Torres: Spain saved the best for last

EXCLUSIVE

Spain striker Fernando Torres has hailed his side's European Championship win on Sunday, saying that they needed to perform at their very best in the finale to retain their crown.

Vicente del Bosque's team strolled to a record-breaking 4-0 win over Italy in Kiev to claim their third consecutive major trophy, something no other national side have ever achieved before.

La Roja had been heavily criticised throughout the tournament prior to the final for their conservative style of play, but Torres believes that his side proved their detractors wrong in the end.

“I think we did what we had to do and saved the best for last,” the Chelsea striker told Goal.com after the game. “That was what we needed to be champions again.

“It's a great joy, almost impossible to describe. You can only remember how it feels to win when you lift a trophy again.

“I am very happy that we could make Spain proud of us, that is the most important thing, to see the fans celebrating with us and enjoying our game.

“It is something I will never forget.”

Torres, 28, came off the bench to score Spain's third goal and set up the fourth, and in the process, finish Euro 2012 as the tournament's top goalscorer with three strikes in total.

Sourced: http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3284/euro-2012/2012/07/02/3214867/torres-spain-saved-the-best-for-last?source=breakingnews

The rage within: Rooney claims he's got temper tantrums under control

istake: Wayne Rooney is sent off during the Euro 2012 group G qualifier against Montenegro

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Wayne Rooney today dismissed fears he would be a red-card risk in England's crunch European Championship clash against Ukraine.

Tuesday's final Group D game in Donetsk was expected to see Rooney make his eagerly-anticipated return from suspension after sitting out his country's opening two games of the tournament.

Grown up: Wayne, holding son Kai, and Coleen Rooney out and about on Sunday in Krakow, Poland

Andy Stenning

 

Rooney was banned after being sent off for kicking Montenegro's Miodrag Dzudovic during England's final Euro 2012 qualifier in October.

The Manchester United star has a chequered disciplinary record down the years and was red-carded at the 2006 World Cup.

He also lost his temper with England fans during a poor 2010 tournament and, with a hostile atmosphere expected in Donetsk on Tuesday, some have suggested recalling him would be something of a gamble.

However, Rooney has picked up just one yellow card for club and country since October's moment of madness and has only been booked twice all season.

Asked if he needed to channel his aggression in the right way on Tuesday, he said: "I think I have done all season.

"What happened [in Montenegro] was a mistake. I understood that and apologised to the guy. I've paid the price. I've had to take it.

"And I have no problems with my attitude or my temperament. I'm happy and I'm ready to play."

Rooney admitted he feared his suspension - which was originally three matches before a Football Association appeal reduced it to two - would cost him his place in England's Euro 2012 squad.

Waiting game: Rooney reacts during France clash

Andy Stenning

 

"Of course," he said. "Certainly, when it was a three-game ban, I thought I probably wouldn't be here."

Tuesday's match is effectively an away game for England and, with their opponents needing to win to avoid an early exit, the heat will be on.

"It'll be a big challenge," Rooney said. "They'll obviously have the majority of the support and the majority of the fans in the stadium.

"We've been in this situation before. "We've been to a lot of stadiums around Europe and around the world, and we've had to deal with this atmosphere on a lot of occasions.

Sensible: Wayne claims to have tamed the bizarre side of his personality. His haircut suggests otherwise

Reuters

 

"If you look at Turkey away nine or 10 years ago, it was as hostile as you're going to get.

"So we understand there's going to be a big atmosphere and it's something we have to deal with.

"We're big enough and experienced enough to deal with it."

Euro 2012: Sweden make three changes to team to face England

Johan Elmander will start for Sweden against England. Photograph: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Sweden have recalled Johan Elmander for the match against England. The midfielder is one of three changes their coach Erik Hamren has made to the side which faced Ukraine. Elmander, who played for 20 minutes in Sweden's opener, has recently recovered from a right-foot fracture and will replace Markus Rosenberg.

