Atlético Ready To Give Up On Neves

Los Colchoneros are keen to add another midfielder to their ranks before the start of the season and were confident that the 23-year-old would be theirs.

A €12m fee looked to have been settled upon with Fluminese, who own one third of his rights, and Grupo Sonda, who own two thirds, but that has now changed.

With interest also coming from England, the Brazilian business group believe that they could receive a larger amount if they bide their time and wait for another offer.

Manchester City have been reported to have watched Neves, but have yet to make an official enquiry about his services to either his club or Grupo Sonda.

Now Atlético’s sporting director, Jesús García Pitarch, is ready to pull the plug on the deal and has held talks with president Enrique Cerezo and coach Javier Aguirre.

Grupo Sonda are believed to have told the Spanish outfit that rather than the €12m that had been discussed, they now valued Neves at €16m and would wait for an offer closer to that mark.

Atlético could now turn their attention to Neves’ compatriot Diego, who could still be tempted away from Werder Bremen if they can persuade the German club to accept their payment plan.

A deal could have been done earlier in the summer had Werder not objected to Atlético’s plan to defer payment of the transfer fee and instead demanded that they received a lump sum up front.

Inter To Swap Adriano For Drogba?

The Nerazzurri are currently negotiating with their Brazilian hit-man over a possible contract extension. However, things do not seem like they are going to plan, leading to speculation over his future.  

Il Corriere Dello Sport claims that talks between Inter sporting director Marco Branca and Adriano’s agent Mariano Grimaldi have hit the stumbling blocks.  

A number of sources in Italy suggest that the Brazilian may be on his way out and towards the Premier League. A swap deal for Chelsea’s Drogba is on the horizon and it may take off.  

Adriano would fit it in well at West London and there would be no language barrier between himself and Portuguese coach Luis Felipe Scolari.  

Drogba on the other hand is itching to reunite himself with the ‘Special One’ and he was the talk of much transfer hype this summer.  

Mourinho would love to see one of his former stars at San Siro and, following his failure to entice Frank Lampard, the Inter coach is now looking to push for the big Ivorian hit-man.  

Adriano for Drogba seems like the perfect swap as both strikers guarantee spectacular goals, power and pace.

It’s Milan’s Scudetto This Year – Ronaldinho

The Brazilian magician is in confident mood after some dazzling displays for the Selecao. He cannot wait to get back in action with his club and ‘Dinho believes he will be lifting the Tricolore next May.

Milan have not been too great during pre-season but the former PSG man believes that the rustiness will be smooved over and the Rossoneri machine will be ready for a shiny new season.

“I am ready and I want to play against Bologna,” Ronaldinho told Il Corriere Dello Sport.  

“Pato is right, Milan will win the Scudetto. We have the potential to do it.  

“We have the best armoury to win and we can feel it deep down inside that we are favourites.  

“However, we have to go out and prove it for real.”

The Brazilian arrived from Barcelona this summer in a mega money deal. He looks completely different to the player who endured a hard time at Camp Nou.  

Fitter, leaner and raring to go, ‘Dinho will try to spread his magic around Serie A and conquer the Scudetto this term.

The Rossoneri’s prime objective is domestic success and they are ready for action with an opening day fixture against Bologna next week.

Ronaldinho leads Brazil to bronze

Brazil took out their frustration at missing the Olympic final by beating Belgium 3-0 to take the bronze medal.

Manchester City striker Jo scored twice after Diego netted the the opener as Brazil bounced back from their 3-0 semi-final loss to Argentina.

Diego converted Rafinha’s cross into the net on 27 minutes, before Jo headed the second before half-time.

Jo then nutmegged Belgium goalkeeper Logan Bailly in injury-time to complete the scoring.

Brazil have won two silver medals in 1984, 1988 and another bronze at Atlanta in 1996, but again the one prize they are yet to claim, an Olympic gold medal, has eluded the five-times World Cup winners.

Brazil captain Ronaldinho said: “The bronze medal may not be important from a Brazilian’s point of view but in the future we will be proud.

“We deserve respect as a group of players because we took some criticism after the defeat to Argentina.

“Everyone came to China for a medal and we got one. It’s not what we were expecting at the beginning but it’s one of the most important awards.”

Ronaldinho created numerous opportunities through the first half, starting with a header that just sailed over the bar in the opening minutes.

Belgium were able to absorb the pressure for the first quarter of the game, assisted by a lack of precision when it counted by Brazil, before Diego found the net to open the scoring.

