabad to a flier. It was a fine little innings from Maher who hit through the line repeatedly against the new ball. Mohammad Sami was lifted over mid-on and mid-off, Azhar Mahmood was hit through wide mid-on and midwicket and Naved was hit to long-on and cut over point. The shot of his innings, though, was a disdainful swat past mid-on off Shahid Nazir. In between Imran dropped Maher and Shahid Nazir gave Ibrahim Khaleel a reprieve.
   The game swung around with the introduction of Saqlain. Maher had charged to Hyderabad to 63 for 0 in six overs when Saqlain started the stranglehold. He got quite a few to turn in, got some to go straight on and broke a few the other way. Shahid Nazir produced a swinging yorker to remove Maher and hurled a beamer that forced Ibrabhim Khaleel to retire hurt. The twin acts were enough to send Hyderabad in a spin. Saqlain squeezed the runs and the seamers returned to pick up wickets.
   At the end of the 11th over the score read 102 for 1 but they added only 56 in the next nine overs as Hyderabad lost the plot. But they regrouped really well to register a dramatic victory.

Both Bangladesh men’s and women’s teams recorded victories in the 3rd round of the 38th Chess Olympiad at Dresden in Germany on Saturday.
   In the men’s open section, Bangladesh beat Libya by 3-1 points and in the women’s section, they beat Nigeria by 4-0 points.
   GM Enamul Hossain Razib beat Homrana Mustafa, GM Abdullah Al Rakib beat FM Chahrani Ibrahim and FM Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagar defeated Ghattour Mosab. But FM Abu Sufian Shakil lost to FM Asabri Hussien of Libya in the men’s section .
   In the women’s section, Shamima Akter Liza beat Folusayo Togun, Nazrana Khan Eva beat Edward-Dappa Rachael, Syeda Shabana Parveen Nipa beat Uwa Obasi-Chekwas and Tanima Parveen beat Tolulope Jeje.
   Both the Bangladesh teams now have earned 4 match points and the men’s will play against Denmark and the women’s team take on Austria in the fourth round.

Bangladeshi umpires Enamul Haque Moni and Mahbubur Rahman left for Sri Lanka on Sunday to conduct three-day first class and one-day Premier League matches for one month under the BCB’s umpires exchange programme with the Sri Lanka.
   Two Sri Lankan umpires - Athula Senanayake and Sagara Gallage - are already in the capital to conduct national cricket league matches under the same programme.

Half of the 20-member squad of Bangladesh national football team will return to Dhaka from Yangon today while the remaining players will arrive on Tuesday.
   Due to shortage of airline tickets on the Singapore-Myanmar route the BFF split the team.
   Bangladesh drew goalless with hosts Myanmar but lost 2-0 against Indonesia in the group games.

The second edition of Tokai Kabaddi, organised by the Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation and sponsored by Orient Bread, starts at the outer stadium kabaddi court on Tuesday. Nine teams, made up of street urchins, will take part in the five-day meet. Sponsors Orient Bread will provide Tk 1,20,000 for the competition. The champion and runner-up teams will receive cash prizes.
   Nazrul Islam, the general secretary of the BKF, disclosed the details at a press conference at the NSC auditorium on Sunday. Orient Bread chairman Mohammad Mahbubuzzaman and tournament committee chairman SMA Mannan were present.
   The nine participating teams are Tokai Jatrabari, Tokai Matuail, Tokai Dhalpur, Tokai Goran, Tokai Khilgaon, Tokai Mirpur, Tokai Stadium, Tokai Gulistan and Tokai Paltan.

Arun Nandi, the unsung hero of Bangladesh’s liberation war, who swam continuously for 90 hours and five minutes in the College Square pond in Kolkata in 1971 to drum up support for the independence of his motherland, passed away at a Kolkata clinic on Sunday. The 67-year-old swimmer was suffering from kidney ailments for a long time.
   A confirmed bachelor, Arun Nandi was a loveable person with the thoughts of developing the country’s swimming always in his mind.
   On October 8, 1971, Arun, then a young man of 29 years of age, thought to do something special for eliciting support for the country’s liberation war. A long-distance swimmer, Arun Nandi planned to create a world record in endurance swimming toppling the 89-hour mark set by BC Moon, an American swimmer.
   Arun Nandi jumped into the College Square tank with the King of the English Channel Brojen Das and M.Hossain Ali, the then chief of Bangladesh Mission in Kolkata, inspiring him to rewrite the history. Thousands of spectators were present almost all the time when Arun was in the water.
   He vomited, braved the cramps of his legs and the sleepless nights. On October 12, he set the new world record and dedicated his victory to the freedom fighters of Bangladesh independence war. ‘Once I thought to quit as the stress became unbearable, but the spirit of doing something for Bangladesh motivated me to continue,’ said the swimmer a few weeks ago.
   After he crossed the record mark BBC and Voice of America transmitted his feat throughout the world. Arun received the national sports award in 1996. He was a member of the Bangladesh Swimming Federation also.
   He passed his last days in a single room of the hockey stadium, allotted to him by the National Sports Council. He was also the chief swimming coach of the Officers’ Club.
   He also ran a swimming academy in his hometown of Chandpur.
   Bangladesh Olympic Association, Bangladesh Swimming Federation, Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association expressed deep sorrow at the death of Arun Nandi and prayed for the salvation of the departed soul.

The Sylhet edition of ‘Sports for All’, a sports festival designed by Bangladesh Olympic Association to revive the old sports events of Bangladesh, was held at the Sylhet stadium on Sunday.
   Participants from 12 Upazillas of Sylhet took part in the events of horse race, stick fighting, cock’s fighting, kabaddi, pot breaking and rickshaw race.
   The president of the Bangladesh Olympic Association, General Moeen U Ahmed, was the chief guest on the occasion and distributed the prizes.
   He also switched on the newly-installed floodlights at the stadium. The programme was inaugurated by the divisional commissioner of Sylhet, Zafar Ahmed Khan.

Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, has backed his team to take advantage of an Australian side which is low on confidence when the three-Test series starts on December 17. Australia failed to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India, losing the four-Test series 2-0, and Arthur felt this was South Africa’s best chance of beating them in a Test series, something they have failed to do since being readmitted to international cricket in 1991.
   ‘While the Aussies will undoubtedly be battle-hardened, they may also be feeling a bit bruised, physically and emotionally,’ Arthur told the Weekender. ‘I’m loathe to tempt fate but, hopefully, the other factor in our favour will be confidence.’
   South Africa play two Tests at home against Bangladesh, starting on Wednesday, in the build-up to their tour of Australia. Though they are scheduled to arrive ten days before the first Test in Perth, their only warm-up is a two-day match against a second string Western Australian side. Arthur, however, was confident his team will be sufficiently prepared for the three back-to-back Tests.
   ‘Yes, we would probably have preferred a harder run-in to the Australia tour, but you can make an argument both ways,’ Arthur said. ‘We should all be fit, strong, well conditioned and not feeling overworked or jaded.’
   ‘It’s not ideal but the Western Australia squad will be in India for the inaugural Champions League so it was a question of taking what we could get. And rather than have a four-day game against a weak team and risk half the squad doing nothing meaningful during the match, we opted for a two-day game against what is effectively a second XI, and a week of intensive practice and training.’
   Mark Boucher, the wicketkeeper, echoed the team’s ambitions of ending their Australia jinx and said the team was high on confidence after the Test series win in England this summer. Another senior player, Jacques Kallis, said recently that Australia were at their most vulnerable and it was time for his team to turn the corner.
   ‘Just before the tour to England, I sat down with Jacques and we discussed where our careers were going and what we wanted to achieve,’ Boucher said.

Shane Watson has backed Andrew Symonds to make his Test return on Thursday against New Zealand despite the fact that such a move could squeeze Watson out of the side. The two allrounders are in Australia’s 13-man squad and although there is the possibility that both will play, a direct swap of Symonds for Watson would be a more likely scenario.
   Watson was given his opportunity at No. 6 in India because Symonds was working through his rehabilitation process and was unavailable for selection. It was a reversal of the situation in the 2006-07 Ashes, when Symonds was only handed his chance because Watson, who had originally been selected, struggled with persistent hamstring injuries.
   Symonds made the most of his Test status and since that Ashes campaign he has averaged 72.07 in 12 Tests and has also chipped in for 14 wickets. Watson said Symonds had earned the right to be part of Australia’s starting line-up.
   ‘If Roy gets a spot, he bloody deserves it, he’s been a great player for a number of years,’ Watson told the Sunday Telegraph. ‘I wouldn’t feel hard done by, no way. I’m realistic of where I’m at. I’m still only 27, so I know I’ve got a lot of really good cricket in front of me.
   ‘Roy definitely deserves an opportunity whenever he’s ready to go. He’s performed so well in some tough times for Australia and you can’t take that away from him.’
   Watson would be unfortunate to miss out on this week’s Gabba Test after he performed solidly on the recent tour of India. But he is philosophical about his chances and, as his injuries during the Ashes and Symonds’ disciplinary breaches have proved, it is impossible to predict what opportunities will come along.
   ‘What happened to Roy on the Darwin tour gave me another opportunity to have a crack at Test cricket, so that’s the roundabouts of professional sport,’ Watson said. ‘I used to worry about [selection] a lot when I was younger and probably put too much pressure on myself.
   ‘Now I’m just enjoying every minute of playing. Hopefully I get another opportunity. Whether it’s now or in a couple of years, who knows? I know if and when I do get another opportunity I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.’

The presence of three members of India’s one-day squad - the captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Zaheer Khan and RP Singh - at a private function in a Maharashtra town on Saturday has raised eyebrows over its clear departure from practice. The three cricketers attended, with the permission of the BCCI, the inauguration of a private cricket academy in Bhandara while the rest of the squad was in Indore for the second ODI in the series against England.
   There were also concerns over their security. PTI reported the cricketers played with locals, resulting in crowd surges.
   The academy is named after the father of union civil aviation minister Praful Patel, who belongs to the same political party as Sharad Pawar, the former BCCI president.
   The three players left the team soon after the 158-run win in Rajkot on Friday but BCCI officials said they had ‘no issues’ with it. ‘Yes, they had BCCI permission. Since they were attending a cricket game we had no issues and even the players had no issues,’ Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, said.
   ‘There is nothing wrong in attending such a programme,’ Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI’s finance committee chairman, told PTI. ‘It was for a charitable cause. They had taken prior permission and enough security measures were in place. The academy is for rural children and it should not be blown out of proportion since there was no practice session today.’
   The decision was criticised by Chetan Chauhan, the former Indian opener. ‘How were they allowed to go without ascertaining the security arrangements,’ he was quoted as saying by PTI. ‘How were they allowed to go when a series is on?’
   Originally Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan, too, had confirmed their participation, but Pathan opted out a few days back and Yuvraj could not make it due to the back injury he had sustained while batting on Friday.
   The players will rejoin the team ahead of the second ODI in Indore on Monday.

Australia’s decline is part of a cycle but India has to be more consistent if they are to emerge as the new number one side in the world of cricket, said former Aussie captain Steve Waugh.
   ‘I think India’s got to do it for a period of time and we’ve got to get back in and assert our authority. But for the good of the game, it’s probably better that you have sides challenging the top teams,’ the former Australian skipper was quoted as saying by ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’.
   Waugh said he wasn’t surprised to see the Aussie decline as every top side goes through a transition phase.
   ‘It’s a cycle. We were never really going to be able to dominate for more than 10 or 15 years. The great West Indies team did it for about that long. We’ve had a similar stint.
   ‘And who’s to say we’re not still going to be top for a while. We’re pretty close now and there’s no one who can say they’re clearly No1,’ he said.
   Waugh also laughed off suggestions that Australia’s decline has been hastened by coaches from Down Under serving other teams. Instead, he feels as world champions, it is an obligation on Australia to impart skills to other countries.
   ‘I think you have a responsibility as a cricketer. If someone asks you for a piece of advice, you should share the knowledge. It makes the game better and more competitive,’ said Waugh, a member of the Marylebone Cricket Club.
   ‘(Australia’s sharing of knowledge) is good for the game. I don’t think it’s a problem. It happens in business, it happens in a lot of areas. And you can look at it the other way - Bishen Bedi helped Jason Krejza and he went on to take 12 wickets. It happens quite a lot,’ he added.