Anders Svensson has also come into the side to partner Kim Kallstrom in midfield, with Rasmus Elm moving on to the left wing, and Ola Toivonen being dropped. Jonas Olsson will play at centre-back, with Andreas Granqvist moving to right-back, while Mikael Lustig has dropped out with a hip problem.
Meanwhile, the former Sweden international Freddie Ljungberg can understand why Roy Hodgson is set to hand Andy Carroll his first competitive England start on Friday night. By introducing Carroll for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Hodgson would be hinting at a more direct approach, aimed at exploiting unusual Swedish fallibility in the air.

Six of the past seven goals conceded by Erik Hamren's men have been headers, including two for Andriy Shevchenko when they lost to the co-hosts Ukraine earlier this week. Ljungberg, who won 75 caps during a 10-year international career, believes England are hoping to capitalise on this. "They are putting Carroll in to exploit a problem for Sweden," said Ljungberg. "Out of the last 11 goals Sweden have conceded, seven have been headers, and it is something like six of the last seven. It shouldn't be like that.
"When I was playing, Sweden's strength was being solid at the back and good in the air so it is a bit of a surprise they conceded so many goals in that way. But because they have, I completely understand the reasoning behind Hodgson's tactics."
He added: "I think both sides will be a little bit cautious. Sweden didn't have a great result against Ukraine and whilst England defended very well against France you didn't see their offensive strengths. Overall I can see two wary teams going on the field. England are not assuming they are going to win as they normally do."

Sourced:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jun/15/euro-2012-sweden-three-changes-england

Hodgson looking for a more incisive England heading into Sweden clash

Three Lions boss says his team must improve in the final third if they are to progress to the knockout phases, while admitting he is relishing the return to action of Wayne Rooney


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England manager Roy Hodgson has pinpointed the final third of the field as the area most in need of improvement heading into the Sweden clash on Friday.

The Three Lions mustered just one shot on target against France on Monday, compared to seven from the French. However, there were positives to be taken from the game, with England’s back line producing a solid display and Hodgson has admitted that he wants to see a more incisive England in the final third of the pitch.
"It's in the final third, isn't it?" Hodgson replied when asked where he wanted to see the most improvement from his team.
"Once or twice, especially in the first half, there were some very promising counter-attacks that broke down because we tried a one-touch pass to finish it off rather than taking that extra touch.
"I thought there were quite a few other attacks which floundered, I suppose, on the fact we didn't quite get the last pass right.
"The French were just the opposite. They don't play a lot of one-touch football around the penalty box. They play a lot of two, three touches, holding on to the ball and asking another question.
"Sometimes I think we want to try to finish it off too quickly, probably because that's the way the Premier League is like."

Sourced:
http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3284/euro-2012/2012/06/13/3170239/hodgson-looking-for-a-more-incisive-england-heading-into

Roy mulls over selection issues

Roy Hodgson admits he may find it difficult to make changes for Friday's Euro 2012 showdown with Sweden - but accepts tiredness force his hand.

At one point during the second-half of Monday's 1-1 draw with France, Scott Parker was bellowing "I'm okay" at the dug-out, even though it was obvious the Tottenham man had hit a physical wall.

Given Parker's lack of match sharpness following his late season Achilles problem and the enormous effort required to subdue France's invention in strength-sapping 31 degree heat, it was hardly a surprise he should succumb.

At 31, Parker is not in the first flush of youth and his central midfield partner Steven Gerrard is a year older.

Clearly, it is a fact that cannot be ignored, even if Kiev later this week promises to be significantly cooler than it was in the Donbass Arena.

However, after returning to England's Krakow HQ at 1.30am on Tuesday morning, and then undergoing a recovery session later in the day, England boss Hodgson realises after a battling display like yesterday's, telling someone they are dropped would not be a particularly easy task.

"I will have to assess the freshness of my team and see whether they are able to do that again," said Hodgson.

