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Bangladesh suffered the only defeat on their trip to the Caribbean, when West Indies won their Twenty20 international by five wickets on Sunday.
   Bangladesh were unsuccessful in defending a modest victory target of 119, after reckless batting - epitomised by four needless run outs - undermined their batting at Warner Park.
   The result was secured, when Travis Dowlin, whose run-a-ball 37 was the top score, pulled a long-hop from left-arm spinner Mehrab Hossain Jr for the last of his five fours.
   Sunday’s game followed two Tests and three one-day internationals between the two sides which ended in a historic sweep for Bangladesh of both series against a West Indies side depleted by a player boycott.
   ‘We didn’t bat well, especially the top-order batsmen, including myself, and we didn’t play smart cricket, that was our downfall,’ said Bangladesh captain Sakib al Hasan.
   ‘I don’t know why we played like this, but we didn’t execute our game plan well. If you have four run-outs in an innings, it will be very difficult for you to score runs in a T20.’
   He added: ‘We have played very good cricket for the last month, and one bad game does not make us look bad. We are looking forward to our trip to Zimbabwe. It will be very important to us.’
   Sakib, bowling his left-arm spin, removed opener Dale Richards with the very first ball of the West Indies’ run-chase.
   But Bangladesh were put on the back-foot by a stand of 46 between Andre Fletcher and fellow Grenadian Devon Smith that put West Indies firmly on course.
   Mohammad Ashraful ended with two wickets for 18 runs from two overs.
   ‘It’s good to have ended the series on a winning note,’ said West Indies captain Floyd Reifer, who made 22.
   ‘I thought the guys fielded really well to put them under pressure. In our team meetings, we talked about Twenty20 being a really fast-paced form of the game, and we needed everyone to be sharp in the field.’
   Reifer added: ‘It was going to be difficult for us coming into this match after losing the Tests and ODIs.
   ‘But I told the guys that we had to look forward to the future, and think about the bigger picture.
   ‘We needed to move
   forward and keep improving.’
   Bangladesh suffered a batting meltdown and were restricted to 118 for nine from their 20 overs.
   Naeem Islam’s 27 from 18 balls - which included two fours and two sixes - was the top score, while Mahmudullah made 21.
   Bangladesh suffered a shaky start when they slumped to 12 for three in the third over, and never fully recovered.
   Naeem and Mahmudullah added 31 for the fourth wicket in the most stable period of the innings, but they too, succeeded in running themselves out.
   Nikita Miller was the most successful West Indies bowler with two for 22 from four overs, and Darren Sammy, who was named man-of-the-match, ended with two for 33 from four overs.

Feni Soccer Club, the newcomers in the B League, have formed a strong team with a number of experienced players and are eager to prove their worth.
   The Feni-based club have inducted goalkeeper Piru from Arambagh, defender Nurul Amin Shipon, who skippered Rahmatganj in the last edition of the B League, experienced midfielder Asif Yusuf from Chittagong Abahani, midfielder Akramuzzaman Liton from Brothers Union and midfielder Amirul Islam from Farashganj. All these players have a experience of playing in the top flight football of the country.
   Apart from these players, Feni Soccer Club have recruited Raju and Mintu Sheikh from Young Men’s Club Fakirerpool, Badda Jagaroni’s Kamal, Shahin of Khulna Abahani, Tuhan, the second-choice keeper of Chittagong Abahani, Muktijoddha’s Ashraful, Pintu of Victoria, Abu Sufian Zahid of Dhanmondi Club and Iqbal and Jahangir of Wanderers.
   Golam Rabbani, general secretary of the club, hoped that his team would be able to cope with the pressure of top flight football. ‘We have been trying hard to form a team that will be able to sustain the pressure at the top level, we are trying to include a number of foreign footballers to strengthen the outfit,’ said Rabbani.
   ‘We look forward to playing good football, we know if we perform well then the supporters of the club will increase, we want to mark our first appearance in the professional league,’ said Rabani.
   Feni Soccer Club got BFF’s nod for the B League after their good performance in the Bashundhara Club Cup Championship.

Mahela Jayawardene hit his first one-day century in two years as Sri Lanka thumped Pakistan by six wickets on Monday to grab a winning 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
   The former captain made 123 and shared an opening stand of 202 with Upul Tharanga (76) as the hosts cruised past Pakistan’s challenging 288-8 in the 47th over of the high-scoring match.
   Sri Lanka, who had won the preceding Test series 2-0, made light work of an improved batting display by Pakistan in which teenager Umar Akmal led the way with 66 off 65 balls.
   The 19-year-old, whose elder brother Kamran Akmal is the team’s wicket-keeper, propelled Pakistan to the highest total ever at the Rangiri International Stadium.
   But Jayawardene, opening the batting in place of the indisposed Sanath Jayasuriya, and Tharanga gave Sri Lanka the perfect start in good batting conditions.
   Jayawardene hit 14 boundaries and a six in his 11th one-day century and his first since making 107 for Asia against Africa in the Afro-Asia Cup in Chennai in June 2007.
   Left-handed Tharanga helped himself to nine fours, before both batsmen fell in successive overs.
   Sri Lanka lost a third wicket in the space of 10 runs as Thilan Samaraweera gave Saeed Ajmal a return catch, but Thilina Kandamby (32) and captain Kumar Sangakkara (37 not out) steered Sri Lanka home.
   ‘It was an amazing innings by Mahela,’ said Sangakkara. ‘No one can ask for more when chasing a big enough total you get an opening partnership of 202 runs. ‘It is great to win both the Test and one-day series. I am really satisfied how Sri Lanka have shaped up this season.’
   Pakistan captain Younus Khan conceded the Sri Lankan openers took the game away from his side.
   ‘I thought we put up a good total, but we had no answer to the way Jayawardene and Tharanga batted. We could have fielded better.
   ‘Now I wish we can win at least one match on this tour.’
   Pakistan lost despite putting up their best total in the series after Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field.
   Kamran Akmal made 45 during a 71-run stand for the second wicket with Younus (44) after opener Nasir Jamshed had fallen in the second over.
   Pakistan suffered a middle-order slump when three wickets fell for 27 runs, before Shahid Afridi stepped in to smash 32 off 20 balls with five boundaries.
   Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, the world’s leading wicket-taker in both Test and one-day cricket, removed Afridi and Umar in quick succession.
   Pakistan plundered 86 runs in the last 10 overs to compile the highest total at the venue, surpassing Sri Lanka’s 282 against India in 2004.

