Mancini hails impact of Yaya

Man City boss admits he will not be able to replace star during Africa Cup of Nations

Roberto Mancini admits Manchester City will miss Yaya Toure when the midfielder leaves to play in the Africa Cup of Nations - but remains upbeat about his side's Barclays Premier League title challenge.

Yaya, along with brother Kolo, will leave to represent Ivory Coast in the African tournament after the Blues' FA Cup tie against local rivals Manchester United on Sunday.

The younger Toure played a vital role in City's impressive 3-0 win over Liverpool on Tuesday, scoring one goal and making another and Mancini admitted he will be a big loss.

"I have tried to find another Yaya in my squad, but there isn’t another Yaya," he said.

"He wil play against United on Sunday and then he will join the Ivory Coast.

"January is a big month for us and I think if we can come out on the top of the Premier League, I think we will have a very good chance to win (the title).

"But without Yaya and Kolo for several weeks, it will be hard."

Mancini said he was delighted with Tuesday's win, especially as it came just two days after the shock defeat to Sunderland on New Year's Day.

"I was very happy with the way we played against Liverpool. We deserved to win, but we also deserved to win against Sunderland, where we played very well, too – sometimes football is crazy!"

Xavi Hernandez on Islam, soccer and Barcelona

Xavi thinks that life gathers everybody, saying that “football and Barcelona bring us together also; the football gathers peoples, cultures and religions, and our team combines all of these issues. 

The great Spanish star and maestro of the Spanish national team and Barcelona, Xavi Hernandez, emphasized that he respects the Islamic religion. 

In an interview with the Algeria-based newspaper el-Heddaf, Xavi said: “This is what we have learned at Barcelona’s school since we were young, respecting the others; therefore in the Barcelona team, we are committed to respect our Muslim teammates, their religion and culture. ‘Seydou’ prays everywhere and this does not bother anyone. He often asks for a room where he can be alone in order to pray serenely, and in the dressing room we all respect him, as well as Abidal and Afellay; they are Muslims and the three of them are great.” Xavi was referring to Eric Abidal, Seydou Keita and Ibrahim Affelay, fellow Barcelona stars.

“What really piqued my curiosity is the holy month of Ramadan. I found it difficult for a football player not to drink or eat for 12 hours, and sometimes even for 15 hours, under the intense hot summer weather, but it is a religious duty for Muslims and we should respect it. We also have religious rituals that we abide by.”

Xavi thinks that life gathers everybody, saying that “football and Barcelona bring us together also; the football gathers peoples, cultures and religions, and our team combines all of these issues. In the end, the respect is established between all of us, no matter how different our religions and cultures are.”

Speaking of the World Cup playoff match between Egypt and Algeria, Xavi said, “Unfortunately, I do not know a lot about it; however, I recall something that I did not want to talk about, I would rather talk about beautiful things.”

The superstar, referring to accolades and awards, added, “those who wish me to win the Golden Ball should realize that in football nowadays we have a player who is above all whether we like it or not, and he is Lionel Messi; he is a great and unique football player, and if he keeps up the same level of playing and succeeds at least to win the world cup with the National Argentinian team, he will be the best footballer ever in the world. As for me, I am satisfied with what I have reached; the fact that I qualified and got to the last nomination stage for the Golden Ball is a great achievement and honor for me.”

About his role in helping Messi becoming a star, Xavi said: “It is true that I always try to help him on the pitch, but in modern football nowadays, each and every one of us should make his teammates play better. It is true that Leo needs me on the field, but he also needs Iniesta, Busquets and the others. “On the other hand, I strongly need him in addition to Iniesta and the others. I think that what has hampered him so far in Argentina is their method; it is different from Barcelona’s; nevertheless they have a strong and great team. In fact, Messi remains an amazing footballer and I am happy to be his teammate.”

Speaking of Zinedine Zidane, Xavi said: “In my opinion, Zidane was the best player in the world during the period in which he played – from 1995 until 2006 – and he is one of the best players of all time. It is a real pleasure to see him play and perform.

