Chelsea have reportedly failed in an initial bid to lure Andre Schurrle, one of Germany’s finest young prospects as Bayer Leverkuson rejected a £17 million bid from the Champions League winners. Chelsea, who have been monitoring Andre for the last two seasons, firmly believe in the striker’s ability to fill in the huge hole left behind by the talismanic Didier Drogba. A hardworking player who can operate as a winger as well as a centre forward, Schurrle attracted the eyes of a host of clubs when he led Mainz05 to fifth in the Bundesliga in the 2010-11 season and finishing as the Club’s highest scorer. However his stock dipped a bit after having an average season with Bayer Leverkuson, who mainly operated him as a winger.

Andre Schurrle enjoyed a great run in the national colours too, netting thrice in the World Cup qualifiers before starting in the quarter final against Greece in place of the misfiring Thomas Muller. He already has 16 caps to his credit, and is being touted as one of the players to watch out for in the coming years.

Bayer Leverkuson, however, have refused to budge from their initial evaluation of £23 million. Leverkusen chief executive officer Wolfgang Holzhauser said: ‘We have received a very concrete offer from Chelsea for Andre Schurrle but we are opting to hold on to him. As the Barclays Premier League season draws near, it will be interesting to see whether Chelsea would finally land Schurrle.

In another latest development, Chelsea have joined the transfer war over Poland Striker Robert Lewandowski as the potential transfer of Hulk seemingly draws toward a dead end. Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are the other two clubs in the race with the Daily Mail reporting that Arsenal have also taken a liking to the Bundesliga top scorer to replace Robin Van Persie.

Meanwhile, amidst all the ongoing transfer talks, Chelsea, with the aim of overhauling the aged squad with young players, have signed George Brady, a 15 year old defender who has become one of the hottest future prospects in recent years. The 6ft 4in defender is highly regarded and Chelsea had to fend off interests from Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham to land the teenager at Stamford Bridge.

KHARKOV, UKRAINE – JUNE 17: In this handout image provided by UEFA, Coach Bert van Marvijk of Netherlands talks to the media during a press conference after the UEFA EURO 2012 Group B match between Portugal and Netherlands on June 17, 2012 in Kharkov, Ukraine.

The Dutch landed in Ukraine two weeks ago, soundly carrying the expectations of millions of football crazy Dutch fans all around the globe, firmly believing that this might be their golden chance to win the European Championships and put their names at par with the legendary Dutch team of the 1970s and 1980s. It seemed very hard to counter this argument, with the majority of the players in their late 20’s, the age at which footballers reach their prime. An assimilation of some of the finest attackers in the world, the Dutch were expected to run riot through the competition. With the likes of Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar leading the attack, it was safe to assume that other teams in the Group of Death would have to shore up their defences and plug their holes in order to have any chance of withstanding the orange onslaught. An 11-0 victory against Iceland in a warm-up game before the tournament made headlines and further added weight to the prospect of the Dutch being favourites to progress from the group stages.

But after two weeks of intense, dramatic football which has produced some brilliant performances and shock results galore, the Dutch went from being the favourites to probably one of the most underperforming teams in the history of the competition. Exiting the competition with no points in the bag, this talented team of individuals might’ve probably played their last tournament together. The introspection of the Dutch FA following the shambolic performance at Euro is bound to give the axe to some players and Bert van Marwijk is destined to be shown the door. But the problems seem to be much deeper and more complex.

1) Self Centred Players?

Being drawn in the Group of Death meant that one of the heavyweights would have to go home at the end of the group stages. But the manner of the exit of the Dutch team, with no points to show for their performance is indeed dismal. The opposition teams knew right from the start that the Dutch would always enjoy the lion’s share of possession. A team of the calibre of the Germans might argue this point but the Dutch have some magnificent ball players who love to control the game. However, the lack of coordination in the attacking half left everyone bewildered. With few through balls throughout the tournament, the apparent selfishness of Arjen Robben characterised by his going for goal when passes should have been provided to his teammates led them to waste some golden opportunities in front of goal. Both the goals from van Persie and Van Der Vaart were sublime finishes. With the common knowledge of the lack of understanding between Robben and van Persie it was apparent that what appeared in front of us was not a team but an individual collection of 11 gifted players. There were rumours of Van Marwijk favouring Van Bommel (as he is his son in law).

2) The 4-2-3-1 Formation.

People might argue and I certainly believe that Van Marwijk had enough reasons to continue this formation which was so successful in the 2010 World Cup. However, the given formation with the old legs of Van Bommel marshalling the defence failed miserably and were not able to provide the spark. The Dutch began all their matches brightly but the formation failed to unlock the rival defences and the team looked fatigued during the later stages of their matches. With so many attacking players in their ranks, Van Marwijk made the correct choice of starting Van Der Vaart and Huntelaar in the place of the abysmal Afellay, thereby employing a more attacking 4-1-3-2 formation  and the result was there for all to see as the Dutch took a firm grip against Portugal in the early stages. This formation, with only De Jong as the lone defensive midfielder and Van der Vaart playing a more attacking role might have served well throughout the tournament, although this might’ve still not given them the required points to progress.

3) A Defence leakier than the Iraqi Navy

 Too much? Not quite. If we properly analyse the goals conceded by the Dutch, we might come to the conclusion that all the goals were a consequence of some defensive errors. With the major focus on the attacking half of the Dutch team, many people failed to notice the apparent weakness in the back four.  Not only did they fail to solidify their defence, they also failed to provide much width to the attack by moving forward. Van Der Wiel showed glimpses of why he is regarded so highly but his apparent inability to link up with the strikers meant that the opposing teams had it easy in the middle of the park which was evident against Portugal. Ronaldo ran riot against Van Der Wiel, who had no hopes of receiving any defensive help from Arjen Robben.  With Ronaldo hitting the crossbar twice, the Dutch should count themselves lucky. They had no plans of stopping Ronaldo (who was superbly shackled by the Germans). However with no reinforcements from the front, the defence looked at times bullied by the counter-attacking tactics of Portugal.

4) Fatigueness and lack of drive and determination

What was common in all three matches was that the team was lively in the opening few minutes but slowed down in the later stages of their games. They were not energetic enough and hardly won any aerial balls, nor or did they press the opposition by winning balls as soon as they lost it. Stroking the ball in the middle of the park and losing it just in front of the penalty box became common.

Well, one can go on and on explaining the numerous mistakes and the fallacies in the team which led to them put in a performance which will haunt them for the rest of their lives. Changes are imminent but not wholly necessary. There were occasional glimpses of magic, whether it be the magnificent through ball from Sjneider or Arjen Robben dancing through a wall of defenders only to hit the post.