India’s sports minister and the country’s lone Olympic champion on Monday hit out at cricketers for refusing to divulge there daily location under an anti-doping code.
   ‘All sportspersons should adhere to it and happily follow it,’ sports minister Manohar Singh Gill told reporters a day after the nation’s top cricketers declined to comply with the World Anti-Doping Agency code.
   ‘The world is concerned about doping and we should support WADA. India has accepted regulatory testing and we adhere to it.
   ‘It should be made clear to sportspersons that testing does not interfere in anyone’s personal life.’
   The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Sunday gave its blessing to players who did not accept the whereabouts clause of the WADA code, saying it infringed on their privacy.
   The clause requires players to detail their whereabouts for an hour between 6:00 am and 11:00 pm every day for the next three months to allow random out-of-competition testing.
   Olympic shooting gold medallist Abhinav Bindra urged the cricketers to accept the code, saying the clause was ‘no big deal’.
   ‘They should just accept it and get on with life,’ said Bindra, who won India’s first-ever individual Olympic gold at Beijing last year.
   ‘I think it is all due to a lack of understanding. But if cricket wants to become a global sport and fight the menace of drugs, they must agree to the WADA code.
   ‘I have been part of the code for a few years and it is no big deal.’
   India’s top players are the only ones in world cricket, a non-Olympic discipline, who had not signed the WADA documents by the August 1 deadline set by the International Cricket Council.
   According to WADA rules, anyone missing three doping tests over 18 months faces a ban of up to two years.
   ‘We have no problem with the testing, but we have a problem with the system of testing players,’ BCCI president Shashank Manohar told reporters on Sunday.
   ‘We have decided to write to the ICC about the concerns raised by the players. The BCCI agrees with the players that the system of testing is unreasonable.’
   Nine Indian male and two female players were registered for dope testing by the ICC, both during tournaments or random out-of-competition.
   The male players in the list are world batting record holder Sachin Tendulkar, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan and Munaf Patel.
   Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj are the two women players in the list.
   The ICC, responding to India’s stand, said the matter will be discussed by the governing body’s Executive Board to ‘find a way forward’.

The Australian media fretted Monday that the nation’s cricketers are on the verge of going 2-0 down in the Ashes series against England with some pundits doubtful of the tourists’ state of mind.
   The Australians were 88 for two in their second innings at stumps in the third Edgbaston Test and needing a further 25 runs on Monday’s final day to make England, 1-0 up in the five-Test series, bat again.
   The mood is darkening in the Australian press after Ricky Ponting’s team was again outplayed after their defeat at Lord’s and after failing to break a stubborn last-wicket partnership to snare victory in the opening Cardiff Test.
   ‘Australia need to stop contemplating their navels,’ Peter Roebuck said in The Sydney Morning Herald.
   ‘Touring reporters have become frustrated at the way the team has gone to ground. It is a bad sign.
   ‘This circling of wagons indicates a fragile state of mind. That needs to change. Better to look defeat in the eye and realise it is not such a terrible thing.’
   The press pinpointed Graeme Swann’s ripping off-break to bowl Australian captain Ricky Ponting for five as setting the scene for a fascinating finish to the third Test.
   ‘The wickets of the Australian captain and the senior opener Simon Katich allowed England to dream of conjuring a fifth-day victory,’ The Herald’s Chloe Saltau said.
   ‘Australia is desperately trying to avoid going 2-0 down in an Ashes series for the first time since 1986.’
   The newspaper said much will depend on whether rookie opener Shane Watson (34 not out) and out-of-form Mike Hussey (18 not out) can help Australia bat out the final day, so their team can head to the fourth Test at Headingley with the series still only delicately poised in England’s favour.
   The Australian’s Malcolm Conn wondered whether the pressure of leading an inexperienced team was weighing heavily on Ponting.
   ‘It was his second poor Test after a majestic 150 in Cardiff, leaving the nagging feeling that he carries so much with this inexperienced team that maybe, just maybe, it is starting to wear the 34-year-old down,’ Conn said.
   The Australian press praised the big-hitting innings of all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, whose swaggering 74 from 79 balls
   helped position England for a shot at victory.
   ‘Flintoff set them alight. The harder and further he hit the ball the louder the full house at Edgbaston cheered, roared and sang ‘Super Freddy Flintoff’,’ Conn said.
   The Daily Telegraph’s Robert Craddock said Australia badly needed the steadying influence of experienced seamer Stuart Clark in the bowling lineup.
   ‘Australia’s horrendous middle session (Sunday) when they were carved up at around five runs an over by England’s lower order proved again why Stuart Clark should have been in this side.
   Australia needs his pressure and his penetration,’ he said.
   Former Test spinner Greg Matthews said Australia needed to find someone who could knock over the England tail-end.

