Desperate Spurs turn to Russian roulette
Signing Pavlyuchenko a good start, but Tottenham will need more help versus Chelsea, SundayBob Lenarduzzi, The Province
Published: Friday, August 29, 2008
English Premier League leaders Chelsea host Tottenham Hotspur in a London derby on Sunday, and it looks a safe bet that Luiz Felipe Scolari's side will take all three points.
Spurs has a horrible record in these derbies and is off to a disastrous start to the season. It seems the crisis over star striker Dimitar Berbatov's proposed move to Manchester United has upset the squad.
Berbatov is desperate to leave, but the two clubs can't agree on a price, and Spurs have said they would rather he rot with the reserves than be sold for less.
Tottenham, meanwhile, have signed Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, and have renewed interest in bringing over Zenit Saint Petersburg playmaker Andrei Arshavin. The two Russian internationals formed a great partnership at the recent European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland.
In a situation similar to Berbatov's, Zenit and Spurs are having trouble agreeing to a price, with Arshavin urging the deal forward and causing problems at Saint Petersburg as a result. The club has already signed Danny from Dynamo Moscow to replace him.
Tying up this transfer tale of three teams is the fact that Zenit and Manchester United play today in the European Super Cup (Fox Sports World Canada, 11:30am).
THE RIAZOR'S EDGE
Real Madrid opens defence of its Spanish title on Sunday when it visits the Riazor Stadium to face Deportivo La Coruna, led by Canadian star Julian de Guzman. The Riazor is the last place Real should go looking for a good start, as it hasn't won there since 1991!
In fact, Real lost 11 of its last 16 games away to Deportivo, which is clearly its bogey team.
There's more bad news for Madrid coach Bernd Schuster, as it looks likely that Brazilian star Robinho will be on his way to Chelsea before Sunday night's transfer deadline, as the disgruntled forward is doing everything he can to force the move.
That would leave Real thin on talent, as the club's bids for Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, Valencia striker David Villa and Villarreal midfielder Santi Cazorla all seem to have been rejected.
RACE FOR THE SCUDETTO
The Italian league also kicks off this weekend with several key games. In previous years, Serie A avoided scheduling the big clubs against each other in the opening weeks, but that policy has been scrapped.
As a result, defending champion Internazionale faces a tough opener away to Sampdoria, while the feature match has old rivals Fiorentina and Juventus meeting in Florence.
Juventus is looking to get back on top this season, but fans are critical that the club hasn't done enough to strengthen its squad. Fiorentina, meanwhile, has been one of Italy's biggest spenders in the summer transfer market.
Its most notable signing was striker Alberto Gilardino from AC Milan, while fending off Roma's attempt to sign Romanian ace Adrian Mutu.
SLICE OF LIFE
West Ham United striker Dean Ashton has had bad luck with untimely injuries that have prevented him from finding a place in the England squad. He has only managed one game with the national team, even though many feel he could be the orthodox striker England have been missing since Alan Shearer retired.
Ashton scored twice in West Ham's season opener, with England coach Fabio Capello watching from the stands. The striker then hobbled off the field with what later proved to be just a cramp. It was enough to discourage Capello, though, as he announced his latest England squad hours later with Ashton not in it.
Capello has said that Ashton needs to lose weight, and the player says he is working on it. Ashton said recently that he was cutting back on his favourite food, pizza, although his exact words were that it was 'a case of not eating it all the time.'
If he's serious about losing weight, he should sit down with a nutritionist.
Bob Lenarduzzi is president of the Vancouver Whitecaps. For information on Whitecaps tickets and seasonal camps, visit www.whitecapsfc.com or call 604-669-9283.