But it is safe to say that much introspection and a change in attitude should be foremost in the minds of the Dutch Football Association if they want to have a realistic chance of winning the World Cup in 2014

Chelsea  stuttered to a 1-0 victory over 10 man Stoke thereby handing Di Matteo a winning start in the Premier League in what can prove to be a decisive time for the young Italian. A Chelsea legend in his playing days, Roberto Di Matteo shrugged off huge media pressure and the hype and delivered a no-nonsense victory which might not have been pleasing to watch but guaranteed their pursuit towards the elusive fourth spot in the Barclays Premier League table. However Roberto was unable to deny the fact that Chelsea need to improve significantly in the next 3 days in order to mount a spirited comeback and defy all odds to clinch a quarter final spot in the Champions League.

With an eye for the high intensity season defining clash against Napoli at Stamford Bridge, Di Matteo decided to rest key players like Juan Mata, Michael Essien and Daniel Sturridge and instead handed a surprise start to Salomon Kalou. John Terry, fresh from his knee surgery also made a stunning comeback amidst loud applause from the Blues. With the defence leaking goals like the Iraqi navy, his comeback would surely have pacified and intensified the prospects of Chelsea to maintain a clean sheet on Tuesday. However a drab display in front of goal might have been music to the ears of the Napoli scouts who were present to assess Chelsea. Down to 10 men early on due to the stupid dismissal of Ricardo Fuller following his crazy stomp of Ivanovic, Chelsea pressed the trigger button and soon brought on Juan Mata but the score remained 0-0 amidst the growing chagrin at the Bridge. With the Blues unable to even deliver a good chance at goal, save the efforts of Gary Cahill and John Terry and a thunderous volley from Ivanovic  early in the first half which struck the woodwork, Di Matteo brought on Daniel Sturridge to provide the much needed impetus in front of goal. But a touch of class from Juan Mata and Didier Drogba was enough to seal an unconvincing win for the Blues and pacify the resentment growing inside the Bridge. A superb individual display of skill from Juan Mata, arguably the stand out performer for the Blues this season opened up the spirited Stoke defence and Didier Drogba, perhaps providing a lesson or two for the misfiring Torres latched onto the ball and slotted home a decisive goal to hand all three points for Chelsea.

Di Matteo’s style, contrasting and opposite to what AVB had unsuccessfully initiated in his days at Stamford Bridge was naturally elated at the end result and decided to downplay the boring and negative display of football from Chelsea.  Di Matteo said: “You can discuss what you want about the past. I’m focused on going forward and getting the team in the right frame of mind to be able to win the next game.”

He added: “Sometimes during the season, we have to win like this to get the three points.

“It’s not always going to be easy and pretty.”

With 2 wins out of two, Roberto Di Matteo, highly regarded as one of the highly talented young managers to have come up recently has certainly made a point . However with the potentially explosive clash against Napoli lurking in front of them, any repeat of mistakes might prove to be costly as they live to fight for another day in their ultimate quest for Champions League football.

In a major landmark development today, Sahara India has withdrawn their sponsorship to the Indian Cricket team and left Pune Warriors ownerless as they have permanently withdrawn all forms of investment on cricket under BCCI. The decision has come as a result of a straight denial by BCCI to replace the injured captain of Pune Warriors , Yuvraj Singh for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League.  Sahara India has further requested BCCI to immediately transfer the ownership of Pune Warriors to some other interested party so that IPL does not suffer loss of another team after Kochi Tuskers were ruled out of contention for participating in the upcoming IPL.

According to the leading newspapers, Sahara India paid close to Rs 3.5 crore per international match to have their logo displayed on Team India jersey. Sahara, which has been a longtime sponsor of Team India had signed a new deal of four years worth hundred’s of crores on July 1 2010.

” After an 11-year journey as sponsors, we can say with surety that cricket has become very rich. Many rich people are there to support cricket with a strong will to do so. So, with absolute peace of mind we can exit from cricket under BCCI and are exiting with a heavy heart,” Sahara India said in a statement.

“It was an emotional decision for us to start this sponsorship but our emotions were never appreciated and many genuine situations were not given due consideration at all,” the statement read.

Sahara has had a bitter-sweet relationship with the BCCI for a very long time. Sahara had earlier expressed their willingness to enter the cash rich IPL in the very first season. However due to some small  technicalities, they were disqualified from the auction process. Further, with Sahara India finally entering the mix of business,sports and entertainment a year ago, they had provided a bid based on calculations that around 90 matches would be played. However BCCI decided to shorten the version of IPL which resulted in financial losses for the owners.

However the refusal to allow Sahara India an addition of the price of Yuvraj Singh for today’s Premier League auction was the last nail in the coffin which permanently shattered the  relationship between BCCI and SAHARA.

The initial reactions are a little surprising with most Team India fans lauding the Sahara Group for their tough stance against BCCI who are largely seen by the public as just a money making body and not interested in the overall development of the sport.

Egyptian football plunged into darkness when riots between rival supporters at the seaside city of Port Said resulted in the deaths of more than 74 innocent civilians and injuring more than 1000 people in one of the worst football related violence ever. An upset victory by the home team Al-Masry over the favourites Al Ahly set off an unprecedented clash between rival supporters which resulted in stampede as riot police largely failed to intervene. The incident has reminded the world of the detoriating security in Egypt amidst the chaos and confusion after Hosni Mubarak stepped down.

The incident started when Al Masri, the home team was on course for a famous victory against Al Ahly, one of the top clubs of Egypt. At the end of the match, thousands of supporters of the home team invaded the pitch and attacked opposing players, security personnel’s and staffs. One of the players even described this ghastly and horrific event “ as war”. With the supporters pelting stones, bottles and other objects, rival players were quickly escortedoff the pitch by the police. Although most of the players are injured, no player has died in the clashes.

Immediately after the incident, Egyptian FA announced an immediate suspension of all the leagues and called for a three –day mourning . The immediate suspension resulted in more clashes as the fans of  Al Ahli’s traditional rivals, Zamalek protested against the indefinite suspension and set large parts of the stadium on fire.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has strongly condemned the incident and has called for hooliganism and violence to be immediately stamped out from the sport. “I am very shocked and saddened to learn this evening that a large number of football supporters have died or been injured following a match in Port Said, Egypt,’ the statement said.

‘My thoughts are with the families of those who have lost their lives this evening. This is a black day for football. Such a catastrophic situation is unimaginable and should not happen.

This incident is one of the deadliest tragedies since 78 people died and 180 others were injured in a stampede at a stadium in Guatemala City before a World Cup qualifying match between Guatemala and Costa Rica.

Egyptian FA , known to have faced football related violence regularly should share the blame as a similar incident had sparked off a year ago where the police and the military were mute spectators. Political blame game has already begun with many people feeling that the riots are not only related to football but have a far bigger implication.

Last week as most football lovers saw the bizarre yet dramatic clash between Manchester united and Chelsea, the blue half of Manchester and some die hard English faithful were anxiously awaiting the “ debut” of Owen Hargreaves in their Carling Cup opening match against defending champions Birmingham. It was a night of muted celebrations when Calgary bred Owen Hargreaves scored a scorcher against Birmingham to not only lead City to the fourth round of the Carling Cup, but also help forget the painful memories at city neighbours Manchester United. I am not going on to criticize the United Medical Team ,something which Hargreaves openly confesses. I am well verse with the stance  of football players which changes even faster than the unpredictable English weather( Any cricket fan would surely agree !!!) .