Michael Phelps ended on a golden note on Sunday as the United States rounded out the swimming World Championships’ world record total at a staggering 43 with a medley relay triumph.
   Phelps, whose campaign began with a shock defeat in the 200m freestyle, bounced back to win the 100m and 200m butterfly, and the United States won all three men’s relays to give America’s superstar a creditable cache of five gold after all.
   ‘I think it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,’ Phelps said. ‘For us to end on this note, going into next year, it’s a great way to finish.’
   It was fitting that the meet concluded with the Americans’ world record swim of 3min 27.28sec, an improvement on the mark set by the US in winning Olympic gold in Beijing.
   After all, world records were what these championships, the fastest swimming competition in history, were all about.
   Germany’s Britta Steffen broke her third world record of the meet with her triumph in the women’s 50m free - a win that saw her match her 50m-100m freestyle double of Beijing.
   Liam Tancock of Britain lowered the men’s 50m backstroke world record for the second time in as many days and Russia’s Yulia Efimova clocked a world record to win the women’s 50m breaststroke.
   Tunisia’s Oussama Mellouli added a world title to his Olympic 1,500m freestyle gold.
   His 14:37.28 was the second-fastest ever, but shy of Grant Hackett’s world record of 14:34.56 - leaving at least one sacrosanct mark on the books.
   Nor did the records fall in the demanding 400m individual medleys.
   Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu, winner of two bronze medals already, climbed the top step of the podium with a victory in the women’s 400m medley, and American Ryan Lochte captured his fourth gold of the championships with a triumph in the men’s 400m individual medley.
   Lochte capitalized on the absence of Phelps, who opted out of the four-stroke races this season. He broke Phelps’s world record in winning the 200m individual medley, and also earned gold on two freestyle relays.
   Lochte, like Phelps, Briton Gemma Spofforth and Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry, notched his world record here in the outdated Seedo LZR Racer, rather than one of the newer polyurethane suits that fueled Rome’s record rampage.
   ‘There’s so much controversy between the suits, it seems like every race is a world record,’ Lochte said.
   He was looking forward a rule change in January limiting the technology.
   ‘I think we’ll decide who are real swimmers out there, I hope I’ll be among them.’
   Lochte was feeling the pressure in the closing stages of the medley, with American Tyler Clary and Hungarian Laszlo Cseh in hot pursuit.
   ‘I didn’t think I was going to hurt that much,’ he said. ‘I just gave it everything I had at the very end.’
   Clary made it a US one-two, as he edged Cseh in 4:07.31, the Hungarian taking bronze 4:07.37.
   Steffen came out on top in a frantic 50m free final. Her world record of 23.73 beat the previous mark of 23.96 set by Marleen Veldhuis in April.
   Sweden’s Therese Alshammar was inside the old mark as well, taking silver in 23.88, while Aussie teen Cate Campbell and the Netherland’s Veldhuis shared the bronze in 23.99.
   At the other end of the distance spectrum, Mellouli kept things close through the first 1,000m, then pulled inexorably away to get the win over Canadian Ryan Cochran and China’s Sun Yang.
   Cochrane was second, more than four seconds adrift in 14:41.38 and Sun earned bronze in 14:46.84.
   Hosszu couldn’t challenge the women’s 400m medley world record of Australian Stephanie Rice, but she beat the woman herself.
   Hosszu won her first gold of the championships to go with two bronzes.
   She dueled with Olympic silver medallist Kirsty Coventry throughout, finally overtaking the Zimbabwean for good on the final freestyle leg to win in 4:30.31.
   Coventry was second in 4:32.12 and Rice, who set the world record in winning gold in Beijing but has had a chequered build-up to worlds, was third in 4:32.29.
   Tancock’s second world record in two days, 24.04 in the 50m back, gave him the gold over Japan’s Junya Koga and South African Gerhard Zandberg.
   Efimova clocked a record 30.09 to win a 50m breaststroke in which silver medallist Rebecca Soni (30.11) and bronze medallist Sarah Katsoulis (30.16) were both under the previous mark of 30.23 set by Canadian Amanda Reason in July.

Grameen-phone, the leading cellular phone operator in Bangladesh, will sponsor the Bangladesh-Zimbabwe one-day series to be held in Zimbabwe. This was announced at a press conference in Dhaka on Monday.
   The company has sponsored five cricket series played in Bangladesh involving major cricket playing nations, namely England, Sri Lanka, Australia and India and is now becoming the first corporate house from Bangladesh to sponsor an overseas cricket series.
   Bangladesh’s Zimbabwe tour features five one-day international matches. The series has been titled the ‘Grameenphone Cup’. The first match will take place on August 9 and the fifth match will be played on August 18. All the matches will be held at the Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo.
   The sponsorship is worth around Tk 50 lakh and includes full title rights, prize money and rights to branding the stadium, and other communications. Grameenphone will also provide the man of the match and the man of the series prizes.
   Rubaba Dowla, chief Communications officer, and Ferdousur Rahman, AGM, market communication of Grameenphone, displayed trophy of the series to the media at the press conference.

Brian Chao, senior operations executive of World Sports Group, spent a busy day in Dhaka inspecting the proposed venues of the SAFF Championship on Monday.
   WSG, the sponsor of the SAFF Championship, confirmed that the top regional football tournament will be held from December 1 to December 15 and the company wants to finalise the venue as early as possible.
   Brian visited the Bangabandhu National Stadium, Kamalapur stadium and BUET and Dhaka University grounds. He also checked the floodlights of BNS in the evening and before that sat with the BFF officials to discuss about the other aspects like tickets, security etc. He will inspect the hotels today and will meet the BFF president, Kazi Salahuddin, later in the day.
   ‘So far he has expressed satisfaction about what he have seen; we hope to get the confirmation within a few days,’ said Al Musabbir Sadi, general secretary of the BFF. He also said that Bangladesh at the moment looks poised to get the tournament but the confirmation has to come from the SAFF secretariat.

Bangladesh Football Federation on Monday expressed deep shock at the death of Subhash Chakravarty, sports and communication minister of West Bengal.
   Subhash, 68, a renowned politician and sports organiser, was suffering from cancer.
   In a message, BFF president Kazi Salahuddin, all the members of the executive committee and the federation officials mourned the death of Subhash and said his absence will create a vacuum that will be hard to fill.

Michael Clarke and Marcus North took Australia closer to the safety of a draw on the final day of the third Ashes Test here at Edgbaston on Monday.
   At tea, Australia were 293 for four in their second innings - a lead of 180 - with England still to bat again.
   Australia vice-captain Clarke was 73 not out and left-hander North unbeaten on 64 after they’d batted through the second of the day’s three sessions in a stand so far worth 132.
   England, looking to go 2-0 up in the five-match series with two to play ahead of next week’s fourth Test at Headingley, had a chance for victory after reducing Australia to 172 for four - effectively 59 for four - at lunch following the exit of Michael Hussey for 64, caught behind off Stuart Broad.
   But the swing that had proved so potent for them earlier in the match was missing and, in good batting conditions, their attack struggled. That England had a shot at winning was remarkable given that two days’ play had been lost to bad weather, including Saturday’s complete wash-out.
   But Clarke, whose footwork was a feature of his innings, stiffened Australia’s resistance with several driven boundaries off Graham Onions.
   And with Australia 203 for four, 90 ahead, England captain Andrew Strauss turned to inspirational all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who had already starred with the bat in this match.
   However, there was a worrying moment for England when Flintoff, who has been struggling with a right knee injury, saw his left foot give way underneath him as he fell in his delivery stride.
   Fortunately for England, Flintoff - the bowling hero of England’s 115-run second Test win at Lord’s - continued his spell.
   Strauss brought on occasional medium-pacer Ravi Bopara and his second ball almost yielded a wicket when Clarke, on 38, pulled fiercely only for the captain to drop the tough chance at short mid-wicket with Australia 106 ahead.

