WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2013 SPORTS Suarez dreams as race goes into festive overdrive

LONDON: Few players have undergone the trans- pion’, no such accolade exists in England but histori- formation from sinner to saint that Luis Suarez is cally it is no bad thing to top the table at this time of experiencing this season and the prolific Uruguay the year. The top team at Christmas in the 21 com- striker is now dreaming of winning the Premier pleted seasons has won the title 10 League with Liverpool. Liverpool went top of the times. Seven of the last nine champions, and all of table by beating Cardiff City 3-1 on Saturday, Suarez the last four title winners, were first on Dec 25. The scoring twice to take his season’s tally to 19 goals last team to be first at Christmas and miss out on from 12 league matches ahead of the busy the title were Liverpool in 2009. Christmas holiday program which offers no let-up in the title race. CLOSE RACE The Anfield club visit fellow contenders This time last year eventual champions Manchester City on Thursday before travelling to Manchester United held a four-point lead over Chelsea on Sunday and Suarez, who missed the Manchester City going into Christmas and were 11 opening five matches of the season following a ban clear of third-placed Chelsea but this season the imposed last season for biting an opponent, is a race is much closer. Liverpool now have 36 points man reborn. “It is my dream, I hope to win the and the leading eight teams are separated by only league and a big trophy with Liverpool,” he was eight points, down to champions United with 28. quoted as saying on the club website (www.liver- Despite varying ups and downs in the first half of poolfc.com) on Monday. the season the top eight - Liverpool, Manchester Suarez signed a new four-year contract last week City, Arsenal, Everton, Chelsea, Newcastle United, and according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper is Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United all have scoring goals “to make the likes of (former Anfield realistic hopes of finishing in the top four. greats) Ian Rush, Roger Hunt and Robbie Fowler Arsenal Mikel Arteta said last week: appear like they were occasional marksmen”. The “Christmas is so important. Does it matter that this race for the title reaches the halfway stage with four current team has not won the title before? No, it Liverpool’s Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez rounds of matches over Christmas and New Year doesn’t. “What is important is that you get as many a top four spot, against bottom club Sunderland on only one club bottom at Christmas has escaped the including the weekend program which concluded points as you can over Christmas. That’s what Dec. 26 and faltering Southampton three days later. drop - West Bromwich Albion in 2004-05. on Monday with Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Chelsea at counts.” Following Monday’s game, Arsenal visit rel- Spurs, with Tim Sherwood installed as head coach Sunderland have 10 points from 17 matches and the Emirates. Arsenal, who led the way from mid- egation-threatened West Ham United in a London on Monday following last week’s departure of face Everton and Cardiff City away before hosting September until Liverpool went top on Saturday, derby on Dec 26, the same day as champions Andre Villas-Boas, follow up Sunday’s 3-2 win at Aston Villa on New Year’s Day. “We need to turn remain second behind The Reds on goal difference. United travel to Hull City. Two days later, Southampton with home games against West things around soon if we are to survive,” said With Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho extending his Manchester City host struggling Crystal Palace and Bromwich Albion and Stoke City before playing at Sunderland manager Gus Poyet. “We could do with unbeaten run against counterpart Arsene Wenger United go to City. On Dec 29, Liverpool vis- Manchester United on New Year’s Day. Being bot- Luis Suarez, he’s not bad is he?”, he joked after the to 10 matches, Liverpool head into Christmas as the it Chelsea while Arsenal make the long trip to tom at Christmas almost certainly heralds relega- Uruguayan bagged his 19th goal on Saturday - sev- top side for the first time since 2008. Unlike Newcastle. tion at the end of the season. en more than the entire Sunderland team have Germany where there is an unofficial ‘winter cham- Everton have two home games to take a grip on Since 1992-93, when the Premier League started, managed this season. — Reuters Barkley not for sale at any Sherwood replaces sacked price: Everton’s Martinez LONDON: Everton manager Roberto not be enough to prise Barkley away Spurs manager Villas-Boas Martinez has claimed that his club would from . “Ross is in a moment not sell breakthrough Premier League of his career where first, he knows that he star Ross Barkley even if they received a needs to carry on developing and this is world-record offer for him. Barkley, 20, the perfect place to do that,” Martinez Attacking style will appeal to demanding Spurs supporters has been one of the most impressive said, in comments reported by several performers during the first half of the British