Owen Hargreaves, born in Canada to an English father and a Welsh mother has had a similar set of contrasting fortunes in his long career. He became the second player to represent England without taking part in the English football setup. A legend at Bayern Munich, he is still a crowd favourite at the Allianz Arena and we can understand his disappointment at missing out on a memorable night for him tomorrow night in the champions league, a feeling which he has rarely tasted these past few years. He won four German League trophies and one Champions League before Manchester United came calling in 2007 on the back of some memorable performance in World Cup 2006.

Ask any passionate English supporter and he would tell you that he was not only the man of the tournament for them, but probably the only player with a never say die zeal to win for England, a country as alien to him as Ghana is to Danny Welbeck. We can never forget his tireless runs and his single handed determination to lead England out of the mess which they found themselves in against Portugal in the quarter finals. Winning the hearts of the England supporters, he became a legend in their eyes outshining even the bigger “celebrities” in the garb of the English footballers that summer.

His tenure at Manchester United started with a bang as he collected a Premier League medal and a second Champions League winners medal, a feat rarely accomplished by other footballers. Yet his downward spiral to the dreaded walls of hospital began and he hardly got a chance to play for the United team later.  If truth be told, Ferguson always understood the quality of this mercurial midfielder and was patient about his situation. But with his medical status improving little and proven performers coming into the squad, it was evident that Owen would be seeking greener pastures once he becomes fit . Not to forget about the club regularly compensating his bloated weekly wages and the astronomical sums of money on his treatment.

His videos on Youtube spoke volumes of his desperation and frustration developing inside him due to the lack of opportunities. He was ready to roll of the dice for one last time and Manchester City eventually came calling. Although highly skeptical as to how the new acquisition would turn out, Mancini finally gave him what he had been looking for,  a start in a match. So what if it is a Carling Cup tie. This was the world for him and he didn’t disappoint.

So a new start beckons for one of the most promising yet under tested figure,  along with Jonathan Woodgate, an everpresent person on the treatment table, Owen Hargreaves is probably another player who could have had a sterling career in the Three Lions Shirt. Yet all is not yet over for Owen and hopefully he would be present in the squad for next summer,  lofting the EURO 2012 high up amidst the rapturous celebrations of the English Army of Supporters.

Inter Milan have sacked Gian Gasperini  after just five games as they start their rebuilding process after a harrowing start to their domestic and European ambitions . Gasperini , a rather shock appointment following the dismissal of Leonardo , has failed to live up to the expectations of the inter board as the blue half of Milan suffered their fourth defeat in five matches last week against lowly and newly promoted side Novara 3-1 .

Inter Milan have endured a rather poor run in domestic and international competition in the short tenure of Gasperini and the first signs of discontent started showing when Trabzonspor stunned Inter in the opening match of their European ambitions at San Siro . And with a shocking defeat to Novara , the writing was on the wall . Gasperini has repeatedly stressed to the media that the board and the Inter players are firmly behind him but Massino Moratti , the Inter President had other plans .

A statement from Inter read: “Inter announces that today’s [Wednesday] training session has been carried out by Daniele Bernazzani and Giuseppe Baresi.

“The club wishes to thank Gian Piero Gasperini for the effort shown during his tenure and manifests its true disappointment for the interruption of the relationship with the coach.” ( courtesy www.espnstar,com)

It is rather premature to decide and debate who is going to take charge but it seems Jose Mourinho has the rather uncomfortable trait of unsettling the club with his departure . More to come soon

In what is being billed as one of the high voltage clashes of the third round of Carling Cup , Chelsea entertain Fulham to Stamford Bridge to kickstart their Cup campaign on a winning note and would be eager to erase the memories of the bizarre drama which unfolded at Old Trafford on Sunday . League Cup has always been special in the minds of the Chelsea faithful as a triumph in this competition started a glorious era under the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich . And with 2 League Cup triumphs and a runners up spot in the last 6 years , it can easily be understood how much importance this competition holds for Chelsea .

time for a comeback!

Chelsea have started the season with some mixed results . While their opening few games were impressive enough ,yet a 1-3 loss at the hands of Manchester United dented their progress . Chelsea fans can take solace in the fact that Chelsea were marginally better overall and sans Manchester United’s rampaging strike force , they managed to eke them out in the overall battle . But a stuttering form in front of goal is definitely a cause of worry for Andre Villas Boas who would be boosted by the news of Drogba’s imminent return to the team . We can expect Drogba to play atleast some part in the game . The competiton is also a wonderful opportunity for Chelsea youngsters like Josh McEachran , Oriel Romeu and Ryan Bertrand to get a few games and impress the Chelsea gaffer who is not shy of making bold decisions .

Fulham on the other hand faces a dilemma . With their season starting early , Martin Jol has rightly pointed out that Carling Cup is nothing but a distraction . With their season yet to take off and with the squad stuttering at the wrong end of the table , Jol  feels for a squad like Fulham’s, battling on all fronts is just not possible.

He added : “I would not say it is one too many if you don’t play in Europe, but it is certainly one too many if you play in other competitions” . But he also reiterated the fact that League Cup is there for teams like Fulham to win and for some it might be their only chance of silverware .

Martin Jol would be ringing in the changes like AVB except he doesn’t have a great bench to choose from . A second string Chelsea side would still be capable of challenging the best and hence its difficult to fathom how Fulham can get past their West London rivals .

The Davis Cup tie spoke volumes about the contrasting fortunes of the two nations in the tennis landscape . While Japan , led by Nishikori , aged just 21 and Sugita who turned 23 this week dished out some fine performance to haplessly blank India 4-1 , India’s bench strength ,sans Somdev Dev Verman looks quite bleak . With Bopanna the next best Singles player , ranked 556 , India’s obvious dependence on the doubles duo to snatch a win looks futile .

Japan’s progress in the tennis circuit has been slow but steady . The manner in which Sugita outmastered the more fancied Somdev was a treat to watch . With Nishikori doing what was expected of him , it was not big of a surprise to see India blanked after going down 0-2 in the opening day . With Somdev crucially injured , he was unable to take the field on Sunday and Nishikori defeated the highly talented Vishnu Vardhan to claim the tie with a match to spare . The lone silver lining for India was their hard fought doubles win , a rubber which they seem to have clearly mastered .

Japanese captain Eiji Takeuchi admits that this is part of the plan :

We are aiming to create a talent pool of younger players,” he said. “When I first took over as captain, the average age of our players was over 30, but not anymore.”He further adds : “With Sugita, (Go) Soeda and (Tatsuma) Ito, we want to raise the level of their games,” . “We are looking to the younger players going forward, especially in the doubles. We have changed our development plans.