Diego Maradona touched down in Scotland on Sunday, sparking a media frenzy at Glasgow airport.
   The 48-year-old football legend is set to take charge of Argentina for the first time in Wednesday night’s glamour friendly at Hampden Park.
   His plane, which arrived via Madrid, landed shortly after 1100 GMT but Maradona decided not to stop and speak at length to the waiting press. That sparked a media scrum, with Maradona surrounded by police as he made the short walk from the terminal to a waiting coach.
   Despite being peppered with questions along the way, the 1986 World Cup-winning captain said little. Asked how it felt to be in Scotland, he answered in Spanish: ‘Contento (happy).’
   His only words in English were: ‘I don’t speak English.’
   After clambering onto the coach, Maradona returned to the entrance to sign a few items of memorabilia, including a poster of his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has warned Fernando Torres that he is ready to leave the Spain striker on the bench if it helps his team’s title challenge.
   Benitez is unhappy with Torres’s slow return from a hamstring injury and his disappointing display in last week’s League Cup defeat at Tottenham.
   Torres had been chastised by Benitez for a ‘bad’ display at White Hart Lane, and he was given only a 30-minute substitute appearance during Liverpool’s 2-0 win at Bolton on Saturday.
   Liverpool, who are behind Premier League leaders Chelsea on goal difference, were already ahead by the time Torres came on to set up Steven Gerrard’s second goal and Benitez has no intention of restoring last season’s top scorer to his starting line-up just because he is a star player.
   ‘The players have to compete for their positions in the side, be it Torres or anyone else,’ Benitez said. ‘Torres has to improve, if he does and he is fit then I will decide what to do, although I expect to be criticised.
   ‘I did not have to explain to Fernando why he was not playing, it was very clear. The team had been playing well and he has to compete for his position.
   ‘He played well when he came on, but then other players who come on as substitute also did well, not just him.
   ‘That is the key if you want to have a winning mentality and a winning squad.’
   Benitez may be unhappy with Torres but he is still keen to ensure the striker returns fully fit from international duty this week.
   Torres will join up with the Spain squad despite having played just 105 minutes of football in nearly five weeks since he was injured playing for his country.
   ‘Torres will join up with Spain. I am not happy, but I cannot do anything about it. We are talking to international managers and asking them to protect our players,’ Benitez said.
   ‘We have asked that the Spanish set-up does not take any chances, that they protect the player.’

Portsmouth manager Tony Adams has warned the FA Cup holders owner Alexandre Gaydamak he will quit Fratton Park if Jermain Defoe or any other top players are sold without his approval.
   Adams, who succeeded Harry Redknapp three weeks ago, was responding to speculation that cash-strapped Pompey would be forced to offload several big names in the January transfer window. The former Arsenal and England defender is determined to keep hold of his prize assets and admitted he would walk away if Gaydamak sells players behind his back.
   ‘Jermain’s a threat and I’m sure there will be some big clubs trying to get him but hands off because he’s mine,’ Adams said.
   ‘The owner has been very supportive and although I’ve not made an issue of it I’ve told him that everyone stays who I want to stay or I don’t do the job.
   ‘I told him that at the very start. He was very supportive of Harry and now he’s being very supportive of me. ‘He phones me on the way home and says ‘what do you want, Tony, how can I help you and I say keep Defoe where he is and there’s no problem. He says fine, anything else?’ He’s totally behind me.’

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has accused the German giants of carelessness after allowing struggling Borussia Moenchengladbach to score two late goals in Saturday’s 2-2 draw.
   A first-half goal from Italy striker Luca Toni and a second-half penalty from France midfielder Franck Ribery meant Bayern were 2-0 up at ‘Gladbach with barely 15 minutes left.
   But headers from Canada striker Rob Friend and United States midfielder Michael Bradley snatched the draw and brought to an end Bayern’s five-match winning streak to keep the defending Bundesliga champions third in the table.
   ‘We’re guilty of carelessness,’ said Rummenigge, after Bayern did virtually the same thing to draw 3-3 at home against minnows Bochum last month.
   ‘We were comfortably in the lead here and had the chances to make it three or even four.
   ‘At the end of the day, we’ve only taken a point when it simply should have been three.
   ‘It’s a bad day at the office when we’ve dropped vital points.
   ‘We drew 3-3 with Bochum at home, and here it’s finished 2-2.
   ‘If we hadn’t dropped these four points, we’d definitely have been top of the league - these are the matches we simply have to win.’
   The equalising goal by Bradley with nine minutes left was particularly painful for the Bayern defence as the midfielder was left unmarked in the penalty area.
   ‘You can’t be 2-1 up and then suddenly find yourselves outnumbered in your own penalty area, that’s not on,’ said Bayern’s Germany defender Philipp Lahm.
   ‘Perhaps we thought we were home and dry and didn’t concentrate hard enough.
   ‘We had the match under control and we made chances, but we didn’t kill the game there and then.
   ‘We had a huge opportunity to take all three points here, but instead it’s a case of dropping two.’
   The result leaves Bayern three points off leaders Bayer Leverkusen - who they face in a fortnight - but Munich play the Bundesliga’s bottom club Energie Cottbus at home next weekend which will give them a chance to close the gap.
   Leverkusen stayed top of the league after their 2-1 win over Schalke 04, despite being reduced to ten men.
   First-half goals by Germany strikers Patrick Helmes and Stefan Kiessling meant Leverkusen were 2-0 up at half-time then had defender Gonzalo Castro sent off just after the hour mark before Schalke striker Kevin Kuranyi scored a late consolation header.
   ‘I must pay a huge compliment to my team that they never lost patience for this important game,’ said Bayer coach Bruno Labbadia.
   ‘After the red card, we were under pressure, but the team showed the desire to fight for every ball.’ Second-placed Hoffenheim had a tough time as guests Wolfsburg fought back twice before the home side sealed a 3-2 win as Bosnia striker Vedad Ibisevic scored his 14th goal in 13 games to remain the league’s top scorer.
   Two goals in three minutes gave Hertha Berlin a 2-1 win over Hamburg at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium to fire the home side to fourth in the table.
   In Saturday’s other results, Borussia Dortmund enjoyed a 4-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, VfB Stuttgart drew 0-0 with Arminia Bielefeld and Energie Cottus picked only their second win of the season when they beat Karlsruhe 1-0.