Andrew Strauss: England cricket team must not stand still

England cricket captain Andrew Strauss has challenged his side to keep improving and insists 'getting to No.1 in the world rankings is nothing'.

Strauss’ men are in Dubai ahead of a three-Test series against Pakistan, which will be their first since they rose to the top of the ICC rankings last summer.

Pakistan have overcome the controversy of the spot-fixing scandal to play some impressive cricket, sealing Test-series victories against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

It means England will have to be at their best in alien conditions if they are to maintain their position at the top, and Strauss is keen to avoid any complacency among his squad.

‘The only way to ensure it is to make sure you’re just as desperate to go on and improve as you were a year or two ago,’ said Strauss.

‘Getting to No.1 in the rankings is nothing, really. It’s your name on a piece of paper, that’s all.

‘There’s always a new challenge ahead of you, this one coming up against Pakistan is a very stern challenge and whenever an England side go to the subcontinent it’s a challenge anyway because it requires a different set of skills to win out here.

‘This series comes at a good time for us. We’re confident, we’ve been playing a lot of good cricket recently.

‘If we’re at all complacent we’ll come unstuck pretty quickly.’

The Sydney Cricket Ground: 100 Tests and counting

SYDNEY: When Australia and India took the field for the second Test on Tuesday, the Sydney Cricket Ground joined an exclusive club of only three venues to host 100 Test matches. 

Only the 'home' of cricket, Lords in London, and the Melbourne Cricket Ground have hosted more, but the SCG can claim to have hosted its fair share of the game's most celebrated moments since its creation in the mid 19th century. 

The story of the SCG began in the 1840s when acolonel of the local military barracks made the decision to transform nearby land into a cricket ground, but it wasn't until 1882 that the SCG hosted its first Test. Australia, 19 years before officially becoming a unified nation, recorded a five-wicket victory over colonial master England. 

The SCG's reputation for being a spin bowlers' paradise dates back to that very first match with off-spinner Joey Palmer bowling Australia to victory with an 11-wicket haul. 

Over time the face of the ground changed with new grandstands to house the larger crowds flocking in from a growing city, but the SCG pitch retained its spinning virtues. 

Australian cricket greats like Clarrie Grimmett, Richie Benaud and Shane Warne would dismantle opposition batting line-ups with the guile of spin over several decades. The 'Sheik of Tweak' Warne claimed his 300th Test wicket on the ground, breaking through to bowl South African stalwart Jacques Kallis in 1998. 

While spinners have enjoyed the SCG, the ground has also witnessed some incredible feats of batting, including from the greatest batsman of them all -- Don Bradman -- who scored two centuries at the SCG, including an innings of 234 against England in 1946. 

There have been plenty of other moments where willow dominated leather. 

In recent times former Australia captain Steve Waugh hit a four off the last ball of the day's play to score a career-prolonging century. That 2003 moment has since been immortalized in a bronze statue outside the ground's dressing rooms, along with other Australian cricketing greats. 

Batsman from all over the world have also left their mark on the SCG. 

A 23-year-old Brian Lara hit the Australian bowlers all over the park while compiling his 277 in 1993. The feat was so special to the West Indian great he named his daughter Sydney. 

A year earlier, a young Indian batsman by the name of Sachin Tendulkar burst on to the Test cricket scene with an unbeaten 148 at the SCG, making him the youngest player to score a Test century in Australia. 

Tendulkar has been back four times since that Test and has scored two more centuries, including an irrepressible double hundred in 2004. 

The "Little Master" is just one shy of his 100th international century and at the age of 38 this is likely to be his final opportunity to score an SCG ton. With an average of over 200 at the SCG, there's good reason to believe another chapter of SCG folklore will be written this week. 

The appearance of SCG has undergone several changes in its history, most recently the complete redevelopment of the Victor Trumper stand into three tiers in 2008. 

This year three more historic stands face overhauls. Prime Minister Julia Gillard and New SouthWales state Premier Barry O'Farrell yesterday announced a $186 million upgrade to the Bradman, Noble and Messenger stands to begin after the international cricket season in late February. 