"My gut feeling, if we have a good recovery day on Tuesday, a sensible training day on Wednesday and sensible recovery day on Thursday, is that it will be very hard for me to leave people out.

"If we said 'we're going to give you a rest because it's too much to play two games in four days' some of them would have us up against the wall."

A more obvious way forward on Friday might be for Hodgson to keep a close eye on the time of his substitutions, particularly if England can establish a winning position, which is likely to mean a qualification showdown with Ukraine in Donetsk next Tuesday.

"Scott Parker and Steven Gerrard are both over 30 and had to work really hard," said Hodgson.

"But I'm sure I'm not going to be the only coach wondering 'can they do it every four days?' about their players. That is what tournament football is about.

"What we've got to make certain of, is that if they can't, or start to show signs of fatigue, that others are ready to go in and do exactly the same job."

As he spoke in the bowels of a fine stadium, the finer points of his team's performance might not have been apparent to Hodgson.

When he eventually got to analyse them, he would have seen they spent enormous periods of the game without the ball.

Partly this was due to the defensive solidity and adherence to team shape the new manager has demanded.

On too many occasions though, it was because England failed to respect possession, an age-old fault that will not be solved in the short period of time since Hodgson's appointment as Fabio Capello's successor.

"It's in the final third, isn't it?" said Hodgson, when asked which area he saw the potential for most improvement.

"Once or twice, especially in the first half, there were some very promising counter-attacks which broke down because we tried a one-touch pass to finish it off rather than taking an extra touch.

"The French were just the opposite. They don't play a lot of one-touch football around the penalty box.

"They take two or three touches, hold onto the ball and ask another question."

Watching from the stands, former England international Chris Waddle concluded the matter cannot be sorted until parents of the very youngest players are re-educated and guided away from the win-at-all-costs attitude.

Hodgson, with a four-year contract that runs until after Euro 2016, is not so pessimistic.

"Looking at France, you can expect a bit more from them when they get in the final third than I can expect from our players," he said.

"You've got to make allowances for the fact Ashley Young hasn't always played that position, and Danny Welbeck, who did really well, is only 21.

"The mood in the dressing room is exceptionally good because we have shown we can handle difficult conditions, against a France team of that quality, and come away with a good result."

And all that without suspended striker Wayne Rooney, who will return to face Ukraine expecting England to be still in the thick of a qualification battle.

"He is our real ace in the hole because he is very fit and raring to go," said Hodgson.

"If he can play like we know Wayne Rooney can, we're going to be a bit more difficult to beat.

"You can only benefit from having someone of his quality in your team."

sourced:http://www.teamtalk.com/euro2012/team/england/7809867/Roy-mulls-over-selection-issues

The vicious euro circle keeps turning

It's no good bailing out the banks if you can't bail out the economy. That, in a nutshell, is the judgement that financial markets seem to have been making about Spain in the past few days.

For weeks, all we heard from financial analysts was that Spain's banks needed rescuing, and the Spanish government didn't have enough money to do it. Finally, this weekend, the prime minister swallowed his pride and asked for that support. But the market relief has been short-lived, even by the standards of past eurozone "bailouts".

At one point today the interest rate on a 10-year Spanish government bond had risen to 6.8% - the highest since the euro began. The gap between Spanish and German long-term borrowing rates also reached a record high, as did the cost of insuring against a Spanish sovereign default.

Why are investors still so gloomy about Spain?

One part of the explanation is probably our old friend, political uncertainty. The Greek election looms large on the horizon, and the agenda for the European summit at the end of next month looks painfully ambitious.

No-one knows, yet, what Chancellor Merkel will be willing to sign up to at that meeting - if, indeed, she is ready to sign up to anything at all. As Robert Peston has succinctly reminded us, she has good reason to be wary of the talk of a European "banking union" now coming out of Brussels. And so has the Bundesbank.

But the core of the problem for Spain - reflected very clearly in the market movements of the past few days - is economic growth. In Italy, too - worries about the state of the economy helped push up the Italian government's cost of borrowing at the start of the week.

