Diego Cavalieri

Manchester City’s Joe Hart, who has recently been struggling to get into the first-team after a series of errors in 2013, recently returned to the starting line-up against Viktoria Plzen. City managed to win the match 4-2, but Hart was looking like his old self against the Champions League opponents.

This display pleased midfielder James Milner, who was also starting the match. The England international has been relegated to the bench in recent weeks due to the impressive form of Samir Nasri and Jesus Navas.

He was given a rare start in the team since the club had already qualified for the knockout stages. Milner has said that there is no change in the performances of Hart, and this shows that he remains a great professional. Hart has committed crucial mistakes against the likes of Aston Villa, Bayern Munich and Chelsea this campaign. He has missed the last few matches for the club after Manuel Pellegrini has opted for Costel Pantilimon. Even though the performances of Pantilimon have not been extraordinary, he has done enough to keep his place in the team.

“Nothing’s changed for him. He keeps going, keeps working hard. He’s pulling off great saves in games when he’s getting opportunities. He’s a great pro and he knows he’s just waiting for his chance and hopefully he can take it when it comes. We’re a squad and we’re going to need all of the squad to win anything. It’s important everyone contributes when they play,” said Milner after the match.

It remains to be seen if Pantilimon will now be dropped in favour of Hart, but the England number one did concede two goals against Viktoria Plzen. Milner has had only five starts this season with the remaining nine coming as a substitute. He is yet to open the scoring this campaign.

Fluminense has terminated the manager Vanderlei Luxemburgo from his post after continuous poor performances of the team.

Fluminense hasn’t won a single game in the last 5 weeks. They have been defeated 6 times in their last 9 games and they are in danger of being relegated to the second tier of Brazilian football. If it happens, it will be the first time in the history of Brazilian football that a reigning champion will suffer relegation.

At this point of time, Fluminense is at no. 17 in the Futebol Brasileiro points table. They have played 33 league games so far out of which they have won 9 and have lost 15. The remaining 9 games have ended in the form of draws.

At the end of the league, the last 4 sides in the points table will be relegated to the second tier and Fluminense might end up being one of those 4 sides if they continue performing like this.

Luxemburgo had signed for Fluminense in July this year. He had taken over from Abel Braga.

The club had massive expectations with Luxemburgo because of his huge experience in the field of management, but, the 61 years old Brazilian couldn’t live up to it.

Fluminense released a statement earlier today confirming the termination of Luxemburgo. That statement says, “The chairman of the club Mr. Siemsen has taken the decision that Luxemburgo will not continue at his post.”

“Luxemburgo has already been told about the decision of the chairman and he will leave tomorrow.”

It has also been announced by Fluminense that Dorival Junior who is a former Vasco da Gama manager would take over from Luxemburgo.

Fluminense will take on Nautico in its next match on Thursday. That will be a home game for them.

The captain of Inter Milan, Javier Zanetti, has said that retirement is not something which is in his plans at the moment.
Yesterday, Zanetti reached Malta where he will stay for a couple of days and there were a huge number of fans out there to welcome him on his arrival.

Zanetti has been out of action since quite a while because of the Achilles injury that he had picked up towards the end of the last season while featuring for Inter in a match against Palermo.

In the last few months, there have been speculations that Zanetti’s professional career is not far from being over, but, the 40 years old defensive midfielder doesn’t seem to be in a mood to quit the game. At least his statements don’t suggest that. The bookmakers may be saying he has played his last match, but until Unibet actually pay-out on bets, don’t expect to see Zanetti giving up!

When asked if the ongoing season is going to be the last season of his professional career, Zanetti said, “I think there is still plenty left in me. At this point of time, I am not thinking about my future and all. My focus is only on getting fit. I want to be back in action soon.”

In some of his past interviews, Zanetti had said that after his retirement, he would like to be an official at Inter, but, now that Inter is going to have new owner in the form of Erick Thohir, the question is if it is still possible for Zanetti to be an Inter official after hanging his boots.

When asked about that, Zanetti said, “As I have already said that I am not thinking about what I will do after retirement. I am just looking to come back and give my 100% for the club.”

Zanetti has made more than 800 appearances for Inter so far.

Fluminense FC has appointed Vanderlei Luxemburgo as its new manager. Luxemburgo will take over from Abel Braga who had guided Tricolor Carioca to Futebol Brasileiro title last season.

Braga was terminated from his post a few days ago after Fluminense’s 5th successive defeat in the ongoing season.
After being named Fluminense boss, Luxemburgo said, “The last couple of months have been dreadful for the team. Not a single result has gone our way. But, we can pull things back. We still have to play more than 25 games.”