Rafael Benitez believes Xabi Alonso can inspire Liverpool to win the Premier League title just months after the Spain international came close to leaving the club.
   Alonso almost left Anfield in the summer as Benitez desperately sought to raise funds to finance the arrival of Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry.
   Juventus were among a number of clubs strongly linked to the midfielder but the Barry deal failed to materialise and Alonso remained at Anfield.
   He has proved a key figure during Liverpool’s charge to the Premier League summit and Alonso once again in influential form as Benitez’s side won 2-0 at Bolton on Saturday to keep the pressure on Chelsea, their nearest title rivals, thanks to goals by Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard.
   And Benitez believes the player can maintain his high level performances through
   the rest of the campaign
   as the Merseyside club chase their first ever Premier League title.
   He believes his compatriot is benefitting from having so many good players around him.
   ‘Xabi has played really well this season and he played well again against Bolton,’ said Benitez.
   ‘He has more confidence and the players around him are also better players.
   ‘It’s easier for a midfielder when he has quality around him. We have (Fernando) Torres, (Robbie) Keane, Gerrard and (Javier) Mascherano around him.
   ‘He’s playing really well.’
   Liverpool defeated Bolton without playing well and there might have been a different outcome had the hosts not had a goal disallowed when Liverpool were leading 1-0.
   Gary Cahill thought he had equalised on the stroke of half time but referee Rob Styles ruled it out after adjudging Bolton captain Kevin Nolan to have fouled keeper Jose Reina.
   ‘There is a rule that says the six yard box is for the keeper,’ added Benitez.
   ‘If you have three players in front of the keeper he cannot go for the ball.
   ‘They are the rules. They are international rules. I said it when I first came to England. Three players around the keeper is a free-kick.’
   Benitez’s comments baffled Bolton manager Gary Megson.
   ‘I must have missed that rule when it came out,’ said Megson. ‘Kevin Nolan did nothing but stand his ground and get shoved.
   ‘I certainly didn’t expect that goal to be ruled out.’
   Fernando Torres was forced to make do with a place on the substitutes bench despite declaring himself fully fit after his recent hamstring problems.
   But Benitez insisted that the former Atletico Madrid striker would return to the starting line-up in the not-too-distant future.
   ‘Torres looked good when he came on but he is still not back to his peak yet,’ the Spaniard said.
   Benitez claimed the relative ease with which Liverpool had seen off Bolton was vindication of his decision to field a second string side in the midweek League Cup defeat by Tottenham.
   ‘Everyone knows we want to win every game and every
   competition, but for us the league is the priority so we cannot stay thinking about the League Cup and if we win the league we’ll be very happy,’ he said.
   ‘We had two or three chances in the first half, so as you know it’s always important to get the second goal.
   ‘We’re a little disappointed (not to have scored more) but the second goal was crucial and it could have been three or four at the end.’
   Alonso insisted Liverpool would not get carried away by their impressive start to the season.
   ‘It is important (to be top) but we know that we have to carry on like this to have a chance at the end of the season,’ he said. ‘We are not arrogant, we respect all the opponents but we are confident. We are scoring goals and trying to improve in defence.’
   ‘We could have won by three or four but the most important thing was to get the three points. We have to carry on this type of performance away from home.’

Germany coach Joachim Low will on Monday lay down the law to his players after last month’s public spat with captain Michael Ballack as die Mannschaft prepare for the friendly here against England.
   Germany and England will meet at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on Wednesday night, but Low will gather his squad at their city centre hotel to spell out what is acceptable behaviour after last month’s bust-up with Ballack.
   During the 30-minute speech, Low will leave his players in no doubt what is – and what is not – acceptable behaviour over the next 18 months on the road to South Africa with his side top of their qualifying group.
   ‘It will be a clear and frank address,’ Low told German tabloid Bild on Sunday.
   ‘It will not be a debate, nor a discussion.
   ‘I want to make it absolutely clear how I imagine the run-up to the next World Cup will be - and exactly what I expect from the players.
   ‘I believe that they will take my words on board, they will not need a written copy of what I have to say.’
   Having taken over as Germany head coach after the 2006 World Cup, Low faced by far the biggest test of his tenure when Ballack and fellow senior player Torsten Frings openly criticised the national coach last month.
   Frings slammed Low on television for dropping him for the World Cup qualifiers against Russia and Wales, while, in an interview with a German newspaper, Ballack said the coach should show his senior players more respect.
   The pair later apologised in person and both will miss the England friendly, but Low has said he wants to use the game to experiment with younger players.
   But the coach’s authority has been questioned after an episode in which no party emerged with any credit.
   ‘That is a question of the respect,’ said Low when asked about Ballack and Frings.
   ‘We have in principle a good relationship with one another.
   ‘But these incidents moved the national team into a negative light.
   ‘That does not mean I am above criticism, quite the opposite – I am even glad when someone says something to me internally.’
   After Ballack and Frings’ criticisms, Low has reiterated he will not consider a player’s reputation when choosing his side and current form is his sole criteria for selection.
   ‘It is of no concern what someone has done before,’ said Low.
   ‘We will observe players and only after watching their performances will we decide who plays.’
   And Germany squad members can expect stringent testing throughout next year as Low revealed he was far from happy with some of the fitness levels at June’s Euro 2008 tournament which the Germans lost in the final to Spain.
   ‘Some things were neglected,’ said Low.
   ‘I want to know exactly in which physical condition the players are.
   ‘At the Euro, some players did not maintain their fitness for the whole tournament on a high level and that must not be allowed to happen again.’
   It looks like both England and Germany will use Wednesday’s match to experiment and blood new players.
   England stars Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole and Joe Cole are all injured and Chelsea defender John Terry could withdraw if scans show he damaged his foot in Saturday’s Premier League win over West Bromwich.
   Low has three new caps in the Germany squad and will play an inexperienced midfield without Ballack and Frings with Borussia Moenchengladbach teenager Marko Marin expected to start.