Former England fast bowler Andy Caddick on Sunday announced his retirement at the end of the current season.
   The 40-year-old, who has 1,178 first-class wickets and 234 Test victims, said ‘I’m 40 - it’s as simple as that.
   ‘I wanted to call time while I was still physically and mentally strong, rather than playing on for the sake of it.
   ‘Retirement had to be on my terms, not anyone else’s. Somerset are still in with a chance of winning the championship for the first time this season, and that would be the perfect way for me to bow out.’

Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky believes his side will mount a strong challenge for the Premier League despite the pre-season departures of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure.
   Arsene Wenger’s team were widely written off as title also-rans after Ivory Coast defender Toure followed Togo striker Adebayor to Manchester City last month.
   Toure rubbed salt into Arsenal’s wounds by claiming he decided to leave because there are no longer any players willing to lead at the north London club.
   But Czech Republic winger Rosicky, back in action during pre-season after 18 months out through injury, is adamant that neither Toure or Adebayor will be especially missed and he expects the Gunners to improve on last season’s fourth place finish.
   ‘I don’t think the best players have left,’ Rosicky said. ‘We have still got (Andrey) Arshavin, (Cesc) Fabregas and they are still great players.
   ‘I don’t see it this way. I don’t see why we should be afraid of anyone. I see the potential and think we need to focus on what we have got.
   ‘We have got plenty of options and that is why I feel we will be stronger than last season because the boss will have more options.
   ‘We know what we have to do better and we are not blind. I can see the positives.
   ‘I hope we can achieve something together and we will fight for trophies this year. ‘If the boss decides to buy someone that is always good and will give us another option - but I think even if he doesn’t, we have plenty of options.’

Barcelona are working on a new contract for star man Lionel Messi, according to reports in Spain and Italy.
   Both El Mundo Deportivo and Gazzetta dello Sport have suggested the Catalan club are to offer the 22-year-old €9.5m per year in an attempt to secure his long-term future.
   Barca are also keen to raise the buyout figure in Messi’s deal, which currently stands at €150m, to €300m.
   The mooted new deal would see Messi overtake recent signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the best paid player at the Nou Camp.
   The Argentina international has spent his entire career at Barcelona having come through the club’s youth system.
   He made his debut in 2004 at the age of 17 and has gone on to score 54 goals in 109 league appearances.

Kazi Monirul Islam, father of late Bangladesh all-rounder Manzarul Islam Rana, died at the LabAid Hospital in Dhaka on Monday. Monirul, 54, had been suffering from prostrate cancer and was admitted to the hospital on July 24.
   He was buried int Khulna beside the grave of his youngest son Rana, who died in a tragic road accident on March 16, 2007. The Bangladesh Cricket Board condoled the death of Kazi Monirul and expressed their sympathy to the bereaved family.

Aston Villa overcame Italian giants Juventus to win the Peace Cup on penalties on Sunday after both sides had failed to score at the end of extra time.
   The Italians, who beat Real Madrid 2-1 in Friday’s semi-final, put Martin O’Neill’s up-and-coming team under intense pressure in a fast-paced game, played in the southern Spanish city of Seville, in which both sides failed to convert a host of chances.
   In the end, Carlos Cuellar scored for Villa while Nicola Legrottaglie missed the last spot-kick to give the English Premier League side a 4-3 win on penalties.
   Villa keeper Brad Guzan stopped a lame shot from Italian legend Alessandro del Piero and also saved from Vincenzo Iaquinta while Steve Sidwell and Chris Herd failed to score their penalties for Villa.
   The Premier League side were without England striker Emile Heskey who was suspended after picking up a red card in the 2-1 semi-final win over Porto.
   Juve, who finished runners-up to Inter Milan in Serie A last season, started the game with veterans Del Piero and Fabio Cannavaro on the bench.
   The teams were evenly matched in the first half.
   Villa looked dangerous on the break, with Ashley Young and Norwegian John Carew forcing saves from Gianluigi Buffon, while Mauro Camoranesi looked impressive for Juventus.
   The best chance came from 19-year-old Villa midfielder Marc Albrighton, who found space on the right in the 41st minute and hit a powerful low shot that was blocked by the Italian keeper.
   Juventus stepped up the pace in the second half, but could not find a way past American keeper Guzan.
   David Trezequet in particular missed what appeared to be an easy chance for Juventus when he blasted over the bar in the 63rd minute from close range.
   The French international also had an overhead kick saved by Guzan in the first half of extra time.
   Twelve clubs took part in the prestigious pre-season Peace Cup tournament.
   The tournament began life in 2003 and FIFA recognised it as an international event in 2007, when it was won by French side Lyon.
   This year is the first time it has been held outside of South Korea.

Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti has claimed that he will attempt to play several of Chelsea’s attacking players alongside each other in a ‘diamond’ formation. Several of the Italian’s predecessors have fallen foul of a negative approach, but there appears to be no such problem for the coming season.
   Ancelotti asserted that his re-shaping of the Blues’ first-team formation into a 4-4-2 will allow his stars to gel and appears happy with the versatility offered by some of his new players.
   ‘Chelsea can play Frank Lampard, Deco and also we can play Joe Cole he has the quality to play behind the striker and maybe also Salomon Kalou,’ Ancelotti told the club’s official website. ‘Lampard can play on the left and he can play offensive midfielder. I want to try this, because I like games where he is in this position.
   ‘The other players can play in the diamond in a different role, they can play up front or they can play behind the striker, so I want to play with the diamond.’
   Dealing with such tactical problems is something the Italian clearly enjoys, and he feels that his patience is the personal quality that allows him to find the solutions he needs.
   ‘My patience is my biggest strength, although I also love football and I think this is the biggest point,’ he added. ‘I love the tactics, the play and I love finding solutions and trying new solutions.
   ‘But the most important thing is to have a team who play with a clear idea of how they need to play. So we prepare the training with this objective.
   ‘I want to be myself with my players, I have my character and I want to keep this character around my players. I want to be true.
   ‘If I have an idea of how to play, I put this idea to the players and they go out on the pitch and play the way I want. That is not easy to do and this is why I need a good relationship them.
   ‘All this will help us win a trophy this season, which is very possible. I don’t like to say I will win, but I have a good feeling. It is better to think about winning than to think about losing.’
   The Champions League winner was also unequivocal in what his targets are with his new club in the coming campaign.
   ‘The most important thing to win is the Premier League and the Champions League,’ he confirmed. ‘To win these would be a success, but we also need to have an identity with the team and I think we are going the right way about doing this. In the last games, I saw some very good ideas coming from the players.’