India’s davis cup Programs seem to be in the doldrums atleast temporarily. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are at the tail end of their career and barring Somdev Dev Verman who seems to be the future of Indian Tennis, the situation looks rather bleak. Surely Vishnu Vardhan is a great talent, yet India do not have the bench strength to compete amongst the best. At present, what All India Tennis Federation seems to be doing is to just lament at the difficult situation .

Knight Riders seems to have unearthed the true definition of “ Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo Re” as they snatched triumph from the jaws of defeat in their tie against the Auckland Aces at Hyderabad in the second match of the Nokia CL T20 yesterday . With the KKR Team bereft of their influential captain Gautam Gambhir and Eoin Morgan , it was left to the bowlers of the outfit to produce a scintillating comeback and register a win after Auckland threatened to sweep Kolkata with a blistering start .

Led by Jacques kallis , KKR still had a very strong batting lineup . And they did justice to that when KKR opening pair of Kallis and Bisla provided a solid start and added 72 runs in the first 9 overs. But with both Bisla and Kallis falling , the Auckland bowlers unleashed a tight grip on the KKR batting lineup, strong enough to have Yusuf Pathan struggling . With Yusuf’s dismissal, started the collective collapse as Manoj Tiwari again failed to perform and the star studded batting lineup failed to amass a total past 130 . Ryan ten Doeschate , getting a chance to shine failed to deliver as Aces bowler Bates finished with a figure of 4-0-13-1 .

19^th September could have easily been the day of run outs, as a total of 4 run outs were recorded . With Kolkata falling to some comical running, Auckland Aces seemed to have caught the virus of getting run out as Martin Guptill fell first ball via a run out . Lou Vincent and Adams steadied the ship and clocked 60 runs in the first 9 overs. However Vincent fell to the vicious circle of run outs and three quick  strikes from Yusuf Pathan rocked the Auckland ship. The slower bowlers for Kolkata proved extremely handy as Rajat Bhatia and Yusuf Pathan squeezed the run rate and only parted with 66b runs in a total of 14 overs. With 22 needed of the final two overs, Andre Adams lofted a huge six off Jacques Kallis to get within sniffing distance of a victory but Brett Lee bowled a superb final over to hand over the victory to Kolkata .

The League Cup or popularly known in the footballing circles as Carling Cup has always been dismissed by the top teams as a waste of time and resource.  Many top managers have repeatedly called for its boycott.  Yet unfailingly, this competition has provided us with many memorable dramas and talking points over the years.  And to  mention the fact that this tournament is a breeding ground for the youngsters and the ones fallen out of favour would just be an understatement.  Although this cup competition comes at the bottom of the wishlist for most gaffers as a result of failing to compete with cash rich championships elsewhere, if we look down in the annals of history, this tournament has many times been the saving grace for many of the best teams in their uninspiring seasons.

Tonight the League Cup third round action begins and in come the big boys in action, amidst the talk of a two horse race in the Barclays Premier League and a string of surprise results in the Champions League.  And with a flurry of tricky ties lined up for the fans, expecting some upsets cannot be ruled out .

The biggest match of this week  would definitely be the War of the Roses, or the match between  Manchester United and Leeds United.  Traditional and bitter rivals,  Manchester United would still remember their 1-0 loss to this same opponent in the third round of the FA Cup three years ago, and will look for revenge.  Sir Alex Ferguson has reiterated the fact that a completely changed side would take the field against Leeds at Elland Road.  With seniors such as Berbatov, Michael Owen and Macheda set to start or play some part in the match, other youngsters would also get a chance to prove Fergie their talent.  With the team most probably being led by Ryan Giggs, it would make for a perfect combination of raw youth and experience.  Leeds, on the other hand, are expected to be lining up their best possible squad in the biggest match of their season so far.

Chelsea square off against Fulham in a West London Derby on Wednesday.  Chelsea would be looking to make an immediate mark after some absurd performance against Manchester United and the Carling Cup would be a welcome breather for the Stamford Bridge side.  Fulham on the other hand, languishing at the bottom of the table, rose to the occasion and held mighty Manchester City and would like to keep the momentum going .

Elsewhere, Manchester City look set to hand Owen Hargreaves his debut following his highly controversial transfer.  Nottingham Forest, on the other hand would be dreaming of giving the fans an early round shock as they host the Blue half of Manchester.  Whether City are ready to challenge on all fronts would be put to test tonight .

Arsenal would also be looking forward to putting their tumultuous season behind as they take on Shrewsbury Town at the Emirates.  It remains to be seen as to which squad Wenger finally fields amidst growing concerns and pressure .

The Full List of Fixtures :

(All timings in BST)

Wednesday 21st September

Tuesday 20th September

Wigan Athletic became one of the biggest early round casualties when the Premier League outfit were dumped out of the Carling Cup competition by London club Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.  A packed capacity crowd cheered the team  as they managed to hold off a strong Wigan outfit out in a second round tie last night .

It was an uncanny situation as Wigan had two of the most promising Eagles Academy players in their own team with Ben Watson starting the match and the highly rated Victor Moses starting from the bench.  But the Championship outfit were not deterred from their mission as they produced a dominant display to heap misery on Wigan who has had a mixed start to the Premier League this season after narrowly avoiding the drop last season .

It was however the night of a young Wales international Jonathan Williams who struck a wonderful goal to condemn the Latics out of the competition.  The 17 year old star in the making playing only his second match for Crystal Palace struck after Ambrose had given the lead in the first half to the Eagles .

The Latics pulled one back through Ben Watson but it was too late for the visitors who were left reeling under the shadows of a dominant display from the home side.  They even managed to strike the woodwork twice underlining their dominance.

The third round of fixtures would see the return of the big guns to the competition and with the matches slated for next midweek, we can expect some surprises and upsets .

I have failed to recollect a single instance in the last few years when the manager had decided to rest John Terry and Frank Lampard, two of the longest serving Chelsea players and the crux of the team when they were fit enough to play.  Definitely, the decision has nothing to do with the fall of the Chelsea golaiths but simply based on what many are terming it to be a match deciding the course of the season : Chelsea vs Manchester United at Old Trafford this week.  Such a big gamble could have proved to be detrimental and a dent in their renewed bid for Champions League glory.  But the rest of the team managed to edge past a resilient Bayer team, thanks to some inspiration from the livewire of the team, David Luiz and a late strike from Juan Mata .

Chelsea got off to a winning start as they edged past Bayer Leverkuson 2-0 at Stamford Bridge last night.  With the speculations rife about him, the unsettled Fernando Torres managed to give no fodder to his detractors as he had a good game throughout and managed two assists to come out of the match unscathed.  David Luiz’s excellend curl past the Leverkusen custodian in the 67^th minute shocked Bayer who were in the game for most of the time.  And with Juan Mata rounding off an impressive solo performance from Torres, Chelsea ensured Leverkusen returned home empty handed .

Such was the intensity of the match that there were 3 disallowed goals in the opening half itself.  But the deadlock seemed to go on and on.  But with AVB ringing in the changes in the second half bringing on Lampard and Anelka in place of Mereiles and Sturridge, Chelsea fans were left bemused at the gaffer’s decision.  But it instantly paid off .