While only increasing capacity by 2,500 seats, the redevelopment is aimed at improving spectator comfort and providing the largest video screen at any sports ground in the country. 

Many of the Sydney public may see altering the heritage of the ground is akin to sacrilege, but the SCG Trust said in a statement that the famous character of the ground will be retained. 

"The new stands are another moment in the ground's evolution," said SCG Trust Chairman Rodney Cavalier. 

"The M.A.Noble Stand (circa 1936) is more than 75 years old, the Bradman Stand (circa 1973) and the Messenger Stand (circa 1984) are outdated and offer inferior spectator amenities by modern standards." 

"The (new) stands will look like they have always belonged inside one of the world's greatest cricket grounds."

Barclays Premier League Tuesday round-up

Leaders Man City beat Liverpool and there are wins for Spurs and 

Sunderland

Manchester City 3-0 Liverpool

Manchester City moved three points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League courtesy of an impressive victory against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.

The leaders went ahead in the first half when Sergio Aguero's 22-yard shot skimmed under Pepe Reina and in, and Yaya Toure headed in David Silva's corner to double their advantage.

Gareth Barry was shown a red card in the second half, but soon after Yaya Toure was fouled in the Liverpool box and James Milner stroked home from the penalty spot.

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 West Bromwich Albion

Tottenham were made to work hard to beat a dogged West Brom side at White Hart Lane as they moved to within three points of Manchester United in second place.

Spurs had to wait until after the hour mark to go in front, when a lovely move ended with Gareth Bale finding Jermain Defoe, the striker turning in the penalty area and firing past Ben Foster.

Tottenham dominated most of the match, but they had some nervy moments at the end as they managed to cling on to another vital victory.

Wigan Athletic 1-4 Sunderland

Martin O'Neill continued his fabulous start as Sunderland manager by leading his team to a convincing triumph at Wigan, which moved them up to 10th.

Sunderland took the lead through Craig Gardner's free-kick and then doubled the lead thanks to James McClean's header at the second attempt.

Hugo Rodallega rifled one back for Wigan, but Stephane Sessegnon and David Vaughan wrapped things up for the Black Cats in the closing stages.

Football mourns Merseyside legend Ablett

Former Liverpool and Everton defender passes away at the age of 46

Football has been paying tribute to Liverpool and Everton legend Gary Ablett, who died at the age of 46 on Monday.

Ablett, who played more than 100 matches for both Merseyside clubs and also represented Birmingham, passed away after a long battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Liverpool and Everton were both quick to pay their respective tributes to Ablett, who remains the only player to win the FA Cup with both teams.

Reds manager Kenny Dalglish, who played alongside and managed Ablett during a spell at Anfield that saw him win the League title in 1988 and 1990 and the FA Cup in 1989, expressed his sadness at the news.

"It's a sad, sad day for his family and everyone connected with Liverpool Football Club," said the Scot. "Obviously he had a long battle and I'm sure it was a lot of suffering and a lot of pain for him, but the only thing you can say is at least he won't be suffering any longer.

"He was a really good servant to the football club not only as a player, but also as reserve team coach. He served the club proudly and credibly. It's very sad for everybody."

Everton manager David Moyes led the tributes from the Blue half of Merseyside, the Toffees remembering a player who helped them to win the 1995 FA Cup.

"It is so, so sad about Gary," said Moyes. "He was a regular visitor here to Finch Farm [Everton's training ground] over the last six months and he was a lovely man, well liked by everyone.

"My thoughts are with all his family at this terrible time."

Ablett went into coaching after hanging up his boots in 2001, at first working with the Everton youth academy and then becoming Liverpool's reserve-team coach in 2006.

He was appointed manager of Stockport County in July 2009, but left Edgeley Park 11 months later.

Ablett had been fighting non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of blood cancer, for 16 months.