It's largely the grim prospects for the Spanish economy that has led Fitch and other ratings agencies to downgrade so many Spanish banks in recent days. Emergency lending is helpful. But it can't make the recession go away, and it can't take away the need for many more years of fiscal austerity.

An extended period of economic depression and fiscal austerity can trash the balance sheet of the healthiest bank. As the IMF pointed out so helpfully in their recent assessment of Spain's financial sector,Spain does not have the healthiest banks. And, by raising Spain's national debt by up to 10 percentage points, the new 100bn-euro ($125bn; £80bn) European loan could actually make the clean-up job for the public finances last even longer.

We've seen, throughout this crisis, how different countries have been hit by the close, mutually destructive relationship between banks and their sovereign governments. In Spain, as in Ireland, it is the debts of the banks that have fundamentally weakened the government's balance sheet. In Greece, Portugal and to some extent Italy, the debt problems have largely spread in the other direction - from the government to the banks. Either way, it's been a toxic mix.

Now Spain's enfeebled banks are being made even weaker, by the broader economic consequences of tackling the government's debt problem - a problem created, in no small part, by the banks themselves. In that sense, the vicious circle is complete. And not just in Spain.

Read at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18417589

Shevchenko brace sinks Sweden

Andrei Shevchenko scored two second-half headers as hosts Ukraine moved top of Euro 2012 Group D with a 2-1 victory over Sweden in Kiev.

Sweden opened the scoring through Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 53rd minute, but their lead was short-lived as Shevchenko sprang into action.

The Dynamo Kiev striker found the back of the net twice in seven minutes with headers to place the tournament debutants at the summit of Group D.

England, who drew 1-1 with France earlier on Monday, will have taken comfort from Sweden's unconvincing display ahead of their meeting on Friday.

There was little on show to concern Roy Hodgson's side, who will also have been encouraged by the vulnerability of the Ukrainians.

The first moment of real danger arrived in the 17th minute when Ibrahimovic floated in a superb cross that prompted the swift intervention of keeper Andriy Pyatov.

In the 23rd minute it was Sweden's turn to panic when Andriy Yarmolenko sent Shevchenko racing in on goal.

Even though he was shooting from a tight angle, Shevchenko should have done better with the chance but failed to connect cleanly with a shot that bobbled across the face of goal.

Andriy Voronin almost made contact with a long ball into the box as the Ukrainians, whose squad was struck by a bug last week, continued to press.

Sweden forced a save from Pyatov following Markus Rosenberg's turn and shot and a mazy run from Ibrahimovic ended when he was dispossessed by Oleg Gusev.

Keeper Andreas Isaksson kept out Andriy Yarmolenko as Ukraine went on the offensive, but moments later Sweden should have taken the lead.

Sebastian Larsson teed up Ibrahimovic with a wonderful cross but the unmarked AC Milan striker headed a glorious opportunity against the right post.

Ibrahimovic would not be denied in the 53rd minute, however, when he became the beneficiary of some poor defending from the hosts.

Kim Kallstrom nudged another fine cross from Larsson into the path of Ibrahimovic and the towering marksman made no mistake with the simple tap-in.

But three minutes later Ukraine were level, a fine diving header bringing Shevchenko his 47th international goal after Yarmolenko had made the initial inroads.

And in the 62nd minute Ukraine took the lead, with Shevchenko on target once more.

Gusev whipped in a corner to the near post that was met by the veteran former Chelsea striker, who took advantage of a static Ibrahimovic to nod home.

Pyatov looked far from convincing as he floundered to keep out a volley and follow-up header from Ibrahimovic.

Sweden substitute Johan Elmander should have rescued a late point but he blazed a one-on-one with the keeper over the crossbar and moments later defender Olof Mellberg, thrown forward in desperation, followed suit.

read more:

http://www.teamtalk.com/match/report/978/7807364/Shevchenko-brace-sinks-Sweden