The first half was a story of so near yet so far with Sturridge, Torres and others testing the Leverkusen custodian.  Both sides then saw goals controversially disallowed, Omer Toprak’s header from a corner ruled out for pushing and Torres’ flick denied by an offside flag against Raul Meireles, who tried to backheel the ball home.

And with Sturridge proving to be the livewire of the field, Chelsea were looking the more omnipresent threat.  Michael Ballack, at the receiving end of a standing ovation from the Chelsea supporters almost silenced them when he broke past the Chelsea defenders but a brilliant save from Cech denied the Chelsea legend a fairytale comeback .

Second half started in a similar fashion and with the game seemingly looking a stalemate, AVB made the substitutions which immediately brought additional flair.  However in the 67^th minute, Chelsea managed to break the deadlock ,thanks to some fine display of solo brilliance from Luiz who pushed the ball to Torres who reciprocated by placing it ideally in the path of David Luiz and he curled home a brilliant goal.  Kiessling looked dangerous throughout the game but with Chelsea having upped their tempo through the brilliant Mata creating a flutter of opportunities and Anelka looking lively, they sealed the game and ultimately important points in the bag.

Michael Ballack returns to his old hunting ground with Bayer Leverkusen to take on Chelsea

Roman Abramovich fell in love with football when he witnessed the dramatic late surge from Sir Alex Ferguson’s boys to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat against the mighty Real Madrid side of the early 2000’s.  He became so passionate about football that immediately he started conceptualizing his plans of building a team which would be playing a similar brand of football as well as winning trophies.  He simply wanted to craft that elusive team which will brandish a level of football unmatched in quality and superiority.  A decade later, Chelsea have gone on to make its arrogant yet passionate owner proud of the many things which it has achieved, from breaking England’s traditional two-horse race to setting up a winning mentality which doesn’t allow for a single season without silverware.  Yet, Chelsea are yet to do what Abramovich had been wanting all these years.  Winning the Holy Grail: UEFA Champions League.  And perhaps this unfulfilled ambition has been fuelling the billionaire’s constant stance of looking after the club in a time when football means business and more and more billionaire’s are losing money rather than raking in the moolah .

Chelsea once again start their campaign in the elusive “ Champions League “ with one and only one ambition.  A dream which turned from conceptualizing to vaporizing in thin air within a span of minutes.  A moment which has haunted the Chelsea players for a long time and maybe they are yet to get out of it .

Past Performances

Stating that Chelsea have been one of the most consistent performers in the last 8 years in the continental competition would not be an overstatement.  Reaching the semi finals 4 times, Chelsea have managed to make their mark as one of Europe’s permanent favourites to lift the trophy come May.  Chelsea have had their fair share of controversies and excitement and have always disguised their approach to any game : sometimes defensive bullishness, sometimes all out attack.  They have also enjoyed some of the hottest rivalries of the new millennium against the likes of European heavyweights Liverpool and Barcelona .

I bet not many remember Leverkuson’s fairy tale run in the 2001-02 season.  Armed with a well knit unit marshaled by none other than German maestro Michael Ballack, they seemed to have done everything right.  But the final hurdle proved too much for them and instead of stuttering, they fell flat down losing all three of the finals they encountered.  Since then, Michael Ballack has had his fair share of bad luck even when he crossed the sea to become Abramovich’s latest muse at the Bridge.   Hence, as the two teams line up tomorrow to kickstart their champions league aspirations, both teams would like to take some lessons from history, a rather uncommon bitter one to share .

 Chelsea news :

Andre Villas Boas is the latest manager to have been installed in bringing the Continental trophy to Stamford Bridge and although immediate success in the competiton wont have any bearing on his stay at the Bridge, yet in the long run, AVB needs to fulfill his master’s dream, a thing which he fully understands.  He understands that failure means exit and has thrived on the humongous pressure.  With a trip to Old Trafford looming large, AVB needs to rotate his players in between the two games and one person who certainly will get a start would be Daniel Sturridge.  Impressing immediately on his return, his exploits have cast deep shadows on the future of Torres and although it’s a long long season, Torres unfortunately has been in the middle of issues he should have avoided.  With the addition of Juan Mata and Mereiles, the midfield and attacking options looks a lot more stable and threatening and should cover up for an old and ageing side.  Didier Drogba will miss the game as he continues his recovery from his sickening head injury and a return for Luiz in the starting lineup might also be a tad too early although the issue has been kept under wraps for the timebeing.  With no serious injury concerns to deal with, AVB has the strength and the team to achieve maximum points from the two games this week .

Leverkusen news :

Michael Ballack has had the distinction of playing in the most important game in the history of both clubs and experienced a similar fate in both the situations.   Regarded by many as a true Chelsea legend, his onfield exploits have not been forgotten and hence would deservedly be honoured tonight.  And even though Robin Dutt has expressed his concern over whether he would be fielding the German playmaker tonight, yet much of the talk has been of him coming back to Stamford Bridge .

But Leverkusen has more than Ballack to offer tonight as they have a formidable attacking line up led by the mercurial Kiessling and a strong defence which Chelsea’s stuttering forward line needs to penetrate through.  And Robin Dutt has silently built a very strong team even though the shutterbugs would be tailoring the Chelsea gaffer .

Key Battles

Frank Lampard vs Michael Ballack

A battle between two of the best midfield generals in the world, these two have often thrived with the support of each other at Chelsea.  But tomorrow, both of them would have their swords pointing at each other and we can forgive the pundits to infer from the duel t be witnessed as to who is better.  Lampard needs to significantly up his game against a formidable outfit .

John Terry vs Stefan Kiessling

Regarded as the nerve centre of the strong backbone Chelsea possesses, his indifferent start may have something to do with his age.  But on his day, even the best of the centre forwards would have their task cut out.  Coming face to face with one of Bundesliga’s best strikers, it would be a treat to watch who wins the duel .

My Prediction : Chelsea 2-o Bayer Leverkusen

SURVIVAL SUNDAY : Who will come out on top?

Manchester United vs Blackpool : Mission Impossible

The one team which would have mixed feelings going into the match would definitely be Blackpool. On one hand they face a resolute Manchester United squad aiming to give a fairytale farewell to Van Der Sar in front of the OT faithful , yet we can fully expect Sir Alex to give some of their main players a rest ahead of the monumental clash against Barcelona at Wembley in a week’s time. Blackpool have ensured some fine form ahead of the trip to Manchester with a thrilling 4-3 win over Bolton and Ian Holloway must surely believe they can do a West Ham type escape ( led by none other than Carlos Tevez then ). A number of neutrals would definitely root for Blackpool who have had an entertaining season to say the least . Losing a personality of the stature and charisma of Ian Holloway would definitely rub off some spark from next season .