Match officials appointments 11 Jan

The Select Group Match Officials appointments have been made for the Barclays Premier League fixture on Wednesday 11 January 2012 and are as follows:

Tottenham Hotspur v Everton (7.45pm)

Referee: M Atkinson

Fourth Official: K A Woolmer

Pardew wary of wounded Man Utd

Newcastle manager prepares for visit of Barclays Premier League champions

Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has warned his side that they will face a wounded Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League on Wednesday.

The defending champions lost their last match of 2011, a 3-2 home defeat against struggling Blackburn, leaving them second in the table behind rivals Manchester City.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has demanded a reaction from his players to the shock result, and Pardew - who saw his team draw 1-1 at Old Trafford in November - knows they will be determined to leave the Sports Direct Arena with all three points.

"They will be up for it, we know that," he said. "They lost to the bottom team and they will come to ours with a completely different side.

"This is a big match for our fans, and it is important for them that we put in a proper performance because we know, under the floodlights, that they will be roaring us on.

"Regardless of what happened to Manchester United at the weekend, this was always going to be a difficult match."

Newcastle also suffered defeat in their last fixture of the calendar year, a 3-1 loss at Liverpool, and Pardew is eyeing a change of fortune going into the new year.

"We feel we have not had any luck against the big teams," he added. "We are just a bit frustrated really.

"Against Chelsea, against Man City and against Liverpool it could all have been very different, so it is a bit frustrating.

"We have had a difficult run of matches and injuries and suspensions have not helped us, but we more or less have a full team back now."

Newcastle are seventh in the Barclays Premier League going into Wednesday's match against the team that pipped them to the 1995-96 title.

Beckham puts family before PSG

This has been said by the big-spending Qatar-backed French club s sporting director Leonardo on Tuesday. The statement comes amid reports the club will now try to lure either Kaka from Real Madrid or Pato from AC Milan. "He will not come to PSG," said the Brazilian, citing "family reasons" for the 36-year-old former England captain s decision not to relocate from Los Angeles to the French capital. "It s over," Leonardo was later quoted as saying by lequipe.fr."It s a shame. But the well-being of his family in Los Angeles and the desire to not change everything in his life weighed heavily." Club president Nasser al-Khelaifi added: "We are disappointed a little bit, of course, that he is not coming. "But we are agreed it would be better for everyone if that were so." Leonardo s announcement brings to an end months of speculation linking Beckham, whose contract with Los Angeles Galaxy finished on December 31, with a transfer to PSG, which on Friday named Italian Carlo Ancelotti as new coach. "It s not Carlo Ancelotti s arrival that changed everything," Leonardo was quick to stress. PSG, which play AC Milan in a friendly in Dubai on Wednesday, earlier trained under the watchful eye of new owner, Qatar s Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and club president Khelaifi. Following the close-season purchase of the club by wealthy investors Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), headed by the crown prince, rumours had been rife in the French press that the deal for Beckham was as good as done. But other sources close to the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star had long kept their distance, saying the player, his wife Victoria and four children were happy and settled in Los Angeles, where he won the MLS Cup title with the Galaxy last season. QSI strode into the French capital and bought a 70 percent controlling stake in PSG in June, with Khelaifi promising "to make the club a great team and a strong brand on the international scene". They promptly spent 85 million euros in the summer to attract new talent including a massive 42 million euros forked out to Italian side Palermo for 22-year-old midfielder Javier Pastore. A QSI source told AFP Tuesday that Ancelotti will now target AC Milan s Brazilian duo Kaka and Alexandre Pato, whom the Italian previously coached at the San Siro in a deal set to cost some 61 million euros. Pato, who has a rocky relationship with Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri, would cost 38 million while Kaka would reportedly be available for 23.5 million - if Real coach Jose Mourinho sanctions a deal. PSG s first competitive match under 52-year-old former AC Milan and Chelsea boss Ancelotti, who won the Champions League twice both as a player and as a coach with AC Milan, will be a French Cup last-64 tie away to Brittany amateur outfit Locmine on January 8.

