Tok Gajah lawan Seladang

Pemain Pahang 'asah' mental jumpa Perak

KUANTAN - Mental kesebelasan skuad Pahang perlu kuat jika mahu meneruskan kemenangan ketika menentang pasukan Perak dalam saingan Liga Super di Stadium Darul Makmur malam ini.

Walaupun anak buah Norizan Bakar kini berada di tangga ke dua carta Liga Super di belakang Kelantan, pengurus Pahang, Datuk Che Nasir Salleh tidak mahu mental anak buahnya terganggu dengan catatan itu.

Berbanding Pahang yang kini di tangga ke enam, anak buah Dollah Salleh perlu membuang jauh rasa hormat kepada skuad Perak sehingga menjejaskan tumpuan untuk mengutip tiga mata.

"Atas kertas memang skuad Perak nampak gah di tangga dua persada liga tetapi sebenarnya kemampuan Pahang tidak jauh berbeza dengan skuad Perak dan kita yakin boleh menang jika pemain berfikiran positif," kata Che Nasir.

Pahang mungkin tidak dapat mengelak daripada rasa gentar bertemu dengan anak buah Cikgu Jan jika carta Liga di ambil kira kerana perlawanan malam ini boleh di anggap ujian sebenar prestasi Pahang.

Walaupun boleh berbangga dengan rekod dua kemenangan di hadapan penyokong sendiri ketika menewaskan T Team dan Sabah tetapi kejayaan pada saingan Liga Super dan Piala FA itu bukan ujian sebenar .

T Team kini menghuni di tangga dua tercorot dan Sabah di Liga Perdana berbanding Perak yang belum pernah tewas dan dilaporkan bersedia untuk meneruskan rentak kejayaan di hadapan penyokong Pahang.

Bukan sekadar Perak di tangga ke dua, Harimau A ke tiga dan Felda United ke lima pernah menewaskan Pahang di gelanggang sendiri yang perlu jadikan analisis untuk menguji kekuatan sebenar Pahang.

Che Nasir berkata, Dollah Salleh sudah pasti menyedari kelemahan dan kekuatan bagi mengelakkan Pahang tewas dalam perlawanan yang di anggap benar-benar menguji keupayaan untuk menjadi pasukan pertama menewaskan Perak.

"Pahang sudah bersedia dan semua pemain utama tidak mengalami kecederaan dan sedia untuk beraksi dan yakin kita mampu menewaskan Perak jika mental pemain benar-benar kental," katanya.

Azlan Ismail Hampir Tumpaskan Kijang

Norshahrul selamatkan Kelantan untuk kekal terajui liga

Oleh SHARIZ

A ABDULLAH
sukan@utusan.com.my

ALOR SETAR - Jaringan penyamaan Norshahrul Idlan Talaha menyelamatkan rekod tanpa kalah Kelantan daripada dileburkan Kedah dalam persaingan bola sepak Liga Super musim ini di Stadium Darul Aman, Alor Setar, semalam.

Rembatan voli penyerang negara itu pada minit ke-79, turut mengekalkan Wira Merah sebagai peneraju liga selepas melalui lima perlawanan, sekali gus memadam gol pendahuluan menerusi tolakan jarak dekat Azlan Ismail pada minit ke-57.

Dalam perlawanan yang disaksikan kira-kira 8,000 penonton itu, Kelantan terlebih dahulu mengancam kubu Kedah apabila percubaan S. Chanturu dari luar kotak penalti pada minit ke-7 menggegarkan palang gol.

Pada separuh masa kedua, Kedah yang membariskan kesebelasan terbaiknya semakin bernafsu memburu gol termasuk menerusi sepakan kaki kiri Azlan pada minit ke-53 yang berjaya ditangkap kemas oleh penjaga gol Kelantan, Khairul Fahmi Che Mat.

Azlan ternyata menjadi duri dalam daging bagi pasukan pelawat apabila cekap menyambar peluang yang terhidang di hadapan gawang lawan dengan menyumbat gol pertama tuan rumah empat minit selepas itu hasil umpanan sebelah kiri daripada Baddrol Bakhtiar.

Sang Kenari nyaris menggandakan jaringan gol pada minit ke-66, namun sepakan Azmi Muslim ditepis keluar Khairul Fahmi.

Sementara itu, Terengganu pula melonjak ke tangga ketiga liga selepas menewaskan Kuala Lumpur 2-1 hasil jaringan Hadi Yahya dan Ashari Samsudin di Stadium Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah, Kuala Terengganu.

Si Penyu terikat lapan mata dengan Perak yang bagaimanapun mempunyai kelebihan perbezaan gol, tiga berbalas dua yang hanya akan bertandang ke Kuantan untuk menentang Pahang, hari ini.

Kedua-dua gol Terengganu pada minit ke-38 dan 52 itu turut merapatkan jurangnya dengan jaringan tunggal Kuala Lumpur oleh Yong Kwong Yong pada minit ke-83 dengan pelawat turut kehilangan Ahmad Jihad Ismail yang dibuang padang.