Arsene Wenger admitted Arsenal ‘lack the consistency’ to be classed a top side after they slumped to a disastrous 2-0 defeat against an impressive Aston Villa.
   The Gunners slipped nine points adrift of joint leaders Chelsea and Liverpool thanks to two second-half strikes: the first an own goal from Gael Clichy and the second from the lively Gabriel Agbonlahor.
   Both strikes were controversial - Arsenal were angry that Villa played on with Bacary Sagna lying injured for the first, while the hosts could have been awarded a free-kick in the build-up to the second - but the north Londoners could hardly claim that Villa were not worthy winners on Saturday.
   Ashley Young missed a 19th-minute penalty, awarded after he had been fouled by Theo Walcott, while Gareth Barry also spurned a glorious chance before the interval.
   Another alarmingly flimsy performance from Arsenal means they have now suffered four league defeats this season - one more than they chalked up during the whole of last term - and the Emirates, once an impenetrable citadel, now appears to have all the sturdiness of a sandcastle.
   Their title credentials are in shreds and Wenger’s chief concern now appears to centre on whether they can cling on to their place in the Champions League qualification places.
   ‘Top level performances are about consistency and at the moment we are not consistent enough,’ Wenger said. ‘I don’t believe you can talk about championships now but at the moment we lack consistency.
   ‘The performance was not good but it was the kind of game we could have won 1-0. We could have been out of it by half-time but we weren’t and it became the kind of game we could have won. Instead, we were punished for making a mistake.
   ‘Everyone in the dressing room is very down because it’s a massive disappointment for us all. We were unlucky because Sagna was injured for the first goal and there was a blatant foul on the edge of the box in the build-up to the second, but Villa deserved to win.’
   Wenger’s woes were compounded by Sagna’s injury - he has sustained damage to his ankle, with the manager predicting he will be out ‘for a few weeks’ - and a fifth booking of the season for Cesc Fabregas, which will rule him out of next weekend’s trip to Manchester City.
   The French manager declined to endorse Villa’s credentials to steal Arsenal’s place in the top four, pointing that they had been surprisingly beaten at home by Middlesbrough a week earlier, but if any side has the capacity to gatecrash the Premier League’s established elite, Martin O’Neill’s could be it.
   This is a team boasting pace, skill and youthful verve in abundance and it would be a brave punter to bet against Champions League football returning to Birmingham for the first time since 1983 next season.
   If good fortune laced their first goal, Clichy inexplicably heading past Manuel Almunia after Young had delivered an enticing cross, their second was picture-perfect: Agbonlahor seized Martin Laursen’s downfield clearance, raced away from Willam Gallas and volleyed into the bottom corner.
   O’Neill, perhaps predictably, was counselling caution in the wake of perhaps his most satisfying result since taking charge at Villa Park, although he was in no mood to play down the quality of his team’s display.

John Terry figured in Fabio Cappello’s squad for next week’s friendly against Germany but he may be forced to withdraw due to a foot injury sustained in Saturday’s 3-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns.
   The England captain was substituted towards the end of Chelsea’s record-breaking tenth successive away win in the Premier League and must now undergo a scan to determine his fitness for Wednesday’s meeting with Germany in Berlin.
   Terry could head at least three Chelsea absentees from Capello’s squad, with Ashley Cole not fit enough to link up with the squad, despite being on the substitutes’ bench at the Hawthorns and Joe Cole still a week away from a return to action.
   Although Luiz Felipe Scolari assured England’s Italian coach that there is no suggestion of Terry being withdrawn because it is not a competitive international.
   ‘If John is in good condition then he will go with England. I want to respect the national team.
   ‘If he is not in good condition then he will not play for England. I am sure Mr Capello understands that. At the moment we have to wait to see what his condition is. It is an injury at the bottom of his foot. It is a new injury, not one that I have seen in football.
   ‘I heard the doctor say that John will go to hospital tomorrow (Sunday) and they will make a scan. We have to wait to see what the results are. Then we can say what will happen.’
   Germany captain Michael Ballack is virtually certain to be part of his country’s squad, after emerging for the last 20 minutes of the easy victory over the Premier League’s bottom club. It was his first appearance for five weeks and he will be fit to join up with his national team.
   But few will join up with their countries for friendly internationals this week in better shape than Frenchman Nicolas Anelka – whose two goals at the Hawthorns takes his tally to 13 this season and makes him the top scorer in the Premier League.
   With Didier Drogba facing a lengthy ban for his coin throwing incident against Burnley in the Carling Cup last Wednesday, Anelka is carrying the load up front superbly in the absence of the Ivory Coast striker, now that he has won the belief of his team-mates.
   Anelka is expected to be part of the French squad for the friendly with Uruguay in Paris and Scolari said: ‘They believe in him more. Before they thought that he had ten chances and did not score. Now they know that if he has one or two chances he will score,’ said Scolari.
   ‘He is my number one striker. He has so much confidence at the moment and the players just want to get the ball to him as much as they can because they know he will score.
   ‘Nicolas is happy and the players believe in him. Maybe the system that we are playing suits him more too.’
   Scotland midfielder James Morrison may also have to pull out of international duty for the prestigious friendly against Diego Maradona’s Argentina in Glasgow because of a knee injury sustained in a challenge with Jose Bosingwa, the scorer of Chelsea‘s third goal.
   ‘He has possibly tweaked knee ligaments and we will have to see how it settles down in the next day or two,’ said Albion manager Tony Mowbray.