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp insists his side can break into the Premier League’s top four this season but admits it will be tougher than ever with mega-bucks Manchester City an added threat.
   Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal have monopolised the top four places in the league for the past four seasons – and with it the lucrative Champions League qualification berths.
   Redknapp has tipped Manchester City, bankrolled by their Abu Dhabi billionaire owners, to make a major impact this season but is confident that with a few additions to his squad, Spurs can be challengers.
   The boss of the North London side, who is eyeing Newcastle United defender Sebastien Bassong, saw his side lose 2-0 Sunday to Hong Kong side South China to round off their summer tour of Asia.
   But Redknapp, who transformed a struggling Spurs when he took over last season, only just missing out on a place in the Europa League, says his squad has the quality to finish in the top four.
   ‘We will try. It’s going to be really difficult with the big four. You are going to have Man City. It will be a shock if they don’t get in the top four,’ Redknapp said.
   ‘Certainly, we have good enough players and we’ll give it a good go. We are still looking to bring in a few players to improve the squad. I still feel we need one or two players to make us stronger, we should have a good chance.’ ‘Bassong is a good player who I like but as far as I know the chairman hasn’t made an offer,’ he added.
   He said a deal was close for Darren Bent to move to Sunderland ‘but we have been close to doing a deal for the last two weeks.’
   The England striker was forced to apologise last week after using Internet networking site Twitter to blast Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy for failing to rubber-stamp his proposed move.
   Redknapp said the Asian tour, during which Spurs beat Hull City in Beijing, to lift the Barclays Asia Trophy, had been tough and some players were now heading away on international duty.
   ‘I don’t know if the South China game was a game too far, because I changed it around a bit and gave the young lads a game. I fielded our strongest team in China and full credit to the opposition.’
   Spurs’ Jermaine Jenas said the Hong Kong heat was the perfect preparation for the tough season ahead.
   ‘It was a tough game and we have a lot to learn from it. The important thing is we get a rhythm as the season is creeping up on us now. It’s important the lads get their fitness right as the Premiership is a very intense league and playing in weather like that is going to improve our fitness.’

Chelsea captain John Terry insists he won’t use his influence at Stamford Bridge to pressure new boss Carlo Ancelotti into making big-money buys.
   Recent reports suggested Terry demanded assurances that Chelsea were still committed to signing high-profile players before he decided to spurn Manchester City’s advances last month.
   The England defender was persuaded to stay after talks with Blues owner Roman Abramovich, after which Terry spoke of his relationship with the Russian in glowing terms.
   But Terry was quick to play down talk that he was pressing Abramovich and Ancelotti to sign the likes of AC Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo.
   ‘I want to clear something up. I’m a player and it’s the manager and board who make those decisions,’ Terry told the Daily Mirror.
   ‘The only thing I spoke about with the club was it was important people like Didier Drogba and Ashley Cole, whose contracts are up now, stay with us.
   ‘It was important to me that we build around the current squad and it was right for them to stay.
   ‘Now people are saying I’m asking for Andrea Pirlo to be signed and I’m asking for this player or that player to be signed. I promise you I never get involved in any players brought in or going.
   ‘What I know 100 per cent is I’m a player and I want to concentrate on that and leave it to the manager and board to make the signings.’

Liverpool and Real Madrid are still negotiating the possible transfer of midfielder Xabi Alonso to the big-spending Spanish club, the Spanish press reported Monday.
   Officials of both clubs – Jose Angel Sanchez for Real and Christian Purslow for Liverpool – met Sunday in Barcelona to discuss the move, according to sports newspapers AS and Marca.
   AS said Real has offered 30 million euros for the Spain international, an amount it said was about five million less than that sought by Liverpool. Marca said Liverpool is seeking 40 million for the 27-year-old – 35 million plus five more based on results. But it said if negotiations break down Real is ready to target Belgian Steven Defour of Standard Liege instead.
   Xabi Alonso told AS he ‘wants the situation resolved soon, one way or another.’
   Liverpool officials were in Barcelona for a friendly match against Espanyol on Sunday, which the Engish side lost 3-0. Real have spent over 200 million euros on new players in the close season, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Kaka.
   Marca said the Spanish giants have also reached a deal to offload Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder to Inter Milan for 18 million euros.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still trying to digest the fact that he has completed a dream move to Barcelona as he adapts to life with the European champions.
   The Swedish striker has yet to train with his new team-mates, but they have all welcomed him and he is enjoying himself on the club’s trip to the United States.
   After weeks of speculation the transfer that saw Samuel Eto’o head to Inter in exchange took place and Ibrahimovic thinks that it was like something from the movies.
   ‘What has happened to me is like a film with a happy ending,’ he told Sport.
   ‘I wanted to sign for Barcelona and now I am here. The one thing though is that one always has doubts when joining a squad about how they will receive you.
   ‘But the one thing is, despite people not believing it and thinking it would be different, that everyone, absolutely everyone, has treated me marvellously.
   ‘The most important thing now is that I am here. A lot of things have been said, some true and other things not, but I do not want to talk about this much.
   ‘I have now left Inter and I do want to say that I am very grateful for all the club gave me, but now I am only thinking about Barcelona.’
   Ibrahimovic will inevitably be compared to Samuel Eto’o, but he thinks that the two of them should not be judged against the other.
   ‘I know that during these early days everyone will want to compare me with Eto’o, but these are things for the media and do not bother me,’ he continued.
   ‘We are different and we are playing for different clubs. I hope that he is happy and triumphs with Inter because it is a great club.’