Sementara itu, Sarawak kian merapati teraju Liga Perdana yang kini dikuasai PKNS sebanyak dua mata dengan membelasah Pos Malaysia 5-1 di Stadium Majlis Perbandaran Selayang, semalam.

Muslim Ahmad: Malaysia Tumpaskan Pakistan 2-0

Dua gol belum lagi cukup - Muslim

KUALA LUMPUR - ''Kalau diikutkan hati, memang saya tidak berpuas hati dengan kemenangan semalam kerana hanya dua jaringan sahaja mampu dicatatkan.'' Demikian pengakuan secara jujur pemain pertahanan skuad Olimpik negara, Mohd. Muslim Ahmad mengenai perlawanan dengan Pakistan, Rabu lalu.

Tambahnya lagi, sememangnya skuad negara layak menang dengan jaringan yang lebih besar lagi jika dihitung peluang terhidang.

Muslim bagaimanapun enggan menyalahkan rakan-rakannya di bahagian serangan kerana telah mencuba apa yang termampu.

''Kami semua telah cuba sedaya upaya mahu menambah gol pada separuh masa kedua malahan kami banyak mengawal perlawanan berbanding Pakistan tetapi jelas rezeki tidak memihak kami," ujarnya.

Namun, pemain kelahiran Terengganu itu berkata, dia mahu melupakan segera perlawanan itu dan memberikan fokus kepada pertemuan kedua di Lahore, 9 Mac ini.

''Apa yang dah berlaku, biarkan berlalu. Kini saya dan rakan-rakan hanya mahu memikirkan perlawanan kedua dan mencari kemenangan sekali lagi di sana.

''Cuma diharapkan kami semua tidak leka dengan kemenangan ini kerana perjuangan masih belum berakhir. Kami masih ada 90 minit lagi di sana, " ujarnya.

Muslim yang bergandingan dengan Mohd. Fadhli Shas di bahagian pertahanan beraksi dengan cemerlang pada perlawanan tersebut dengan dapat menandingi kekuatan fizikal barisan penyerang Pakistan.

Sementara itu, Muslim turut kecewa dengan taktik para pemain Pakistan yang banyak melengahkan masa permainan.

''Tindakan mereka itu banyak mengganggu momentum permainan kami dan saya harap itu tidak berlaku lagi pada perlawanan di sana.

''Mengenai sasaran kami nanti, kami mahu mendapatkan gol awal di tempat lawan supaya dapat membunuh semangat juang Pakistan. Mereka memerlukan empat gol selepas itu jika berhasrat mahu mara ke pusingan kedua," jelasnya.

Enter 'El Pistolero'

RED AGREEMENT: Suarez (pic) agrees to personal terms with Liverpool, passes medical exam

LONDON: Luis Suarez is set to complete his transfer to Liverpool today after passing his medical and agreeing terms with the Reds over the weekend.

The Reds announced that all necessary medical checks have been carried out on the Ajax striker, with a statement on their website confirming: "Luis Suarez has successfully passed his medical and personal terms with the player have been agreed. We expect to complete the remainder of the paperwork tomorrow."

The 24-year-old Uruguay international, who scored 111 goals in 159 games for Ajax, is expected to move to Anfield for a fee of £22.8 million and will be Kenny Dalglish's first signing since becoming manager for a second time.

Suarez, also known as El Pistolero or "The Gunfighter", believes his move to Anfield presents itself as a great opportunity to further his career.

"I am happy," Suarez told Ajax TV.

"It is important for anybody to go to such a big club. It is a great opportunity for me.

"Liverpool are a beautiful club. Everybody wants to play there. They always play Champions League or Europa League and belong to the top four clubs in the Premier League."

LIVERPOOL SIGN SUAREZ

Luis Suarez has today completed his transfer from Ajax to Liverpool FC and signed a 5 and a half-year-deal that will keep him at Anfield until 2016.

The club agreed a fee of up to 26.5million Euros with Ajax for the transfer of the Uruguayan international on Friday.

The deal was subject to the completion of a medical, which the player has now passed.

Luis Suarez will wear the No.7 shirt for Liverpool.

ANDY CARROLL JOINS LFC

Andy Carroll has tonight completed his transfer from Newcastle United to Liverpool FC and signed a 5 and a half-year-deal that will keep him at Anfield until 2016.

The Club agreed a record transfer fee with Newcastle earlier in the day for the transfer of the England international striker.

The deal was subject to the completion of a medical, which the player has now passed.

Andy Carroll will wear the No.9 shirt for Liverpool.

Liverpool take £36m gamble on Andy Carroll, a gifted forward with an explosive temper

Andy Carroll is clearly a man of intriguing contradictions. The England international is a model professional in his conduct on the pitch and happy to tie his long hair back with an Alice band or sport a ponytail. However, his conduct at the training ground or when he is out and about in Newcastle’s Bigg Market is significantly different.