Shock England call-up Michael Mancienne has admitted it was a dream come true to be named in Fabio Capello’s squad for Wednesday’s friendly against Germany.
   Chelsea defender Mancienne, 20, has yet to play a single game for the Premier League club, but Capello was so impressed by his performances on loan for Championship leaders Wolverhampton and with the England Under-21 team that he decided to take a closer look at the centre-back this week.
   Mancienne had expected to play for the Under-21s but now he could make his England debut in one of international football’s most fiercely contested fixtures in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.
   ‘It is the dream of every boy to play for their country and it is fantastic to be in the squad,’ Mancienne told the Sunday Telegraph.
   ‘I was focused on being in the under-21 squad so this was great news. It will be a fantastic game to be involved in and just being around the squad will be superb.
   ‘Having some of the other Chelsea lads in the squad as well will be a real boost for me.’
   Mancienne praised Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce for playing a key role in his rapid rise through the international ranks.
   ‘I’ve found working with Stuart Pearce very good, he’s understanding and easy to talk to - he always gives an honest opinion,’ Mancienne said.
   ‘If he sees something not right, he’ll talk to me and correct me. We’ve been wanting to do well for the manager.’
   Mancienne has only got as far as being an unused substitute for Chelsea so far and he believes he has developed as a player much quicker due to loan spells with QPR last year and Wolverhampton this season.
   ‘It is good to be involved at such a massive club (Chelsea),’ he added. ‘I haven’t really been there for two years because of loans but it was good to be back.
   ‘I grew as a footballer when I was on loan and developed an understanding of the game. I’ve been in relegation battles and my experiences have improved me.

Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster is remaining ‘calm’ despite seeing his position at the Spanish giants further placed in doubt following Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Real Valladolid.
   Madrid and Schuster went into the clash at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla under the spotlight after a series of poor recent results was capped this week by their embarrassing midweek Copa del Rey exit to Segunda Division B side Real Union.
   Media reports in Spain suggested Schuster would be fired if Madrid lost to Valladolid this weekend, and that speculation is likely to increase after the two-time Primera Liga champions went down to a Fabian Cannobio strike just after the break.
   Schuster, whose side had defender Gabriel Heinze sent off late on against Valladolid, knows the defeat complicates things for him, but the German is refusing to panic.
   ‘I’m calm, we are working hard, but it is clear that this result doesn’t help. It’s a ground where we didn’t want to lose,’ he was quoted as saying after the match by Marca.
   However, Schuster did admit in AS he was ‘concerned and disappointed’ by the defeat, which was Madrid’s fourth in their last eight matches in all competitions.
   ‘We did not deserve to lose, we had no fortune. We changed our style of play because we lacked some men but, nevertheless, aside from the goal, our opponents did not cause us an problems,’ added Schuster, who was without Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben, Mahamadou Diarra, Pepe, Ruben de la Red and Christoph Metzelder.
   ‘We didn’t suffer in defence and we had chances to score.’
   Schuster was reluctant to talk about the possibility of his job being under threat, but did say: ‘Last year we also experienced some difficult moments and we got through them.’

Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna has been ruled out until December after suffering an ankle injury in the 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday. The France right-back was stretchered off in the 70th minute after falling awkwardly, with Villa compounding his misery by scoring seconds later through Gael Clichy’s own goal. Sagna, who will also miss France’s friendly against Uruguay in Paris on Wednesday, will be assessed more fully by the Arsenal medical staff on Sunday but the early prognosis is gloomy for manager Arsene Wenger. ‘It is a serious injury,’ he said. ‘It is an ankle injury and we think he will be out for a few weeks.’

Arsenal’s title challenge suffered a hammer blow on Saturday as a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Aston Villa left them nine points adrift of the Premier League pacesetters Chelsea and Liverpool.
   A week after they had reasserted their own title credentials by beating Manchester United, Arsene Wenger’s side suffered their first two-goal defeat at the Emirates Stadium.
   ‘Top level performances are about consistency and at the moment we are not consistent enough,’ the Frenchman said. ‘Everyone in the dressing room is very down because it’s a massive disappointment for us all.’
   An own goal by Gael Clichy and a Gabriel Agbonlahor strike revived Villa’s hopes of Champions League football next season and it could have been worse for the Gunners if Manuel Almunia had not saved Ashley Young’s first-half penalty.
   Chelsea and Liverpool continued to set the pace with Chelsea’s 3-0 win over bottom side West Brom keeping them top on goal difference.
   After Jose Bosingwa had opened the scoring, Nicolas Anelka claimed a first-half double to take his goal tally in the league to 12 in 13 matches.
   Liverpool were almost as comfortable in compiling a 2-0 win over Bolton while champions United leapfrogged Arsenal into third place after knocking five goals past Stoke at Old Trafford.
   Cristiano Ronaldo book-ended the win with free-kicks right at the start and right at the end of a one-sided contest, his 100th and 101st goals for the club.
   Michael Carrick claimed United’s second just before half-time, Dimitar Berbatov ended the contest four minutes after the break and, with United strolling, youngster Danny Welbeck came off the bench to score a memorable first goal for the club from well outside the box.
   Liverpool’s win came courtesy of headers in either half from Dirk Kuyt and captain Steven Gerrard, the latter coming from a superb cross from Fernando Torres after the talismanic Spanish striker came off the bench.
   Tottenham’s unbeaten run under Harry Redknapp came to an end when they went down to a 2-1 defeat at Fulham that sends Spurs back down into the relegation zone.
   Fulham were gifted their opener by another blunder from Tottenham’s Brazilian goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, who allowed a Simon Davies cross to slip through his grasp in the 32nd minute.
   Andy Johnson doubled the lead with 20 minutes left and Frazier Campbell’s first Premier League goal came too late for Spurs to salvage a point.
   Titus Bramble rescued a point for ten-man Wigan with a last-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw at his former club Newcastle.
   Wigan had gone ahead thanks to a spectacular 3rd-minute strike by Ryan Taylor. But after having Emmerson Boyce sent off midway through the second half they had looked set to leave St James’ Park with nothing after late strikes by Michael Owen and Obafemi Martins had given Newcastle the lead.
   Sunderland came from behind to take revenge for their League Cup defeat by Blackburn in midweek.
   Blackburn deserved to lead at the interval courtesy of Christopher Samba’s stoppage time header from a Morten Gamst Pedersen corner.
   But Kenwyne Jones equalised four minutes after the break and strike partner Djibril Cisse sealed a 2-1 win for Roy Keane’s side with a 71st-minute strike.
   The day’s other match, between West Ham and Portsmouth, finished in a goalless stalemate.