newspapers yesterday. LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur have given the . Chairman Levy is known to be season and hit the headlines again on “Second, he is a mad Evertonian and inexperienced Tim Sherwood the chance to short on patience, having sacked seven manag- Sunday when his fine late free-kick gave enjoying every single second. And third, stamp his mark on the ambitious London club er’s during his time at the club, but Sherwood Everton a 2-1 win at Swansea City. The we are in the middle of a season where by naming him on Monday as head coach until will hope his brand of attacking football can midfielder made his England debut in we would never, ever consider disrupt- the end of next season with their sights on the deliver a top-four finish and a place in next sea- September and is being tipped for a ing what we have got in our squad now. top four. The Premier League club have promot- son’s Champions League. place in the squad for next year’s World “It is not the right time for the player or ed their former midfield player from his role as That was the minimum requirement that Cup, while Martinez has compared him the club to consider anything. Even if we youth development manager to replace Andre eluded Villas-Boas with the former Chelsea and favorably with Michael Ballack and Paul got a -size valuation we Villas-Boas, 36, exactly a week after the Porto manager losing his job despite taking Gascoigne. would never even consider it in January Portuguese coach was sacked following a Spurs to their record Premier League points tal- However, the Spaniard has warned (when the transfer window re-opens).” humiliating 5-0 home loss to Liverpool. ly last term when they came fifth and missed potential suitors that even a fee compa- Everton are currently in fifth place in the “We were extremely reluctant to make a out on Europe’s top table. The Portuguese, who rable to the £86 million ($141 million, Premier League table, two points below change mid-season, but felt we had to do so in took over in July 2012, had been under pres- 103 million euros) that Real Madrid leaders Liverpool, and host Sunderland the club’s best interests,” chairman Daniel Levy sure after a 6-0 thrashing at Manchester City reportedly paid for Gareth Bale would in their next fixture tomorrow. — AFP said on the club website (www.tottenhamhot- last month following a 3-0 home reverse by spur.com). “We have a great squad and we owe West Ham United, who again won at White Hart them a head coach who will bring out the best lane in the League Cup quarter-final last week. in them and allow them to flourish and enjoy a The disappointing 2-1 Cup exit was Petkovic to take over strong, exciting finish to the season. “We are in Sherwood’s first game as interim head coach the fortunate position of having within our club but he engineered a 3-2 win at Southampton a talented coach in Tim Sherwood. We believe on Sunday to leave Tottenham seventh in the Swiss job after Hitzfeld Tim has both the knowledge and the drive to standings, six points off leaders Liverpool and take the squad forward.” north London rivals Arsenal. That result helped PARIS: Lazio coach Vladimir Petkovic will won’t have the chance to play an interna- A technically highly-rated coach, the 44- his claims to be given the top job on a perma- become Switzerland manager when Ottmar tional match (after I take over as coach) year-old Sherwood won the Premier League as nent basis and Sherwood, a combative mid- Hitzfeld retires from soccer after next year’s before the start of the Euro qualifiers.” FIFA’s captain of Blackburn Rovers in 1995 before fielder who played nearly 100 games for the World Cup finals, the Swiss FA (ASF) said on August international date has been joining Spurs four years later and staying until club before joining Portsmouth, now has a Monday. “The successor to Ottmar Hitzfeld removed from the calendar from the 2003 before returning five years later to join the chance to show what he can do in his first job as Swiss national team coach is Vladimir 2014/15 season. The draw for the Euro qual- coaching staff. Sherwood was brought back to as head coach. Petkovic (50). The present coach of Lazio... ifiers will be made in February. Petkovic, the club by former Tottenham manager Harry Spurs scored three league goals for the first signed a contract on Monday with the Swiss who calls himself Swiss and Croatian- Redknapp who said this week: “...let’s hope Tim time this season at Southampton and Football Association,” the ASF said on its Bosnian according to the ASF, played as a can get the job, he has great knowledge of the Sherwood said: “I like to set teams up like that website (www.football.ch). midfielder in several teams in the former game. They have got a boy on their books who (to attack). There are no rules, there are differ- Sarajevo-born Petkovic’s contract starts Yugoslavia before emigrating to knows the game inside out.” ent ways to win a football match. You have to on July 1, 2014 and runs until the end of Switzerland in 1987 where he played for do what you believe.” His former Tottenham 2015 but it will be extended through Euro Sion, Bellinzona and Locarno. ATTACKING FOOTBALL team mates, and Steffen Freund, SOUTHAMPTON: Tottenham Hotspur’s English 2016 in France if Switzerland qualify for the He also worked at at Bellinzona as man- Sherwood takes over a team on which Spurs plus Chris Ramsey, are in a new first-team set interim manager Tim Sherwood applauds to tournament. Petkovic will take over a ager before coaching Young Boys, Turkish spent more than the 100 million euros ($137.07 which should find favor with the club’s acknowledge the crowd at the end of the national team that has blossomed under side Samsunspor and Sion. He joined million) they got for Gareth Bale from Real demanding supporters who grew frustrated English Premier League football match between 64-year-old German Hitzfeld to the point -based Lazio in last year and Madrid in the close season on internationals with the negative tactics adopted by Villas- Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur at St where the Swiss are one of the seeds for the led them to an Italian Cup success in his first like , Paulinho, Erik Lamela and Boas. — Reuters Mary’s Stadium in Southampton. — AFP 2014 Brazil World Cup where they will play season in charge. Hitzfeld, a seasoned Ecuador, France and Honduras in Group E. coach who has worked at Bayern Munich “I’m fully aware that on the one hand I have and Borussia Dortmund and steered both a hard act to follow, but on the other I’m clubs to the Champions League crown, has Boring? I know, says Mourinho taking on a really well-established team built a multi-ethnic Switzerland squad that with good prospects,” Petkovic said. should fit well with Petkovic since he took “This is all the more important since we charge in 2008. — Reuters after drab draw with Arsenal

LONDON: ‘Boring, Boring Chelsea’ chanted the Arsenal fans at Jose Mourinho after Monday’s drab 0-0 draw in the Premier League, and the Portuguese coach did not disagree. “I agree, I’ve played against (Arsenal) 10 times and never lost, what more do you call me?” Mourinho, who once again won the tactical battle against Arsene Wenger at a rainswept , told reporters. “What are they going to say? ‘Funny, Funny Jose’? Ten times and they don’t win once. “I think Arsenal fans should just be happy, Arsenal are doing very well, they are in the Champions League and they have every reason to believe they can be back challenging for the title,” added Mourinho. It was easy to understand the home fans’ frustration as their side missed the chance to move above Liverpool and return to the top of the table in time for Christmas. Arsenal manager Wenger was also left frustrated after his 10th failure to beat Mourinho, feeling his side should have had a first-half penalty when Willian appeared to catch the ankle of Theo Walcott. “I think it was a penalty on Walcott, 100 per- cent,” Wenger said. “After that we played with great focus and concentration but in the second LONDON: Chelsea’s Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho is pictured during the English half we couldn’t get the goal we deserved. “They Premier League football match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in defended well, we didn’t find our zippy London on December 23, 2013. — AFP moments. They were happy with a point and we weren’t.” After a barnstorming start to the season shook the Arsenal crossbar and a late chance chances, they had one big chance and no half Arsenal have picked up only two points from the wasted by Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud, there was lit- chances. We played tactically very well.” last nine available, and the scars of a 6-3 defeat tle in the way of goal attempts. Mourinho also played down Arsenal’s com- by Manchester City were still visible on Monday Mourinho, who left creative talents Oscar and plaints about John Obi Mikel’s bone-jarring tack- as they played without their usual freedom. Juan Mata on the bench, said that suited him just le on Arteta in the first half, which referee Mike “Four games without a win doesn’t help (con- fine as Arsenal passed the ball around without Dean ruled fair. “They like to cry,” Mourinho said. fidence),” Wenger, whose side also lost to Napoli penetrating. “Arsenal were playing Arteta to “This is English football. It was a hard one, an in the Champions League, told reporters. “We Sagna, Sagna to Arteta, Arteta to Gibbs, Gibbs to aggressive one, but football is for men or women were a bit edgy at the start of the game but in Arteta and my players were just compact and with fantastic attitude. “It’s true, there are other the second half we took control. “The defeats at had no problems,” Mourinho said. “The public sports without contact. I respect them but foot- LONDON: Arsenal's Mesut Ozil (left) is tackled by Chelsea's Frank Lampard during Napoli and Man city left a little weight in our were frustrated because they were expecting ball is a game of contact. “English football, winter, their English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the heads but we want to be strong enough to deal goals, chances and saves but nothing was hap- water on the pitch, sliding tackles at speed but Emirates stadium in London. — AP with.” Apart from Frank Lampard’s volley which pening. We had one big chances and many half be proud. I think the referee did well.” — Reuters