Belgium fought to level the score and chances in quick succession by Maarten Martens and Thomas Vermaelen went dangerously close before Brazil came back through Jo.

Official: Olympiakos Sign Diogo

An official statement on the club’s website confirmed the signing: “Olympiakos announces the completion of the signing of Brazilian striker Diogo Luis Santo, who has signed a five year contract with the club.”

The arrival of Diogo will be a welcome boost for Olympiakos manager Ernesto Valverde, who has experienced a fairly slow summer recruitment drive, particularly in contrast to that of previous incumbent Panagiotis Lemonis last season.

Whether Diogo’s fitness levels are high enough to warrant consideration for selection in Olympiakos’ squad for the ucopming second-leg of their UEFA Champions League Qualifier against Anorthosis Famagusta is a different story altogether and some within the football sphere might see Diogo’s capture as an attempt to claw back qualification for the lucrative group stages.

Anorthosis head to the Karaiskaki Stadium holding a 3-0 lead after stunning their illustrious Greek opponents in Cyprus last week, though Temuri Ketsbaia’s side will be expecting a football backlash when they arrive in Piraeus on the 27th.

Botafogo and Cruzeiro to encounter in Rio’s stadium

Rio’s Botafogo and Minas Gerais Cruzeiro will face each other in a Brazilian League clash of titans on Wednesday night in Rio’s Joao Havelange stadium.

Both teams are having great results in the tournament. Botafogo is ranked fourth with 34 points, while Cruzeiro is the runner-up with 39 points.

The two teams both need the victory to get closer to the League’s leader, Gremio, which has 44 points.

The two teams are in the best group of G-4, which qualifies to Libertadores Cup next year. Cruzeiro got in G-4 since the first round, but Botafogo only got in the group last Sunday.

Botafogo has not lost a match since July 20 and has the advantage of the home field. It lost only one match in the Joao Havelange stadium in the entire tournament.

Cruzeiro has won all four matches against other Rio’s teams in this year’s tournament. It also has one of the League’s top scorers, striker Guilherme, who scored four goals in three matches against Botafogo.

However, some of Botafogo’s players will to be absent from the match. It’s keeper Castillo of Uruguayan is defending the goal for the Uruguayan national team at present, and Alessandro, Renato Silva, defender Espinoza, midfielders Fabricio, Charles, Wagner, and striker Romulo are all injuried. And midfielder Ramires is in Beijing with Brazil’s Olympic football team.

Olympic Preview: Belgium – Brazil

Having already met in their very first match of the tournament, Brazil and Belgium will get re-acquainted in Shanghai for a bronze medal match of utmost significance…

Much To Prove

Brazil, having once again suffered from the curse of semi-final failure, will regard the bronze medal as an absolute bare minimum.

But what an important minimum it is. The Seleção simply cannot afford to fail here, given that some of the players – not least Ronaldinho – are already the subject of grumbling back home.

Yet it is the manager, Dunga, who has the most to lose. The 1994 World Cup-winning captain is under immense pressure from both the press and the fans, and even though he has defiantly stated that he is determined to continue along his path as manager one feels that defeat here could provoke his resignation.

Increasingly dour and severe, Dunga has publicly criticised Alexandre Pato’s abilities in comparison with Rafael Sobis, but after Sobis (and substitute Pato, at that) failed to impress in that disastrous semi-final against Argentina he may have to think twice about his forward options.

At the back things may remain the same in spite of the fact that Brazil shipped three goals. If there are to be changes then it could be that Ilsinho and/or Thiago Silva are introduced so as to make up for the failure of the last round.

That 3-0 win, a mirror-image of Brazil’s 2007 Copa América triumph, will – sadly for Dunga – linger longer in the memory than any potential win against Belgium.

Step Too Far

Belgium, meanwhile, overcame a personnel deficit and their own stature as underdogs to beat Italy in the quarter-finals. They couldn’t repeat the feat against Nigeria, though, being trounced 4-1 by the Dream Team.

That was a step too far for the Red Devils, but they come into this last game with very little to lose. After all, few expected them to be among the medals, and they’ve already lost to Brazil in the first place.

That was a fairly close-fought encounter, too, and although Belgium have been weakened by the departure of two key players since then they may hold out hopes of a shock against a jaded and demoralised Brazilian side.

Among their ranks the Belgians boast Moussa Dembéle, the second-highest goalscorer in the competition alongside Victor Obinna. What’s more, Kevin Mirallas is just behind with two goals. If they can keep it tight at the back, this proven strike force might just have a surprise in store.