“This is the same team that had been defeated only thrice in the entire league last season. So, there is no lack of potential. All we need to do at the moment is to put the defeats behind us and re-gather ourselves.”

Luxemburgo has vast experience of coaching teams in Brazil. He has won the Brasileiro title 5 times in his managerial career.

Meanwhile, Abel Braga has said that any club would have sacked the manager after 5 defeats in a row.
Talking to the reporters after being sacked, Braga said, “It’s hard to retain a coach after so many consecutive defeats. The owners of any other club would also have taken the same decision.”

“I enjoyed my time at this wonderful club. I want to thank everyone associated with the club. It’s been a great couple of years.”

The president of Fluminense, Peter Siemsen, was also there in that press conference. He said, “Abel did his job wonderfully for two years. But, this season, the team has been struggling a bit. So, we thought it’s time to make some changes.”

Fluminense’s next match is against Cruzeiro which is at the top of the Brasileiro points table at the moment. That match will be played on Wednesday at Estadio do Maracana.

Placing bets on which team will win the Premiership title next season has been complicated by the raft of changes which have taken place at three of the four clubs that most expect to be in contention for it – Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City. Managerial changes have occurred at all three clubs during the summer, while the transfer activity has not yet begun, so it is hard for those keen on football betting to know how strong each team will be, but how do the bookmakers rate each of these teams ahead of the start?

The bookies have Manchester United as odds-on favourites at 9/4 to retain their title just now, despite the massive upheaval of Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure after 27 years at the helm. United do have a strong squad, but Wayne Rooney’s future is currently uncertain, and new manager David Moyes is not a proven championship winner.

There is not much in the odds reckoning between United and City, but the best odds you can get on the latter are 12/5 – although again they have a new manager (Manuel Pellegrini) who has never won the league before. Chelsea are one club that does have a proven winner in charge – namely Jose Mourinho – but the question is whether the squad is strong enough. Indeed ahead of the real transfer activity it is hard to assess this, which perhaps makes online casino gambling a sensible alternative just now.

Especially when nowadays you can play games which are all about football – such as the hugely popular video slots game Soccer Safari. This game features an animal version of the World Cup, including the likes of buffalo and warthogs, but there are others which are more directly related to Premier League football as well, if this is what you prefer. Plus the development of mobile casino sites means that there are apps of these football slots games available that you can download onto your mobile phone and play while you are on the go – making them a perfect alternative for the busiest of football betting fans.

Ahead of the visit by Liverpool during the weekend, Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino has praised Liverpool’s January signing Philippe Coutinho by saying that he is magical. Liverpool managed to secure the signing of the South American ahead of Southampton, who were also interested. Coutinho arrived at Liverpool in an £ 8 million deal from Inter Milan. Southampton were considered as one of the favourites to land this South American due to the fact that their manager Pochettino had already worked with the player at Espanyol last season.

However, the Brazilian decided to choose the riches on offer at Anfield rather than the Premier league strugglers. Pochettino has compared Coutinho with the likes of Ronaldinho and Messi by saying that the player clearly has magic at his feet. Despite being extremely talented, Coutinho struggled at the San Siro due to the Italian team not taking advantage of his strengths. The attacking midfielder is one of the most dangerous in the world, but he was also given the job of defending at Inter Milan.

Further, he was not blessed with the physicality that Inter Milan were looking in the team that they are currently assembling. Coutinho is expected to play a huge role for Liverpool when they take on Southampton at the St Mary’s stadium during the weekend.

“As with most Brazilians, Philippe has a special magic in his feet. Aside from the magic that he has, he also has an amazing work rate and that makes us doubt whether he fits the mould of a typical Brazilian player or a European one because his work ethic is outstanding. What is important about him is he is a good kid – a great, humble person. I do think Coutinho has that same quality that Ronaldinho and Messi have, but he has much to prove yet,” said the Southampton manager.

The manager of Fluminense, Abel Braga, has praised Frederico Chaves Guedes for his brilliant goal towards the end of the match against Vasco da Gama and has said that Fred is currently the best forward in Brazil.

In the match against Vasco da Gama, Fluminense was trailing by 0-1 and there were only three minutes to go. It seemed that Fluminense might not get any point from this match. But, Fred had other ideas. With an angular header, he put the ball into the post and made sure that his team would get at least one point.

Earlier in the match, Fred had lost two easy chances, but, with his sensational strike towards the end, he made up for that.

Talking to the reporters in the post match press conference, Braga said, “The chance that he got towards the end was not as easy as the earlier ones, but, he latched on that chance and certainly made up for the earlier mistakes.”