What the Seasiders need is a draw if results go according to the plan. And as far as the season panned out till now, it won’t be a big thing to ask. A  4 game unbeaten streak has lifted the morale of the Tangerines but they still need to enact one final monumental act of courage and determination if they need to stay in the Premier League .

Ian Holloway : A great persona to grace the Premier League

Prediction : Blackpool’s fairytale run this season which saw them in the top half in the early days would be over as Manchester United would ensure a winning farewell for their inspirational Goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar .

Tottenham vs Birmingham : A match for contrasting fortunes

Never could anyone have imagined the precarious position Birmingham are in. A fantastic effort which clinched them the Carling Cup could be overshadowed if they fail to make the cut in the Premier League . Can the statisticians answer as to which team had a similar season as that of the Blues ? A highly experienced squad with Alex Mcleish at the helm was least expected to be in the relegation scrap after their inspiring win at Wembley. But the players seem to have lost all focus after that and the causes of a  relegation to the Second tier can be pinned to the inept display of football by Birmingham. Tottenham have everything to play for as a Europa League place is up for grabs. Even a loss might allow Tottenham a chance via the Fair Play route but that will curtail the holidays of all the players. So everything to play for both the teams. The Blues have struggled on the last day before, though, and have never kept a clean sheet in their final fixture of a top-flight campaign .

Gareth bale is injured and Rafael Van der Vaart is a major doubt. All other injured players are likely to play some part in the match. Craig Gardner and Liam Ridgewell would return back from suspensions to provide much needed stability .

Prediction :  Although I would be shattered to see Birmingham face the drop , yet they have a team which can no doubt defeat Tottenham at their own backyard and considering the indifferent season for the Spurs , a draw or a win looks highly likely for the Blues . Will Survive .

Alex Mcleish

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Blackburn Rovers  : A Relegation 6 pointer

A real relegation 6 pointer that is so tightly poised that even playing out a draw , as most experts have predicted , might be insufficient for both the teams to survive in the Premier League. With both the teams on 40 points , a draw between the sides can most likely give them another shot next year plus the multi million dollar profits they will endure. Currently out of the drop zone, both teams know that their future is in their own hands. Wolves have been on a fine run of form at the right time and would definitely cherish the wins over Chelsea and Manchester United at home in an other wise abject overall performance in the league. But such has been the drop in standards of the teams that they can yet survive and are favourites to do just that. Mick McCarthy have all his players from Fletcher to Hunt firing on all cylinders but Kevin Doyle is unlikely to play any part in today’s match .

Blackburn Rovers had became a common name in the minds of the football fans and businessmen in India when and Indian consortium led by Venky’s hatcheries bought the club . What followed was the surreal speculations linking David Beckham and Ronaldinho to the club . The squad quickly got unsettled and coupled with the mystery behind the owners decision to give Steve Kean the full time job , Blackburn quickly fell apart . But Steve Kean can yet become a hero if he ensures survival tonight , a must for the Indian owners . A dodgy performance against a lethargic ManUnited last week allowed them to claim a point and this could yet be the point which saves them from relegation .

Prediction : Wolves are highly fancied to win tonight . But I believe a draw would be enough to keep them in the league . See you both next season .

Will we see two Indian owned teams next year ??

Stoke vs Wigan : A Tricky Encounter

WIgan survived to fight for another day in the must win game against West Ham when they came from 2 goals down to win 3-2 and push West Ham down the relegation trap door. Roberto Martinez has led the club to some fine wins this season but apart from them their performance has been totally shoddy . Billed as a relegation fodder this season , it has panned out exactly like in the scripts for Wigan , a town known more for its Rugby exploits . They face a Stoke side already having one eyes on the much awaited summer holidays . Rejuvenated by last week’s win , Wigan will go all out for a victory but their poor record against set pieces can tear them to shreds against a physically superior Stoke side armed with a great set piece scoring record . Banishing their FA Cup defeat to Manchester City and giving their fanatic supporters , one last moment of hurrah is topmost in the minds of Tony Pulis

The Stoke boss told the club’s official website:

“We have a responsibility to the Premier League and to this football club to do our very best to win that final game. As it is the last game of the season, we are keeping our fingers crossed that we can get Jermaine, Matty and Kenwyne back in time.”

Prediction : Wigan to surrender against Stoke’s superior techniques . A drop to the Championship is inevitable.

Survival to the medium budget teams are similar to what Champions League is to the giants of English football . Everything . Tonight , players would not only play for their careers but for their survival . 5 clubs , 3 spots . Unfortunately , two clubs would follow West Ham into the Championship next season and I believe Wigan and Blackpool are the main contenders .

El Clasico : The Spanish Civil War

It is not hard to understand the reasons when I found that Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, known as the ‘El Clasico’ tops the charts for the most hated footballing rivalries in the world. Countless other rivalries have drawn their inspirations from the mother of all Derbies , a match which is viewed by millions across the world and a clash which epitomizes not only a rivalry between Spain’s top two clubs but also diametrically opposite political ideologies. The hatred seen in the eyes of the club fanatics for the other makes you wonder how can a country can remain united under such circumstances. Although times have changed, the treatment meted out to Luis Figo when he returned to the Camp Nou as a Real Madrid player reminds us that even if it’s a match to definitely watch for us, it is of far bigger consequences for the two teams.

Jose Mourinho: On the rise and the man in focus

Out of the five El Clasicos this season, three are down and there are two more to go.  If we neglect the humiliating drubbing of Real earlier this season at the hands of Iniesta and Xavi it seems that Real Madrid have finally started to look as the team having the upper hand following their magnificent King’s Cup triumph. And when you have Jose Mourinho a.ka. The Special One at the helm of Real Madrid, you are sure to get some prime time entertainment .

Real Madrid and Barcelona can definitely boast of possessing the best players in the world right now with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi squaring up against each other. Despite the plethora of attacking players on both camps, the Clasico won’t be a clash of two teams with attacking ideologies . It would be Pep Guardiola’s out and out attacking philosophy against the tried and tested defensive formula of Mourinho. And it seems that Mourinho has been the only one who has been able to unlock the key to Barcelona’s downfall.

Barcelona would be desperate to avoid what happened last year and knows that a second leg in front of a vociferous Barca faithful would be ideal to exact revenge for the Kings’ Cup loss. But the Barca crowd are known to become restless and Mourinho perfectly knows what to dish out to frustrate them .

Manchester United have one leg firmly put on the pitch at Wembley for the UEFA Champions League Final. Not to forget they would be the “home team“ this year. But one thing is for sure. The winner of the “Spanish Civil War“ this time would surely be the favourites to lift the trophy at Wembley. And Jose knows that he is a whisker away from becoming one of the greatest legends this game has ever produced.  To do that, he must first overcome Barcelona, twice.

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it”

This famous quote from John Wooden about sportspersons has nothing to be pondered upon with confusion. It simply summarizes the known fact about how sports brings out the true being in you, how it unlocks the potential inside a person to achieve greatness. Also about how it reveals the darker aspects of one’s character. There are countless examples of it, from Drogba’s explicit comments at the end of the semi finals of the champions league to the two game ban imposed on Wayne Rooney for hurling abuses. From the recent World Cup winning squad proudly known as Team India to Barcelona, a name which will always go down the annals of sporting history as one of the finest clubs of the world.