FORM GUIDE

Belgium (Olympics only)

07 Aug 08 Brazil LOST 1-0
10 Aug 08 China PR WON 2-0
13 Aug 08 New Zealand WON 1-0
16 Aug 08 Italy WON 3-2
19 Aug 08 Nigeria LOST 4-1

Brazil (Olympics only)

07 Aug 08 Belgium WON 1-0
10 Aug 08 New Zealand WON 5-0
13 Aug 08 China PR WON 3-0
16 Aug 08 Cameroon WON 2-0
19 Aug 08 Brazil LOST 3-0

TEAM NEWS

Belgium

Vincent Kompany and Maroune Fellaini are both absent, having already flown home, but Thomas Vermaelen is back from suspension. There are no new sanctions to worry about, and coach Jean-François De Sart has no injuries to contend with.

Possible Starting XI: Bailly; Roover, Simaeys, Vermaelen, Bocognoli; De Mul, Haroun, Vertonghen, Martens; Dembéle, Mirallas.

Brazil

Lucas and Thiago Neves are both suspended after their late red cards against Argentina, but at least Dunga has no injuries to worry about. Nonetheless with Lucas being an ever-present, and his natural replacement of Neves now unable to play, there are question marks over the defensive midfield. It could well be that Dunga tries an unorthodox 4-1-3-2 to fit his formation around the players available.

Possible Starting XI: Renan Brito; Rafinha, Alex Silva/Thiago Silva, Breno, Marcelo; Hernanes; Diego, Ramires, Anderson; Pato, Ronaldinho.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Belgium – Logan Bailly: After being injured in the match against Italy the Genk man recovered to face Nigeria, only to have to pick the ball out of his net four times. Assuming that he starts here as first choice he’ll need to once again show the form that saw him let in just one strike against Brazil in the first round. Also watch out for Tom De Mul, who is still attracting admirers with some fine wing play.

Brazil – Alexandre Pato: The young AC Milan forward garnered criticism from his manager prior to the semi-final meeting with Argentina, ensuring that Rafael Sobis played in his place. Pato was able to contribute as a substitute, but neither he nor the Betis man were to impress overmuch against the albiceleste. Should Pato be given another chance he’ll be eager to make amends. Ronaldinho, needless to say, also needs to do more.

Brazil Humiliated By Final-Bound Argentina

Messi Prevailed

After a goalless first half Argentina came out swinging, racking up a two-goal lead before the hour mark thanks to ‘Kun’ Agüero. A late Riquelme penalty and red cards for Lucas and Neves left Dunga’s Brazil utterly helpless as they now face up to yet another Olympics without the gold.

However the team in yellow may feel somewhat aggrieved at the scoreline, given that at 2-0 and eleven men per side they had what appeared to some to be a valid goal disallowed for offside. In any case, though, the albiceleste are back in the final as they attempt to defend their title.

First Half

With Brazil attacking via the flanks early on the first real chance fell to Rafael Sobis, who started up front in place of Alexandre Pato, dropped by Dunga. The Betis striker, though, couldn’t quite get on the end of Rafinha’s cross.

Sergio Agüero, yet to net at the tournament, then missed a sitter at the other end with the Brazilian defence too slow to react to a quick free-kick forward.

Nonetheless such a fine chance for Argentina spurned the albiceleste on, and they shaded the end of the first half even though chances were few and far between.

When they did come, though, they were worth waiting for: Messi strode through the Brazilian defence four minutes before the break in characteristic fashion, but Renan Brito pulled off a great save to prevent the opener.

Second Half

Soon after the break, though, there was no mercy for Brazil as Argentina pressed forward. Just seven minutes after the restart they took the lead: Agüero used his upper body to direct Di Maria’s cross into the net with Brito unable to react.

Five minutes later Ezequiel Garay turned provider as he played in a low ball from the left for the opportunistic Agüero to turn goalward.

Brazil weren’t quite out of it yet: shortly before being taken off Rafael Sobis hit the woodwork after a fine team move.

A further few minutes later Ronaldinho very nearly set up Pato for the equaliser. Rattling a free-kick off the post, ‘Dinho’s AC Milan teammate was waiting to tap the ball in, but it was ruled offside, much to the disgust of the Brazilian contingent.

But Sergio Agüero was on hand to grab a “hat-trick” of sorts, for he won the penalty that sealed the win. Being tripped in the box by Breno, referee Vázquez gave a spot-kick that captain Juan Román Riquelme deftly fired down the middle.