Teen star Jack Wilshere bagged a brace of goals Sunday as Arsenal saw off Scottish champions Rangers 3-0 to lift the Emirates Cup.
   The 17-year-old scored the opener after just two minutes and the ‘baby gunner’ repeated the dose after Croatian international Eduardo had netted the second in the 11th minute.
   Earlier, Atletico Madrid and Paris St Germain, beaten by Rangers the previous day, parted 1-1 with Maradona’s son-in-law Sergio Aguero netting for the Spaniards from the spot four minutes before the break after he was fouled by Albert Baning before Ludovic Giuly levelled on 71 minutes.
   Not such good news for coach Arsene Wenger was having to withdraw French veteran William Gallas at the break after he took a knock to his right knee.
   Manuel Almunia appeared back in goal for Arsenal, replacing Vito Mannone, while Rangers fielded Steven Naismith, who once had a trial at Arsenal.
   Another fledgling Gunner to catch the eye was Fran Merida, once on Barcelona’s books and who adroitly set up Eduardo’s goal.
   Rangers had an early chance when Nacho Novo broke down the right, crossing towards Naismith, with Alex Song making an important block on the loose ball at the far post.
   At the other end, Andrey Arshavin was just off target following good work from Spanish star Cesc Fabregas.
   Arsenal rang the changes on the hour with the two early goals having effectively ended the contest with Arshavin giving way to Nicklas Bendtner while FA Youth Cup winner Sanchez Watt replaced Eduardo.
   Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey then replaced Merida.Watt and Ramsay then combined to find Wilshere at the far post for his clincher.
   Fit-again Czech Tomas Rosicky replaced Fabregas in the closing stages as Arsenal cruised to victory.

Real Madrid have protected themselves in the event of Cristiano Ronaldo suffering a serious injury by insuring the Portuguese superstars’ legs for the grandiose sum of €100m.
   Sunday newspaper The World reports that the former Manchester United man, who became a record signing following his €94m switch to the Bernabeu, has been given unique treatment in keeping with his importance to the side, and that Los Blancos acted quickly to ensure that they would be compensated in the event of Ronaldo being unable to play.
   The 24-year old recently picked up a knock and the injury to his knee was quickly assessed by club doctors, who gave the player the all-clear.
   Ronaldo’s purchase came as part of an unprecedented summer of spending by the Spanish club, which has also included the acquisitions of Kaka, Karim Benzema and Raul Albiol.
   However, it has been the arrival of Ronaldo that has been most celebrated by the clubs’ followers, and Los Merengues have now acted to ensure their investment is suitably protected.
   Let’s just hope that Kaka’s legs don’t feel overlooked.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger attempted to put a lid on the growing hype surrounding teenage striker Jack Wilshere after the 17-year-old produced a sensational display against Rangers.
   Wilshere scored the opening goal in the 3-0 win over the Scottish champions which gave the Londoners the Emirates Cup and was a danger all afternoon, a timely display in front of watching England coach Fabio Capello.
   ‘I don’t know how much he will play this season. It is very difficult to predict,’ said Wenger of the youth team star.
   ‘The only problem in England, knowing the impatience of English people, is that it will be difficult to keep the right pace in his progress.
   ‘Let’s be calm and quiet. There is still a year to go to the World Cup, and let’s see how he improves, how he is consistent.
   ‘Let’s not make stars in just two games. You have to respect the development of the players.’
   With the new English Premier League season starting on August 15, Wenger said he still wants to further strengthen a squad which has lost both Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure to Manchester City.
   ‘I will now think about the whole squad,’ said the Wenger.
   ‘Two weeks ago, I didn’t know if we would have Eduardo or not, or Tomas Rosicky back.
   ‘They both look to be completely back, so that makes the squad quite big.’

Top flight Hanover suffered an embarrassing early exit from the German Cup on Sunday, losing 3-1 at fourth division Trier in their first round meeting.
   Joining Trier, coached by former German international Mario Basler, in the next round were fellow fourth tier outfit Lubeck, who saw off promoted Mainz 2-1 after extra-time on Friday.
   The other big guns came through unscathed as new Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal saw his men see off sixth division amateurs Neckarelz 3-1 despite striker Mario Gomez missing a hatful of chances.
   But the Germany international finally broke the deadlock on 51 minutes and then added a penalty six minutes later and although an error from Bayern keeper Michael Rensing gifted the hosts a consolation, Hamit Altintop made the 14-times Cup winners breathe more easily with the third.
   ‘We were up against a well-organised side - we were runnnig around a bit aimlessly in the first half,’ admitted Van Gaal.
   Elsewhere, holders Werder Bremen swamped Union Berlin 5-0 on Sunday while, on Saturday, Stuttgart rattled off a 4-1 win at part-timers Grossaspach and league champions Wolfsburg beat third division Wiesbaden 4-1 on Friday.
   Dusseldorf host Hamburg on Monday.

Russian football fans should stay away from the national team’s World Cup qualifying tie with Wales in Cardiff next month due to the risk of contracting swine flu, the state health agency said Monday.
   ‘This would be an extremely uneccessary and inappropriate undertaking at a time of a flu epidemic,’ the head of Russia’s state health agency Gennady Onishchenko said, according to local news agencies.
   ‘We will persuade our compatriots not to go to this match in Britain,’ he said.
   Onishchenko expressed fear that the ‘the expressions of emotion on the part of football fans involving intense shouting’ could lead to the airborne transmission of the flu virus.
   The two sides are due to play their group four qualifier on September 9.
   Britain is the hardest hit country in Europe by the A(H1N1) virus with some 110,000 new cases last week of the virus, which started in Mexico before growing into a full-blown pandemic as defined by the World Health Organisation.
   Russia has been relatively spared by the swine flu pandemic. Onishchenko said that according to the latest figures there were now 55 confirmed cases in the country.
   The suggestions of Onishchenko—who in July recommended banning trips by Russian school groups to Britain—caused a degree of surprise among supporters of the resurgent national squad.
   ‘We are recommending that Russian football supporters drink Welsh whisky, this will prevent all symptoms,’ quipped the head of the Russian supporters association, Alexander Shprygin, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.
   The spokesman of the Russian football union, Andrei Malosolov, also indicated that the advice was not binding.
   ‘We think Mr. Onishchenko’s advice is useful,’ he told Echo of Moscow Radio.
   ‘But football is football. The Russian team is playing a crucial match and we hope that the backing of our supporters will help us to win.’