Macheda excited by QPR challenge

Italian striker Federico Macheda is looking forward to playing regular football after sealing a loan switch to QPR.

Italian striker vows to fight for place after loan switch from Man Utd

The 20-year-old Manchester United forward has signed for QPR until the end of the season.

He has been limited to three appearances off the bench in the Barclays Premier League this season for the reigning champions and is hoping the move south can help his game.

"There is a lot of competition at Manchester United," he said. "There are some very good strikers there but I am still young and I need to get more experience in the Premier League.

"I am here to train hard first and then I hope to play a big part in the games. I want to play more but I know this won't be easy. But I will work very hard for this."

Macheda revealed he spoke with United team-mate Rio Ferdinand - brother of QPR's Anton - who helped convince him to make the move.

"I was attracted by the challenge and by the players that QPR brought in during the summer," added Macheda, who made his debut off the bench for QPR against Norwich on Tuesday.

"There are some very big players at the club now and I am really looking forward to training and playing with them.

"Rio told me that QPR is a very good club and that if I did come here it would be good for me and would help me to develop as a player."

Henderson says Reds can match Man City

Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson says the Reds have nothing to fear when they face Manchester City on Tuesday.

City have won all nine of their home matches in the Barclays Premier League this season and remain top of the table despite dropping points in their last two fixtures.

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is expected to bring back some of their star names, having left the likes of David Silva and Sergio Aguero on the bench in the defeat at Sunderland.

But Henderson is confident the Merseyside club can match their big-spending opponents.

"I don't think City are leagues ahead of the rest of us," he said. "Obviously they have some outstanding players and are a good team, but we have some outstanding players too.

"We'll go there looking to put up a good fight and get a good result. Beating Newcastle has given us a massive boost and we'll go into the game with confidence.

"We'll take belief from how we did against them at Anfield. We know City are a good team but so are we.

"We're on the right path and we will face City with a positive attitude."

Liverpool have enjoyed a good run away from Anfield recently, winning four and drawing one of their last six.

Manchester United are the only club to have conceded fewer goals away from home than Liverpool.

Federer, Nadal start season at Qatar Open

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are eyeing a confidence-boosting victory at the season-opening Qatar Open but much of the talk Monday was swirling around Novak Djokovic who is not here but is already showing signs of the dominance that made him such a force in 2011. The No. 1-ranked Djokovic wrapped up his first title in Abu Dhabi on Saturday and afterward stated that he was feeling better than he did at this time last season. That does not bode well for the second-ranked Nadal and third-ranked Federer who were often on the losing end as the 24-year-old Serb won three Grand Slams on his way to amassing a record of 70 wins and six losses. Nadal, who lost to Djokovic in the US Open and Wimbledon finals in 2011, said players expect the Serb to dominate again this season. "Everybody thinks that Djokovic will be difficult to beat, no?" Nadal said. "Not just myself." The 25-year-old Spaniard, who is the tournament s top seed, has a first-round match Tuesday against Philipp Kohlschreiber while Federer faces a tricky encounter against Nikolay Davydenko of Russia whom he beat in the final last year. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France plays Malek Jaziri of Tunisia while Gael Monfils faces Rui Machado of Portugal. Federer, too, couldn t avoid questions about Djokovic, who beat the Swiss in the Abu Dhabi exhibition tournament last week. He lost to Djokovic in the Australian Open and US Open but exacted some revenge in ending Djokovic s 43-match winning streak at the French Open semifinals. "He was definitely the most consistent player of this last year, and he looks like he s in good shape again for this upcoming season," Federer said. Federer said his strong finish last season a 17-match winning streak that culminated in a record sixth title at the year-end championships in London has given him hope that he can do well this year. Early in the first round Monday, there were no upsets as the seeded players all advanced. Fifth-seeded Viktor Troicki of Serbia, beat Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic 6-4, 7-6 (4) while sixth-seeded Alex Bogomolov Jr. of Russia came from a set down to beat Filippo Volandri of Italy 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. Eighth-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy beat Lukasz Kubot of Poland, 6-2, 6-3.