Lucas was sent off for a foul on his Liverpool teammate Javier Mascherano with eight minutes left, and Thiago Neves followed him soon afterwards for a rash tackle on the same player. Thus Brazil will be weakened somewhat as they head into the playoff.

ARGENTINA 3-0 BRAZIL
1-0 Agüero 52′
2-0 Agüero 57′
3-0 Riquelme 76′ (pen.)

Argentina (Batista): Romero; Zabaleta, Pareja, Garay, Monzón; Gago, Mascherano, Riquelme (Sosa 90), di Maria; Messi, Agüero.

Brazil (Dunga): Renan Brito; Rafinha, Alex Silva, Breno, Marcelo; Diego (Jô 71), Hernanes (Neves 61), Lucas, Anderson; Ronaldinho; Sobis (Pato 61).

Yellow Cards: Zabaleta 7, Pareja 63, Di Maria 65 – Breno 19, Hernanes 32, Anderson 67, Rafinha 75.

Red Cards: None – Lucas 81, Neves 8.

Referee: Martín Vázquez (Uruguay)

Olympic Preview: Argentina – Brazil

Two of football’s biggest global names meet in the Chinese capital to determine who faces Nigeria or Belgium in the final of the 2008 Games…

Brazilian Hopes

Brazil, having never won the tournament, have a great deal to prove. For all their legacy at the Copa America and of course the World Cup, the Gold Medal eludes them.

Furthermore not since the 1990s have they even “medalled” – a bronze at Atlanta in ‘96 – and one must go all the way back to Seoul ‘88 and Los Angeles ‘84 to see silver.

This time around coach Dunga wants it to be different, and he’s single-mindedly in pursuit of that goal. The manager, unpopular with many back in Brazil, has gone so far as to publicly comment on his squad’s deficiencies, not least those of Pato. As he said today, “I brought on Rafael Sobis because he knows how to deal with tight marking, can open up the spaces and does not go offside. Pato must grow again, and he must learn to free himself from his marker.”

Thus Sobis of Betis could find himself thrust into the limelight in time for Tuesday’s glamour tie – a second consecutive start. He’ll be joined by the likes of Hernanes, Diego, and of course captain Ronaldinho. From the midfield upwards this is an impressive-looking Brazilian squad on paper, no doubt about it.

Yet perhaps surprisingly the defence, bereft of some of its key senior players, has been excellent. A back line of Rafinha, Alex or Thiago Silva, Breno, and Marcelo has kept things tight, while Renan Brito – now signed for Valencia – has been impressive in goal. Such as it is Brazil have yet to concede at all at the Games.

Argentine Dreams

Yet if there’s one team that could slice this side open it’s Argentina.

Arguably in possession of the strongest squad at the tournament, whether or not the albiceleste have truly hit stride yet is open to debate. Having conceded twice, their ‘goals for’ tally is also far less impressive than that of Brazil.

Then again some may say that the Ivory Coast, Australia and Serbia were tougher groupmates than China, New Zealand and (semi-finalists) Belgium, while the Dutch were no pushovers in the quarters.

As such it’s far from panic stations for Sergio Batista’s men, although he has more than a few concerns to deal with. Sergio Romero will start in goal due to ‘Osky’ Ustari’s horror injury, while how to arrange his midfield and attack will no doubt keep him up at night.

Countering Brazil’s 4-2-2-2 could be difficult. Against Serbia Zabaleta and Di Maria played something of an advanced wing-back role with two behind them and Mascherano in support; this could be tried again. More likely, though, is a 4-2-3-1 that would see Fernando Gago of Real Madrid join up with Marscherano, Messi in something of a free role on the right, captain Riquelme supporting Sergio Agüero, and Di Maria on the left.

Regardless of the line-up the pressure is on: Brazil may be facing their first “real” test but a battered and bruised Argentina must now prove that they have what it takes to scale another.

FORM GUIDE

Argentina (at the Games)

07 Aug 08 Ivory Coast WON 2-1
10 Aug 08 Australia WON 1-0
13 Aug 08 Serbia WON 2-0
16 Aug 08 Netherlands WON 2-1

Brazil (at the Games)

07 Aug 08 Belgium WON 1-0
10 Aug 08 New Zealand WON 5-0
13 Aug 08 China PR WON 3-0
16 Aug 08 Cameroon WON 2-0

TEAM NEWS

Argentina

Goalkeeper Oscar Ustari is out for eight months after falling injured against the Dutch, while Nicolas Pareja is suspended. Agüero is likely to lead the line, but if a 4-4-2 is plumped for then expect to see Lavezzi take part as well. Mascherano, Gago and Riquelme should form the team’s spine.