“I think he is the best forward going around in Brazil at the moment. The goal that he scored was absolutely fantastic. He got a decent cross, but, from that angle, it was not easy to place the header to perfection. But, he did that wonderfully. That’s why, I rate him so highly. He has the capability of converting even half chances into goals. We are blessed to have a player like him in the squad.”

However, Braga admitted that his team needs to improve its game a bit. The Fluminense manager said, “It was certainly not a flawless performance by us. We missed the target quite a few times and we certainly need improvement in our game.”

Fluminense will take on Caracas in its next match on Thursday.

The former Liverpool goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri has recently won the award for being the best goalkeeper in Brazil. The Brazilian has managed to establish himself as one of the first-team regulars at Fluminense, who are one of the biggest clubs in Brazil.

His impressive performances for the club this season have led to the title of being the best goalkeeper in Brazil. After winning the award, the 29-year-old said that he is extremely happy to be playing for Fluminense, while he would be happy to extend this stay for the rest of his life. Suffering a defeat in the final of the Libertadores 2012 at the hands of the Argentine club Boca Juniors will actually be a good thing according to the goalkeeper.

He has said that the club will be able to concentrate even more on the next edition of the tournament. He has said that the defeat is a lesson that has been learnt in the hard way. The goalkeeper has also praised the management and the club’s board for having a clear direction that they want the club to take in the future. This coupled with the strong playing squad means that Fluminense is the place to be according to Cavalieri.

“Every game you take a lesson, an experience. We knew the quality of Boca. Surely we left very strong after that game, so we had a sprint to the Brazilian title. It’s a strong group. What’s important is that maintained the direction, coaching staff, the base. It is important for you to walk toward the goals. I am very happy at Fluminense. I intend to keep well to extend my contract and stay long at Fluminense,” said the goalkeeper after winning the award. The player has also said that he cannot wait for the next Libertadores season to start.

The Fluminense goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri has said that he is extremely delighted to have lifted the title with his team, although he is disappointed that it has also subsequently meant that his former club Palmeiras are now facing relegation from division. Fluminense and Palmeiras was recently involved in a 3-2 match between the two teams.

Diego Cavalieri was playing for Fluminense in this match and he helped the team get the three points. This in turn helped them get to the Brasileirão title on Sunday. The match was played at the Braga Municipal Stadium. Diego Cavalieri played at this ground for six seasons before moving to Liverpool.

The 18th placed team in the division – Palmeiras – will now be unable to get away from the relegation zone since there are only three matches remaining in the season. The former Liverpool keeper did not hide his sadness by saying that everyone was the reason for this sadness. He has also said that he experienced the prospect of relegation back in 2002, and has said that it is one of the toughest moments of this career. Palmeiras helped him become the athlete and the player he has become today, and it is sad to see them get relegated.

“I am saddened. Everyone knows the story that I had there. Palmeiras is the club that formed me as an athlete and person. I experienced the situation in 2002 [relegation] and I know how hard it is. They have the chance to escape so I’ll keep hoping for them as they are a club which I have great affection for. We have always been aware of what we wanted and our potential. Congratulations to the planning board and the coaching staff for managing the group, which is not easy,” said the former Liverpool man after the match.

The former Liverpool goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri has said that playing against Flamengo is extremely tough at all times during the season, but it is especially tough now because they will be coming on the back of two morale boosting victories against Atlético GO and Atlético Mineiro.

Atlético Mineiro have been viewed as one of the teams capable of challenging for the title due to the incredible form of the former Barcelona superstar Ronaldinho. However, Flamengo managed to beat them 2-1 in the last match. This will make them the favourite to win the match against Fluminense especially given that this match is at home.

Hence, the Fluminense goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri has said that his teammates should have the utmost concentration when it comes to playing against Flamengo. Fluminense have been top of the table for quite a while, while the victory for Flamengo in the last match against Atlético Mineiro helped them extended the lead at the top of the table to 6 points. Despite the team being the favourites to win the title this season, Diego Cavalieri has warned that they should not take Flamengo lightly. Diego Cavalieri has highlighted the presence of Vagner Love as one of the main reasons to take Flamengo as one of the tough teams.

“I want to analyze the team Flamengo, which will probably be as it always was. Always a tough game complicated. A game of this size that we can decide our ways. Victory We know the need for both of us, when for them. It’s always difficult to face them, mainly because it is a great club. We know today that has players who can make a difference. Always very difficult. I have not seen those who were out, but they must have suffered a little bit,” said Diego Cavalieri.

Want to win a Liverpool signed photo? Send us your score prediction for the next match via twitter, and you might win! 🙂