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Cristiano Ronaldo is back to his best after the Portuguese winger reached a century of goals for Manchester United in a 5-0 victory over Stoke at Old Trafford.
   The Portuguese winger scored his first after three minutes, his centenary goal for the defending Premier League champions, and added a second in the final minute of the romp.
   There were also goals for Michael Carrick, set up by Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov and young full debutant Danny Welbeck who struck with a magnificent shot six minutes from time.
   But the game will be remembered for Ronaldo’s impressive landmark and the fact that he already has nine goals to his name this season despite making a delayed start to his own season following ankle surgery in July.
   ‘Fantastic, he’s back, right on song,’ said Ferguson. ‘His speed has come back. He was taking his time but every game he was getting better.
   ‘His acceleration is marvellous and he has scored his first goals from free-kicks this season, we have been waiting for that to happen. We saw the real power of him.
   ‘The free-kicks were incredible but he does practice, that’s the secret for him. He does try different things and today he was right on song. He’ll soon be in double figures.’
   Welbeck, who does not turn 18 for another two weeks, was the other hero of the occasion, his superb shot the stuff that schoolboy dreams are made of for a local youngster who grew up supporting the Reds.
   ‘To score on his full debut, gee, he will remember that for the rest of his life,’ said the manager. ‘I think he is level-headed and intelligent so we won’t have any problem keeping his feet on the ground.
   ‘And there will be a few lads in the dressing room knocking him back down to size, that’s for sure.’
   With Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand rested, and out of England’s midweek friendly, it was a young United line-up
   that coasted across the finishing line with Johnny Evans, Manucho and Darron Gibson all on the field by the game’s conclusion.
   ‘It was a very young team but we have some fantastic young players,’ said Ferguson.
   ‘If we just take our time with them and be patient with them, they will be okay.’
   ‘Rio and Wayne are out of the internationals. Rio hurt his back in training yesterday and Wayne had a chest infection but also had a calf strain so we pulled him out.’
   Berbatov’s sixth goal – his second league goal in 10 games – should have quietened some of the criticism that has
   been mounting about his efficiency and Ferguson has no doubt that the Bulgarian is coming good.
   ‘I said to him when I signed him that he’ll get over 20 goals for us,’ said Ferguson.
   ‘And I’d still put a good bet on that. He’s doing very well. The whole team is. There is a good fluidity in the team, a good understanding and movement between the front players.’
   Stoke manager Tony Pulis, having seen his team on the receiving end of a humbling scoreline, had few complaints about the ultimate result.
   ‘We killed ourselves in the first half, conceding so early,’ said Pulis. ‘Once they got their third goal, they smelled blood. And once that happened, we had had it.
   ‘Teams like United pick you off. As soon as they get their noses in front, you have no chance.’

Managers don’t last long at Real Madrid and German coach Bernd Schuster could be heading for the exit door after the Spanish champions fell to a 1-0 defeat at Valladolid on Saturday.
   The same Valladolid had been crushed 6-0 by Barcelona last weekend and before the game sections of the Spanish media were saying that this could be Schuster’s last game if Real lost.
   That is just what happened as Uruguayan striker Nestor Cannobbio struck a 48th-minute winner with an unstoppable left-footed drive.
   With two recent Champions League losses to Juventus and the midweek Spanish Cup embarrassment to minnows Real Union, Schuster had been under extreme pressure, and the Valladolid loss could be the final nail in his coffin although Schuster didn’t see it that way.
   “I am calm. We are working towards what we want to do and I am focused on my job,” said Schuster.
   “It is a difficult time at the moment but we had a similar situation last season.
   “The result is obviously bad for us and we shouldn’t lose but that is football. They didn’t really create a chance in the first half but when half a chance came along they took it well. We certainly didn’t deserve to lose.”
   Schuster won the league title in his debut season but it is now up to the Real board to see if they want to extend his 16-month spell at the Santiago Bernabeu.
   Real have now won just once in their last six matches in all competitions and the double league champions stay fourth, two points behind leaders Barcelona who have a game in hand.
   It was a great day for Barcelona with Valencia falling to a surprise 3-2 home defeat to Sporting Gijon in Saturday’s late game.
   Valencia could have gone top with victory but goals from Luis Moran (19 minutes) and David Barral (51) gave them an uphill task.
   David Villa scored his 11th goal of the season from the penalty spot to get his team back in the game but Diego Castro made it 3-1 in the 83rd minute and it proved crucial as Juan Mata scored late on for the hosts.
   “We are conceding too many goals at home and this is something we have to cut out,” lamented Villa.
   Unai Emery’s Valencia stay third above Real Madrid on goal difference but Villarreal, a point ahead in second, now have a great opportunity to pull away from the duo when they travel to Malaga on Sunday.
   Barcelona are at Recreativo Huelva on the same day looking to move five points clear of Real and Valencia.
   Without the creative Dutch duo of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Arjen Robben both out injured Raul and Gonzalo Higuain started in attack for Real with the latter hoping to build on his four goals against Malaga last weekend.
   Valladolid were whacked 6-0 by Barcelona last time out and must have feared a Real backlash but Jose Garcia Calvo almost put the hosts ahead with his 12th-minute header cleared off the goal-line by alert Brazilian defender Marcelo.
   Higuain then showed a great turn of pace to race clear only to be thwarted by the goalkeeper.
   At half-time it was scoreless with Schuster cutting a glum figure in the dug-out but the clean sheet was a bonus when you consider that Real had leaked six goals in their last two matches.
   But three minutes into the second half Valladolid took the lead with a poor pass from Guti gifting possession and Canobbio rifled in past the helpless Iker Casillas.
   Casillas last kept a clean sheet back on September 21 in a 2-0 win over Racing Santander underlining Real’s defensive frailties.
   Higuain and Wesley Sneijder both went close but captain Raul squandered the best chance with three minutes left shooting at the legs of goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo.