Manches-ter City boss Mark Hughes claims some of his fellow Premier League managers are ramping up the mind games because they never made it as top players.
   City’s huge summer spending spree means they are being talked about as a serious threat to the top four, with some managers even tipping them for an assault on the title.
   But a clutch of bosses have been putting the boot in too.
   Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, described City as a ‘small club with a small mentality’ while Arsenal and Liverpool counterparts Arsene Wenger and Rafael Benitez have attacked the way City’s spending has distorted the transfer market.
   Hughes, who played with distinction for Manchester United and Barcelona, questioned whether some managers spoke out because they had never been able to let their feet do the talking.
   He told the Daily Express: ‘I have never had to court publicity myself because I played for top clubs. I was reticent to say too much at all when I was playing.
   ‘The truth is I never had to, because my performances generated headlines anyway. I was good at what I did and that was enough.
   ‘That has been my way for 45 years so I don’t think I will suddenly become one for mind games. But other managers feel that their profile has been raised and they have to do that. Maybe it is because they have not played at a certain level.
   ‘I’m aware managers are saying things about us at the moment but I see that as trying to ease pressure on themselves - that is predictable.’

Telephone lines are buzzing as French football managers conclude the final phase of the transfer period in advance of the season starting on August 8.
   League One clubs have been parting with record sums this year, boosted by a hike in income from TV rights, rising from 653 million to 668 million euros as well as by revenue from player sales.
   Most valuable of all was the sale of Karim Benzema by Lyon to Real Madrid for 35 million euros, enabling the deposed French champions to recruit Brazilian playmaker Michel Bastos from Lille (18 million euros) and Argentine centre-forward Lopez Lisandro (24 million) as well as left-back Aly Cissokho (15 million euros) from FC Porto.
   Yet another signing at Stade Gerland was France international striker Bafetimbi Gomis from St Etienne (15 million euros).
   Marseille under new chief executive Jean-Claude Dassier authorised recruitment of – among others – Argentine international defender Lucho Gonzalez, again from Porto for 18 million euros, a club record.
   The income page on OM’s balance sheet has been boosted by the sale of skipper Cana Lorik to Sunderland (6.5 million euros) and Djibril Cisse to Panathinaikos (8 million) as well as Algerian midfielder Karim Ziani to German champions Wolfsburg (7 million).
   At champions Bordeaux, activity has been more modest with the sale of Souleymane Diawara to Marseille (6.5 million euros) and attacking midfielder Gabriel Obertan to Manchester United (4 million).
   Manager Laurent Blanc used the money to pay off AC Milan for on-loan midfielder Yoann Gourcuff (13.5 million) and for the services of goalkeeper Cedric Carasso from Toulouse (8 million).
   ‘If our rivals can spend all that money – well good for them,’ Blanc said in an interview with ‘Sud Ouest’ newspaper. Blanc made it clear he wants to hold onto last year’s winning formula: ‘We are not in the business of renewing our team. We are fortunate, because I think it’s a card up our sleeve, to be able to count on a squad which has proved its value in quality as well as in quantity,’ he said.
   A different struggle for resources is occurring at the bottom end of the table with the likes of Boulogne investing to assure top flight survival.
   The north coast club’s new manager Laurent Guyot came in from relegated Nantes bringing with him a couple of players – 34-year-old midfielder Frederic Da Rocha and 23-year-old defender Kevin Das Neves. Desperate for a reliable keeper, the club has obtained Matthieu Valverde (26), previously second reserve goalie at Bordeaux.

There is an atmosphere of euphoria in Barcelona right now, and for a change it is produced by Espanyol rather than their illustrious neighbours, European champions Barcelona. On Sunday night Espanyol - who have lived in the shadows of Barca for most of their history - opened their handsome new stadium with a 3-0 friendly defeat of Liverpool.
   40,000 ‘espanyolista’ fans packed into the new stadium, which is situated in the suburb of Cornella, close to El Prat airport.
   The impressive inaugural ceremony was presided over by club president Daniel Sanchez Llibre and Lluis Martinez Sistach.
   Martinez Sistach hit the headlines in June by criticizing Real Madrid in June for spending a world record 94 million euros (134 million dollars) on Cristiano Ronaldo.
   On Sunday, he called Espanyol’s new stadium ‘a magnificent arena’, whilst Sanchez Llibre said that ‘this is the culmination of 12 years of hope years...I am really happy tonight.’
   Sanchez Llibre added that ‘without your pride and sentiment, this would not have been possible.’ The inaugural match was preceded by various theatric and musicial acts.
   Espanyol then thrashed Liverpool 3-0, with two goals from new signing Ben Sahar and one from Luis Garcia.
   Coach Mauricio Pochettino - the man who saved Espanyol from relegation last season - said afterwards that ‘this will be a difficult stadium for visiting teams.’ Angel Maria Villar, the president of the Spanish football federation, was present and hinted that Espanyol’s new stadium could be used as a venue if Spain is chosen, as he desires, to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022.
   ‘This is one of the most attractive stadia in Spain,’ said Villar.
   Espanyol’s mythical old Estadio Sarria - which staged several crucial 1982 World Cup matches - was demolished in 1999 and the site sold to housing developers.
   Since then, Espanyol have been playing their home matches at the Montjuic Olympic Stadium, rented out from the city council. Montjuic was uncomfortable for the fans because of poor transport links and because of its coldness in winter.
   Attendances were poor at Montjuic, but ‘will surely increase’ in the new home, according to Sanchez Llibre.
   Espanyol started to build the Cornella stadium in 1997. Madrid sports paper AS suggested on Monday that it should be named ‘Estadio Ricardo Zamora’ in honour of the legendary Espanyol and Spain goalkeeper of the 1930s.
   Two other Liga clubs that are currently building new stadia are Valencia and Athletic Bilbao, which means that the old Mestalla and San Mames stadia - both used as World Cup venues in 1982 - are now living on borrowed time.

Marouane Chamakh has lashed out at Bordeaux for standing in his way of a ‘dream’ move to Arsenal.Chamakh has made it clear to wants to leave Les Girondins for the English Premier League but has yet to find a club.
   The Morocco striker claims Bordeaux are pricing him out of a move to Arsenal, although the Gunners have refused to confirm whether they have made a bid for the 25-year-old.
   Chamakh said he believes he deserves better after seven years at the Gironde club.
   He told L’Equipe: ‘I am angry. I am even disgusted. I don’t understand why people are doing this to me. Ever since I’ve played football, I’ve given my all for this club and for the fans. I believe I deserve more consideration.’
   Chamakh has also been linked with Sunderland this summer. But Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc insisted he would not sanction a switch to the Black Cats, maintaining he will only let his striker move to a team he estimates are of a higher standing than Les Girondins.
   Chamakh added: ‘To go to Arsenal, it’s my dream. I am a year from the end of my contract and the club (Bordeaux) wants to make it all about money. What the club is asking for isn’t fair.
   ‘With (Bordeaux coach) Laurent Blanc, everything is clear. Even though I wanted to go to a club like Sunderland, I can understand that the coach sees things like that, that he reckons it is a step back.
   ‘But now, it is a club from England’s big four.’
   Chamakh did not play a part in Bordeaux’s 2-0 win over Villarreal on Sunday. The club released a statement which said the striker had fallen ill over the weekend.