Wooden’s quote quote especially holds true for Chelsea, a club bankrolled by Russian oil and led by their charismatic captain John Terry. A team which has varying egos and a plethora of stars.  A club which mostly has had the problem of plenty rather than a problem of scarcity.  Yet time and time again it had to prove its worth before millions of fans across the globe about its ability to actually play as champions.  A superb team has truly been assembled by dishing out large sums of money. But in order to compete with the best and be counted among the best, what you need is a sound financial backing to constantly churn out the best players. All top clubs in footballing pedigree also can be found out among the richest clubs in the world. Yet when Roman Abrahimovich came down knocking towards Chelsea having ironically fallen in love with football watching the 1999 champions league final comeback by none other than Manchester United , fans and pseudo fans came rushing out to criticize it. When Chelsea buys off the best players in the world (Chelsea have been one of the best buyers in terms of quality), footballing pundits scoff at the proposition. Maybe because they resist change or maybe because they do not want the mantle of world football being passed away from the select few.

But Chelsea has proved them wrong. Many players in Chelsea have stood by the club through thick and thin. Club loyalty can be seen in large numbers at Chelsea. And they have dismantled the set trio of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United to grab a share of the elusive pie. Money cannot buy success, but it is an integral parameter to achieve success.

Tonight Chelsea square off with Manchester United with nothing but redemption in their mind. The steps towards achieving the ultimate prize in world football: Respect, starts at Stamford Bridge. And there lies a disillusioned player in the form of Fernando Torres, who although made an acrimonious exit from Liverpool, has nevertheless been excessively battered by the world for failing to live up to the standards of Liverpool. Chelsea and Torres both need to embark upon a grueling journey towards Wembley to show the world what they are capable of and to earn the much needed respect. And with football revealing one’s character, it is time to show the world what we are really made up of.

Chelsea have been poor this season. Individual preferences have taken over the team. Egos have clashed. Mistakes have been made. But the Holy Grail known as the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE is yet to be lost. This is what we crave for. This is what we want. And the path to Wembley could not have been better. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Chelsea has failed to live up to it this season on a number of occasions.  But another shot at the Champions League!!  This cannot be missed.

(This post is by a disgruntled Chelsea fan)

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2011/04/06/the-chelsea-dilemma/feed/ 0 069933 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2011/04/02/a-prelude-to-the-india-sri-lanka-final/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2011/04/02/a-prelude-to-the-india-sri-lanka-final/#comments Sat, 02 Apr 2011 07:59:18 +0000 joydeepsanyal http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=27975 Did anyone predict that ?? If we go according to internet gossips, many did predict an India- Sri Lanka final which was no doubt a result of the fans unable to come out of their rigid mindset after watching a humongous number of cricket ties between the two nations .  Tonight , however the stakes are different . It is not a Karbon Mobile Bilateral series or a Micromax One Day Series which they would be eyeing upon. It is a rare trophy which comes once every four years and promises to give all the nations  an equal chance to have a shot at it. Yes, it is the Cup that counts. A night which will remain etched on their minds for some time to come.   A night where both the teams would hate to experience defeat . A match which is more to them than their lives. A spectacle which has brought  the two cricket crazy nations forget about their economic difficulties or their faltering democracies.

India –Sri Lanka deserving finalists??? Who cares

I have read numerous articles on how India and Sri Lanka deserve to be in the World cup final. Yes, they have been the two best teams in this tournament. On one hand, India provided their fans with feelings directly proportional to that of a sinusoidal wave( A loss tonight would definitely mean we are at the trough of the wave ) while on the other, Sri Lanka marched forward to the finals without much difficulty. The fact that they have not been tested doesn’t hold true, but the clinical manner in which they have booked one hand onto the trophy speaks volumes of their team strength. India are peaking at the right time but Sri Lanka have the better overall team.  And if people make the point that Sri Lanka’s middle order is weak, so is India’s. The fact that Sri Lanka have been exemplary in the big finals is an understatement . They reached the 2009 T20 finals and ended up runners up in the last World Cup. So overall history is on the side of the Lankans and losing a third final in the space of four years is a record which will haunt them forever.   But India have the home advantage. A fact that can rattle the nerves of the best in the business.  India possess the best batting unit ever to have graced the sport . And they have Sachin who is nothing short of a demi-God .

Sadly Winners takes it all that counts

This is a final which has no favourites. A match which will swing to and fro faster than a pendulum.  A single dismissal can spell doom on a team and a great knock on this day will be remembered by an entire generation of cricket lovers . Yet as we draw closer to the final, we have an uncanny feeling of being the favourites and not fearing our opponent . Our opponent is not the Great Australian team of the early 2000’s nor the South African team which is currently the best team in the world and yet have not been able to shelve their choker’s tag.  And a feeling that our very own Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar would fittingly strike a century of century’s to guide India to the World Cup trophy one his home ground  is keeping us all excited. Oh Boy !! The script just could not have been better .

A victory tonight would not cast black shadows on the prospect of other sports. Yet it will make people believe in the beauty of sports and how it can bind together people from different communities.  A loss would definitely be catastrophic for the nation. Amidst the rumors of the match being fixed, one simply doesn’t care any more. We do not want Cricket to win tonight. Let it win some day else. For today let there be only one winner: Team India.

One final note to the Indian players: What we do in life echoes in eternity.  We’ve given the final the big build-up.  Let’s now sit back, shout at the top of our voices and bleed blue!!

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2011/04/02/a-prelude-to-the-india-sri-lanka-final/feed/ 0 015311 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2011/02/09/an-interview-with-dev-sukumar/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2011/02/09/an-interview-with-dev-sukumar/#comments Wed, 09 Feb 2011 12:47:15 +0000 joydeepsanyal http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=22533 Dev Sukumar has been following badminton for close to ten years now. During this period he has met some fascinating characters, witnessed some great matches, and has authored a biography of Indian badminton great Prakash Padukone. He has written on the game for several publications, including The New Indian Express, Indya.com, Hindustan Times and IANS. He writes for All Sports magazine (published in Mumbai), Badzine.info and World Badminton (worldbadminton.net).  Meet one of the die hard Badminton fans this country has ever witnessed . An interview with Dev Sukumar where he speaks out his heart about the different issues about badminton , his life and other diverse areas .

Joydeep :  Describe your career so far. Any interesting thoughts or incidents you would like to share?

Dev  Sukumar: I worked with The New Indian Express, Bangalore, for close to a year, and then was part of the launch team of Indya.com during the dot com boom. After a break I joined Vijay Times, and quit after a year and a half to write Touch Play. I’m now with DNA in Bangalore.

Joydeep : Please elaborate on the reasons for writing about Badminton in a country where only cricket sell.