Probable line-up: Romero; Zabaleta, Fazio, Garay, Monzón; Mascherano, Gago; Messi, Riquelme (c), Di Maria; Agüero.

Brazil

Coach Dunga will most likely drop Alexandre Pato, who he has deemed unready for this level of competition. With no injury or suspension worries to speak of it all comes down to tactics, and a dual-forward arrangement with either Sobis or Jô joining captain Ronaldinho seems to be the most likely scenario. Diego and Anderson, having started against Cameroon, may team up once more, while the defence should go unchanged from the past game.

Probable line-up: Renan; Rafinha, Alex Silva, Breno, Marcelo; Hernanes, Lucas; Diego, Anderson; Sobis, Ronaldinho (c).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Argentina – Lionel Messi: The mercurial hitman has two goals to his name, as does Lavezzi, but it is with him that the hope of beating the full-backs lies. It would be wrong to describe him as unpredictable, but the great thing about Messi is that even though his gameplan seldom varies too much it’s still stunning to watch him pull it off. Also worth a look is Pablo Zabaleta, who without Pareja at his side will be charged with tracking Ronaldinho. The two used to share a city, of course: Zabaleta plays for Barcelona’s rivals, Espanyol.

Brazil – Ronaldinho: The captain is in more buoyant mood than he has been in months, if not years. With the chance to start afresh at AC Milan upon him, he’ll hope for another piece of silverware – or gold-ware, if you will – with which to cap a productive summer. As Hernanes cheekily put it to Deutsche-Presse, “They will have Maradona in the VIP box, but we have Ronaldinho on the field.” Also Lucas has been an ever-present in midfield and has the unenviable task of going up against Juan Román Riquelme.

Brasileiro: Gremio Extend Lead After Edging Sao Paulo

A controversial strike from Edixson Perea in the 8th minute of the first half was the difference as Gremio edged Sao Paulo 1-0 in a top of the table clash in Porto Alegre.

Former Sao Paulo attacker Marcel found Perea in an offside position, but the referee waved play-on and the Colombian striker made no mistake with a good finish. Gremio held onto their advantage, despite heavy pressure from the Brazilian champions, and maintain a five-point advantage over second-placed Cruzeiro.

Cruzeiro were well worth their 2-0 victory over Vitoria in Belo Horizonte on Saturday. They went ahead in the 39th minute through Charles, and in the 56th minute Guilherme doubled their lead, before being sent off in the 81st minute. Ricardinho scored a consolation goal for Vitoria two minutes before full-time.

On the same night, Atletico Paranaense thrashed bottom-placed Ipatinga 5-0 with a superb hat-trick from Oldoni (36′, 75′ and 82′). Danilo (8′) and Ferreira (51′) scored the Furacao’s other two goals.

While Palmeiras are in third position of the standings, after a narrow 1-0 victory over Coritiba at the Palestra Italia. Alex Mineiro scored Palmeiras’ winner in the 76th minute. It was his twelfth goal of the season.

Meanwhile, Vasco da Gama climbed above the relegation zone after thumping a star-studded Internacional outfit 4-0 in Rio de Janeiro. Vasco went ahead after an own goal from Bolivar (20′), while Edmundo (48′), Luiz (52′) and Paulo (88′) scored their other goals on a terrific night for the Rio giants.

Flamengo needed a 76th minute strike from Leonardo Moura to rescue a 2-2 draw with Santos at the Vila Belmiro. Moura had put Flamengo ahead in the 6th minute of the first half after his long range drive deflected off two defenders before finding the back of the net. The league’s top goal-scorer Kleber Pereira scored Santos’ two goals (38′ and 51′).

In the other round twenty results, Figueirense edged Portuguesa 2-1, Goias put three goals past Nautico, Fluminense beat Atletico Mineiro 1-0, and Botafogo continued their good run of results with a 1-0 victory over Sport Recife.

Campeonato Brasileiro: Round 20 Results

August 16 (Saturday)

Atletico Paranaense 5 – 0 Ipatinga FC

Cruzeiro 2 – 1 Vitoria

Figueirense 2 – 1 Portuguesa

August 17 (Sunday)

Goias 3 – 0 Nautico

 Gremio 1 – 0 Sao Paulo

 Santos 2 – 2 Flamengo

 Vasco 4 – 0 Internacional

Fluminense 1 – 0 Atletico Mineiro

Palmeiras 1 – 0 Coritiba

Sport Recife 0 – 1 Botafogo