Fabio Capello will put England’s youngsters under the microscope before deciding which of his raw recruits will play against Germany on Wednesday.
   Capello has picked five players who are still eligible for under-21 duty and could hand debuts to Gabriel Agbonlahor, Curtis Davies and Michael Macienne, a 20-year-old Chelsea defender currently impressing on loan to Championship leaders Wolverhampton.
   But the England coach won’t play all of his young tyros against top-quality opposition like Germany in case they become overwhelmed by the occasion in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.
   A heavy defeat would do significant damage to their confidence and, after four straight World Cup qualifying wins, Capello does not want to ruin England’s resurgence by placing his trust in too many rookies.
   The Italian will decide which two of the rookies will make his the starting line-up after watching them in training over the next two days. ‘It is dangerous to put too many new players into a team that has trained a lot together,’ said Capello. ‘It is best when you put one or maximum two in. I just want to know them better, which I will do during the camp.
   ‘I want to study what they do in training, then I will decide.’
   Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole and Joe Cole are all injured and Chelsea defender John Terry could withdraw if scans show he damaged his foot in Saturday’s win over West Bromwich.
   The absence of so many stars gives Capello room to use the match against one of England’s traditional enemies to get a feel for his next generation of talent.
   Yet even Mancienne admitted it was a shock to see his name in the 23-man squad as the centre-back has yet to play for Chelsea.
   ‘It’s a great honour. I was expecting to join up with the under-21s and my head was focused on that but this is obviously great news,’ he said.
   ‘It’s a great game to be picked for and just to be in and around the squad will be superb.’
   Capello justified the omissions of David Beckham and Michael Owen on grounds of fitness.
   Beckham hasn’t played since the MLS season came to an end almost a month ago and Owen is still returning to full fitness after a groin injury.
   ‘It is not enough to play one or two games,’ Capello said. ‘You cannot find enough form to play an international match in that time. ‘Beckham is not in the squad because he has not played for three weeks.’
   Beckham, who is due to join AC Milan on a loan deal in January, should get the chance to equal Bobby Moore’s record as England’s most capped outfield player in February’s friendly in Spain.
   Tottenham striker Darren Bent has been revitalised since Harry Redknapp took over at White Hart Lane and, with Rooney and Emile Heskey injured, he could feature in Capello’s forward line.
   Bent, who has scored five goals in his last seven matches, will compete with Agbonlahor, Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe for one of the two spots.
   ‘We have followed Bent over the last year and he has scored a lot of goals recently,’ Capello said. ‘We need a player for that role because we don’t have Heskey.
   ‘He is young, fast and has good movement without the ball. He runs into space, which is very important.
   ‘It is important that Tottenham have won a lot of games because it helps Bent’s confidence. That makes me happy.’
   Squad
   Goalkeepers: Scott Carson (West Bromwich), Joe Hart (Man City), David James (Portsmouth); Defenders: Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Curtis Davies (Aston Villa), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), John Terry (Chelsea), Joleon Lescott (Everton), Michael Mancienne (Chelsea, on loan at Wolverhampton), Micah Richards (Man City), Matthew Upson (West Ham); Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Michael Carrick (Man Utd), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Man City), Ashley Young (Aston Villa); Strikers: Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Darren Bent (Tottenham), Peter Crouch (Portsmouth), Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth), Theo Walcott (Arsenal).

Manchester City’s Brazilian forward Robinho says his team can rival the likes of Real Madrid and hence he is happy to pledge his long-term future to the English Premiership side.
   ‘I hope to play here for many years,’ Robinho told the London Daily Star on Sunday.
   ‘I hope to make history at this club and become one of the great heroes at Manchester City. I’m in a very good phase and I hope this will continue,’ said the Brazilian, who joined City in a record-breaking 45 million euro deal in the summer after initially indicating he wanted to join Chelsea.
   Robinho, 24, says he wants to be on board for the duration following City’s multimillion takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group.
   ‘I’m enjoying it here, and my aim is to become the best player in the world,’ he said.
   ‘I came to City because I saw them growing and making progress. Can they be as big as Real Madrid? I hope so, yes.’
   City boss Mark Hughes, under pressure with the team in the lower half of the table, is expected to receive money for transfers in the January transfer window.
   Robinho would like him to splash the cash on Brazil team-mate Kaka from AC Milan.
   ‘Kaka’s a great player and a great person. He’s so strong, intelligent and fast. Obviously, I’m hoping that I can play with him here at City,’ Robinho said.

Two goals from striking magician Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a 2-0 victory at Palermo shot Inter Milan three points clear at the top of the Italian league table on Saturday night.
   Ibrahimovic’s second half goals meant Jose Mourinho’s team will finish the weekend on top regardless of what happens in other matches as Juventus, three points behind Inter, have already played in a 4-1 win against Genoa on Thursday.
   AC Milan and Napoli, who are in equal third spot four points behind Inter, play Chievo and Atalanta on Sunday.
   Ibrahimovic simply had a superb match. Known as ‘Ibracadabra,’ the Swedish striking magician found the net in the 46th and 64th minutes to spell the end for Palermo.
   An uneventful first half gave way to more incidents in the second. Ibrahimovic, largely left unattended by the Palermo defence, opened the scoring with a powerful 25-metre shot which left keeper Alberto Fontana with little chance.
   He then doubled his striking tally with a just-as-powerful 20-metre free-kick which Fontana was once more unable to do much about.
   In between the goals, the hapless Sicilian keeper was a little lucky that the rampant Ibrahimovic had not found the net as he parried away another shot from the on-form Swede.
   ‘Today I’ve scored two important goals. We’ve won a difficult away game against Palermo who are a tough team. I’m very happy,’ Ibrahimovic told Sky.
   ‘Juventus will be a hard game but if we want to take the championship we have to win.’

Frank Lampard is ‘100 per cent sure’ he made the right decision when he chose to stay at Chelsea rather than follow Jose Mourinho to Inter Milan. Lampard carefully weighed up Inter’s offer last summer and admits he was tempted for a while to rejoin his old boss in Italy. In the end, though, the Blues’ England midfielder resisted - and has no regrets.
   ‘It was a very tough time for me personally after the death of my mum, and my head was in a spin in the summer,’ he explains in the Sunday Times. ‘I didn’t really know what to do and I felt it might suit me to get away and change my surroundings and my life.
   ‘But when I came back pre-season, I realised how much I loved this place - and, through speaking to my family, I knew what I had to do. ‘I’m sure now 100 per cent that I made the right decision.’