Dev  Sukumar: I wrote it because I was interested in the topic; I wasn’t bothered about what other people were interested in, or whether they would buy the book.

Dev Sukumar With The Autobiography Of Prakash Padukone

Joydeep : You have authored “Touch Play”, a biography of badminton legend Prakash Padukone. Throw some light on the reasons for penning it down and what has been the reactions so far. Do you see Indian book lovers warming up to it?

Dev  Sukumar: The response has been mixed. Some loved it; others were lukewarm, and yet others indifferent. Everybody in the badminton fraternity liked it, though.

I wrote it because it struck me that we knew very little about someone who was one of the best players of his time. There is very little material on the game, so in the process of researching his career, I learnt a lot about the game – writing it certainly enriched me.

Since the book was an independent publication – I didn’t approach any publisher – I couldn’t market or distribute the book across the country. So I’m not sure if the average book lover has come across Touch Play. I decided to go indie (it even has a Creative Commons license) with the publication because there was a sense of romanticism to the whole thing, to go the unconventional way. Going indie has its drawbacks, though.

Joydeep : People have always blamed cricket for the failures of other sports to make a mark. Do you feel so? Don’t you think the BAI is highly responsible for the slow growth of badminton.

Dev  Sukumar: I don’t think cricket has anything to do with the fortunes of other sports. It’s up to the other sports to make themselves be seen.

I don’t think you can blame only the BAI. The status of a sport is the result of a complex web of factors. Certainly the BAI could do a lot more; in fact, it is probably operating at 5% of its potential. As urban landscapes change, and more emphasis is given to sport not just for recreation but for promotion of fitness, you will see a rise in interest in the public, and they will demand higher efficiency in administration.

Joydeep : Recently Jwala Gutta had come out against the BAI for the illtiming of the badminton nationals and other events and publicly stated the inefficiency of the association in handling the affairs of the game. Please elaborate your views on this.

Dev  Sukumar :I think these issues are well known to the public. Many of these problems can be solved if our national sports federations were run democratically, with emphasis on transparency. When those who don’t love the game take up administration, we will see the kind of things that are going on.

Joydeep : The Commonwealth Games surely has brought the national athletes, badminton stars in particular in the limelight. However the performance of the players in the Asian Games were dismal to say the least. Was it a blip in the rapidly progressing sport or is the gulf between us and the Chinese and the Koreans really huge?

Dev  Sukumar: : It’s hard to judge the quality of the team on the basis of the Asian Games performance, especially as it came so close to the CWG. China are way ahead of the rest of the world. Saina of course can beat any Chinese player; but in terms of numbers, no other team can compare with China. Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia are in a fight for the second spot, really. India would be a rung below them.

There is a gulf in terms of the numbers. In a one-on-one, our players (Saina, Kashyap, Jwala-Diju, Jwala-Ashwini) can beat Malaysia or Indonesia or Korea, but not in a team event.

Joydeep :  Although Saina , Jwala, Ashwini and Kashyap have now become known faces , please tell us about the prospects of the young players emerging and if possible, please give examples .

Dev  Sukumar::  Sai Praneeth seems to be the brightest prospect we’ve got. He seems to be a good all-round player, with excellent deception and court-craft. He’s already had a couple of big wins against the seniors. Alongside him would be HS Prannoy, who’s a more attacking player. Then there are Sourabh Verma, Guru Sai Dutt, Sameer Verma, Pratul Joshi and a few others. So men’s singles is no problem. In the women’s singles, PV Sindhu is the best bet, and just behind are Arundhati Pantwane and PC Thulasi.

In the doubles, you will hear a lot more of Pranav Chopra, Tarun Kona, Prajakta Sawant, Akshay Dewalkar and Arun Vishnu.

Joydeep : What should be done according to you to bridge this gap between the top players and our national players.

Dev  Sukumar: : At the moment, 10-15 of the national team players are getting the right exposure, in terms of international trips and training camps. The main problem in India is that there is no senior circuit – over the last few years, there have been only around 3-4 tournaments in a season. This is discouraging for upcoming players, as it does not give them an opportunity to prove themselves against established players. There should be at least 12 senior ranking tournaments in a season.

Joydeep : Suggest three changes which you would have brought on if you were made the BAI President.

Dev  Sukumar: :  – Lesser BAI control over players – they should be able to participate in international tournaments independently, instead of having to go through BAI

- Creation of an IPL-style international league in India; more international friendlies, and exhibition tournaments

- More senior ranking tournaments – at least 12 a year, and more emphasis on doubles

Joydeep : Please explain your views about Sportskeeda. Any suggestions?

Dev  Sukumar::  Sportskeeda has plenty of promise. It’s updated frequently, and it has a good balance between Indian and international sport. There is room for improvement in the editing department, and perhaps in the design. The home page looks too bland.

Thanks for such a lovely Interview.

p.s : He has a fascinating blog at www.badmintonmania.wordpress.com .

THE GLORIOUS FA CUP

As the third round fixtures were being announced , most minnows were dreaming of a lavish opportunity to meet the best in the business and top teams were desperate to avoid one another . However ,this years fixtures can be safely described as a balanced one with high profile matches along with dream encounters with non league sides .  Manchester United , who faced the prospect of facing FC United , the club run by ManUnited deserters got a more intriguing fixture with Liverpool who would be arriving at Anfield not under Hodgeson but under the Kop Legend Kenny Dalglish . With Hodgeson sacked early today , it is imperative that the Liverpool board and the team are looking forward to the match as the one which kickstarts their laggard and disappointing season . A Liverpool win would definitely look like an upset considering the current situation , but FA Cup is exactly the place where such euphoria happens .

Who will Come out Winners ?

FA Cup is a great leveler and that has been amply shown by the clash at Stamford Bridge between defending champions Chelsea and Ipswich who have been in the news recently for the sacking of former Ipswich boss Roy Keane . With such a competitive environment lurking around the teams , results and only results matter . And Ancelotti would be knowing of this simple yet illogical truth . Another defeat and he could be the next one to go . With the team facing an injury crunch yet again its do or die time for Carlo at Chelsea .

Leeds and Arsenal lock horns at the Emirates with a similar story likely to emerge as last year . Last season , Leeds knocked out Manchester United and with Wenger publicly acknowledging the fact that FA Cup would be a lesser priority , Leeds can prove to do the upset of the round . In other entertaining matches , QPR travelling to Ewood Park hoping to defeat Blackburn who have endured a wretched form lately .

Its now time to see whether the big boys prevail or whether there are upsets too many .

Important Fixtures :

Arsenal vs Leeds

Blackburn vs QPR

Bolton vs York

Brighton vs Portsmouth

Bristol City vs Sheff Wed

Coventry vs Crystal Palace

Hull vs Wigan

Millwall vs Birmingham

Preston vs Nottm Forest

Sheff Utd vs Aston Villa

Stevenage vs Newcastle

Sunderland vs Notts County

Chelsea vs Ipswich

Leicester vs Man City

Man Utd vs Liverpool