Target man: Carroll has attracted a huge fee without a full season in the top flight

By Rob Stewart 11:22PM GMT 31 Jan 2011

2 Comments

Though he is a throwback of a 6ft 3in targetman and is faced with the Premier League's top defenders, Carroll has collected only four bookings this season with performances that have combined brain with brawn, and discipline with determination, to great effect.

A player whose flowing locks make him look more South American than Geordie even has the initials of his young daughter embroidered into the football boots that have carried him into the England squad with a touch that is usually beyond players of his gangly gait.

The trouble is, anger management issues and dubious refuelling habits have given Carroll – who has turned his Angel of the North-type goal celebration into something of a trademark – an uncanny knack of getting into trouble when he is not playing.

His misdemeanours explain that, even though the No 9 was regarded as an heir-apparent at Newcastle, no one could ever be sure whether that was to Alan Shearer or Joey Barton. Last season he attracted headlines for the wrong reasons after an alleged row at Newcastle's training ground with Steven Taylor over a former girlfriend left the defender with a broken jaw and Carroll with a couple of broken fingers.

That Carroll shrugged off the subsequent controversy by scoring the winning goal at Doncaster as Taylor recovered in hospital was typical of Carroll. He then pushed the club he supported since childhood towards promotion from the Championship.

FERNANDO TORRES JOINS CHELSEA

TORRES JOINS CHELSEA

Posted on: Mon 31 Jan 2011

Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Fernando Torres on a five-and-a-half year contract.

The move to bring the Spanish World Cup and European Championship winner to London from Liverpool for an undisclosed fee was completed on Monday evening.

Speaking at Stamford Bridge after finalising the move, Torres said:

'I am very happy with my transfer to Chelsea and I am looking forward very much to helping my new team-mates this season and for many years to come.

'Having played against Chelsea many times since coming to England, and in some very big games I will never forget, I know there are many great players here and I will work hard to win a place in the team. I hope I can score some important goals for the supporters to enjoy this season.'

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said: 'This is a very significant day for Chelsea, capturing one of the best players in the world with his peak years ahead of him. We have long admired the talents of a player who is a proven goalscorer in English football and Fernando's arrival is a sign of our continuing high ambitious. I hope every Chelsea fan is as excited as I am with this news.'

Chief executive Ron Gourlay added: 'Signing a player of the stature of Fernando Torres benefits the club on many levels. Carlo Ancelotti was keen to add his talents to the squad as we continue our quest for three trophies this season, we are delighted we have succeed with that wish, and this signing will undoubtedly aid the club in realising our worldwide potential.'

Torres's scoring pedigree in English football is without doubt. The 26-year-old netted 65 goals in 102 league appearances for Liverpool and 81 in 142 games in all competitions.

He moved to the Premier League aged 23 having spent the previous 12 years at Atletico Madrid, a club based a few miles from the town of his birth on the outskirts of the capital city.

In his time at Atletico, 'El Nino' (The Kid - his nickname in Spain) was the club's youngest player and youngest captain. His debut came aged 17 and he took the armband two years later.

His first full season was a quiet start with just six goals from 36 league appearances but that became 13 from 29 games the next year and the 20-goal mark was reached in 2003/04, Torres's most prolific season in Spain and the year of his debut for the national side.

The player's subsequent emergence on the international stage and 75 goals in 174 Spanish top-flight games meant many clubs across Europe were after his signature but he chose to work under compatriot Rafael Benitez at Liverpool.

The transfer in July 2007 was valued at approximately £20 million, Luis Garcia going the other way, and Torres's first goal for the Merseysiders was against Chelsea at Anfield, opening the scoring in a 1-1 draw after getting the better of Tal Ben-Haim. It was the first of seven goals in seven games against Chelsea. It is his best return against any English club.

He scored three hat-tricks on the way to 33 goals in his first season in England, becoming the first Liverpool player since a previous wearer of the number 9 shirt, Robbie Fowler, to break the 30-goal mark in one season.

His second season returned 17 goals (injury reducing his number of appearances) as his side finished second, three points and one place above Chelsea in the league table. Last season, despite Liverpool dropping down the table to seventh, Torres accumulated a very healthy 22 goals in 32 games.

He headed to the World Cup in South Africa already a winner of the European Championships at senior international level.

In his teenage years, Torres had achieved top-scorer status for his country in both the Under 16 and Under 19 European Championships and he scored his first goal for the senior side against Italy aged 20, seven months after his first cap.

In the 2006 World Cup in Germany he scored three times in the group stage but Spain were beaten by France in the first knockout round. However there was no stopping his nation two years later at Euro 2008, Torres scoring once on the way to the final and the only goal in that match in Vienna as Germany were defeated. It was Spain's first major piece of silverware since 1964.

Last summer in South Africa, Torres struggled for full fitness and form during the World Cup having undergone surgery in April. As a result, Barcelona's Pedro took his place for a semi-final triumph over Germany.

Coach Vicente Del Bosque also left Torres out of the starting line-up for the final. Instead he came on in extra-time in the 1-0 win over Holland although he tore a muscle before the end.

Back in England this season and before joining the Blues, Torres made 26 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 11 times including both goals in Chelsea's November defeat at Anfield.