Arsene Wenger will decide this week whether to make a swoop for former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira.
   The Gunners comfortably beat Rangers 3-0 on Sunday to lift the Emirates Cup, with Jack Wilshire netting twice.
   Though Eduardo and Tomas Rosicky are both fit to feature in the opening matches of the Premier League campaign, Samir Nasi has been ruled out for three months with a broken leg.
   Striker Emmanuel Adebayor and defender Kolo Toure have joined Manchester City, while the only player Wenger has signed to date is centre-back Thomas Vermaelen.
   And with a £30m transfer kitty ready to be utilised, Wenger says he will spend this week finalising his squad, and mulling over a move for Vieira.
   ‘Patrick is a great player. I have not considered it yet to bring him back, but it is a possibility I have to think about,’ he said.
   ‘First of all, it is not sure he will decide to join us if I decide try to make him come. There are a lot of thoughts to be done.’
   Arsenal have been linked with 22-year-old St Etienne midfielder Blaise Mutuidi, as well as Bordeaux’s Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh and Real Madrid forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. Wenger, though, prefers to do his negotiations in private.
   ‘We don’t make any comment about the transfers. If we sign someone we will come out with it,’ he said.
   ‘I read in the newspapers that I have called him and called him, I go for so much, but I never speak about that because you have to accept that it might disturb the player, it might disturb the club.
   ‘If transfers don’t happen you have an unhappy player, so I keep it as quiet as possible.’

Unai Emery has warned any summer suitors interested in signing Spain striker David Villa that Valencia consider him to be ‘priceless’.
   The Spain international’s future has been the subject of conjecture this summer, with Barcelona and Real Madrid both known admirers.
   There is also reported interest from the Premier League, with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United linked with making bids.
   However, Los Che remain determined to keep their star man and manager Emery has reiterated that Villa is committed to staying at the Mestalla.
   Emery said: ‘Valencia want to keep David, but he also wants to stay with us. We don’t want to sell him because he is priceless.
   ‘Barcelona and Real Madrid have already shown an interest in him but David decided to come back to us.
   ‘That was an unbelievable feeling for the club and we don’t believe he will change (for Liverpool or Manchester United).
   ‘He is willing to play for us and everything else is just speculation.’

Fernando Torres’ No. 9 shirt has overtaken Steven Gerrard’s as the most popular selling shirt amongst Liverpool fans.
   According to Anfield commercial director Ian Ayre, the Spaniard has become absolutely vital to the club’s commercial success.
   ‘All the players are important but it’s evident certain ones are crucial,’ he told the News of the World.
   ‘Fernando is a global icon and a great footballer. They go hand in hand. From a commercial standpoint, he’s a huge attraction.’
   Ayre also went on to reveal that Torres’ shirt now outsold the Liverpool captain’s and that the Spaniard’s No. 9 was the club’s biggest seller.
   ‘Torres is the highest-selling shirt here. I’m not sure when he actually overtook Steven Gerrard, and there’s not a huge difference, but he is our biggest seller,’ he explained.
   ‘Being a global brand, we have a big opportunity to push on - but we know it’s not all about shirts.’
   The striker has proved a huge success on Merseyside since signing from Atletico Madrid in 2007.
   In his first season with the club he netted an astonishing 24 league goals and followed this up with another 14 last time out, despite missing large chunks of the season through injury.

Striker David Trezeguet has decided to stay at Juventus at least until the end of the season.
   The 31-year-old has attracted interest from AC Milan and Roma, although Juve recently said they would only be prepared to sell him to a club outside of Serie A.
   Trezeguet told the club’s website: ‘I am definitely staying at Juventus for the whole season. After ten years in Turin I don’t think it’s right to leave now.
   ‘At the back of this decision is the decisive support of those who backed me in the recent period - that is, the management, the coach, my mates and the supporters.’
   Trezeguet is under contract with the Bianconeri until 2011.

Barcelona’s star signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made it clear that he is eagerly anticipating the start of the new campaign in order to commence life with his new club.
   Since joining the Spanish side from Inter, the Swedish hitman has been extremely positive about the move, and has praised an incredible amount of aspects about the Blaugrana.
   ‘I came to this club and immediately I was impressed by their winning mentality,’ Ibrahimovic explained to El Mundo Deportivo.
   ‘I cannot wait to run out on the field and notice that I am playing alongside champions such as Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta and [Lionel] Messi.’
   The 27-year-old continued by heaping further praise on ‘El Mesias’, a player that he simply cannot wait to play with.
   He added, ‘Messi? He is an incredible player. Playing with him will be a great thrill.
   ‘I am confident that we will do very well together this season.’
   ‘Ibra’ is currently recovering from surgery on his left hand, and he is expected to return to the playing field in a few weeks time.

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that his footballing philosophy is borne out of his experience of making cheese with his father as a child.
   The Italian has enjoyed phenomenal success as a manager, guiding AC Milan to two Champions League titles, as well as Serie A glory.
   The 50-year-old has now moved to Chelsea, where he will be hoping to help the Blues claim their first European title and, speaking to the Sunday Mirror, he explained the secrets of his success.
   ‘My father was a farmer. I milked the cows and cut the trees and bushes,’ he said.
   ‘The most important produce was milk, which produced parmesan cheese. And the big lesson I learnt was to wait, to be patient.
   ‘Because he who wants to produce parmesan today, has to wait for at least one year before everything is ready for him to make cheese.
   ‘You plant today and harvest one year or two years later. This is my philosophy with football.’
   The Chelsea boss also stated that he took this approach not just to football, but to life itself, and insisted that patience would pay off.
   ‘It’s my style, my way of life,’ he added.
   ‘You can’t be anxious for the result. If you’ve done the proper things, it will come.’