Balotelli and El Shaarawy to stay, Kaka to go - how Milan should clear out their squad this summer

The Rossoneri have a long off-season of upheaval ahead, with many players needing to be offloaded ahead of moves for new faces as the club look to get back on the right track

ANALYSIS
By Kris Voakes | International Football Correspondent

It has been a fair old rollercoaster of a season at AC Milan. Having only qualified for the Champions League with a late, late double at Siena on the final day of 2012-13, they failed to capitalise on their good fortune and found 2013-14 an even tougher proposition.

The sacking of Massimiliano Allegri came after a horrific run in the opening half of the campaign, while things have been rather topsy-turvy since Clarence Seedorf took the reins at Milanello. There has also been disappointment in the Champions League and Coppa Italia to overcome.

With no hope of a return to the top table of Europe and a race against time to squeeze into the Europa League, the Rossoneri know they will have to bounce back strong next term but have little extra capital to spend on the market as they look to strengthen an ailing first-team squad.

Funds need to be recouped in the market and quality needs to be injected, with a leading Curva Sud ultra claiming to Diretta Stadio: "Seedorf told us a week after arriving that he doesn’t want three quarters of the current Milan players in the squad."

But who should stay and who should go? Goal looks at the current first-team squad and shorts wheat from the chaff...

WHO THEY SHOULD KEEP

Much has been said about the possibility of Mario Balotelli moving on in order for the club to recoup whatever they can for the star striker on the transfer market, but right now may not be the best time to sell. If the Italy front man has a great run at the World Cup then interest may rise, but for now it would make more sense for the club to keep their best player unless they receive a particularly attractive offer.

Fellow forward Stephan El Shaarawy has not had a particularly positive 18 months since his Azzurri colleague arrived at Milanello, but his return from injury will hopefully result in an opportunity for the two to gel better than has previously been evidenced. His excellent run at the start of 2012-13 showed that il Faraone has what it takes in the Milan jersey and so deserves further chances to show his undoubted talent.

Another youngster who has excelled in the first team is Mattia De Sciglio, who is worthy of a long run in one of the full-back slots with quality additions around him, while Ignazio Abate has shown over a period of three or four years that he can more than hold his own in the Rossoneri XI.

Club captain Riccardo Montolivo has not exactly been on fire since arriving from Fiorentina, but he has enough talent to at least keep pushing for a first-team slot, while Nigel De Jong has proven to be a key component of the Diavolo setup and should be allowed to continue in Seedorf's side for 2014-15 at the very least.

Another midfielder who should be wearing red and black beyond the summer is Andrea Poli, who is growing further as a player at Milan and has the potential to be an Italy regular in years to come. Bryan Cristante deserves a long-term deal as he represents the future of the club's midfield, while Riccardo Saponara should be given more game time in seasons to come. However, fellow engine-room star Adel Taarabt needs to be considered for next term only if it makes financial sense.

The QPR man has been a big hit since arriving on loan in January, but any deal to make his transfer permanent could be costly and Seedorf, Adriano Galliani and Barbara Berlusconi may decide that the money can be better spent elsewhere.

The same can be said of Adil Rami, who has also shown positive signs since his temporary switch from Valencia but could also come at the expense of a more appropriate signing in the longer term.

WHO THEY SHOULD OFFLOAD

There are plenty of players in the squad who have either seen better days or have simply proven not to be of Milan quality, and the offloading of such men can only be for the club's betterment.

Christian Abbiati has been hanging on gamely to the starting No.1 jersey over the past couple of years, but with his contract up in the summer it is time to say goodbye. Marco Amelia should go with him after proving incapable of ousting the more experienced incumbent and by extension not being of the quality needed to be Milan's full-time goalkeeper.

The defence is stacked with players who need shipping out, starting with the man who secured qualification to the Champions League last May. Philippe Mexes may have come up with a couple of memorable goals in a Milan shirt - the acrobatic effort at Anderlecht being chief among them - but as a defender he has simply fallen short of the mark. The same is true of Cristian Zapata, while Daniele Bonera has long been short of the quality needed and should finally be bidden farewell this summer.

Kevin Constant has achieved a modicum of success in his time in a Milan shirt, particularly as a left wing-back under Allegri, but the clear truth is that he is not of the standard required and new stocks should be sought for the flanks ahead of next term. Cristian Zaccardo should never have been signed and has failed to make any impression at Milanello.

Across the midfield there are countless candidates to be shipped out. Sulley Muntari needs to refind his level at a lesser club, while the experiment of adding Michael Essien to the ranks was never going to pay off. Meanwhile, Urby Emanuelson has done his best to become a useful member of the first-team squad, but his salary could be spent better elsewhere. Valter Birsa is another player who has been peripheral in an underachieving Milan side, so cannot be expected to have a great impact in a winning Rossoneri outfit.

The club hierarchy have been attempting to offload Robinho for some time now, and it is to be hoped that they can find a buyer this summer. Vice-captain Kaka has had a positive impact since returning to Lombardy, but if Milan are to make the next step up they need an injection of something new, and the Brazilian is already thought to be lining up a move to the MLS.

Finally, the signing of Keisuke Honda has had a positive impact on the bank balance, but on the pitch his better performances have so far been on show only sporadically. Giampaolo Pazzini has had relative success in a Milan shirt, but is another who does not represent a step in the right direction. It is time for the club to decide whether they are serious about succeeding on the field of play.

Government overexcited about negotiations with United Baloch Army

Islamabad - Our Special Correspondent: Pakistan Prime Minister Dr Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has rather excitedly announced that the government would be negotiating with the hitherto unknown United Baloch Army (UBA) that had claimed responsibility for the bomb blast in Islamabad on Wednesday. Speaking exclusively to Khabaristan Today, Nawaz said that negotiating with terrorists who kill innocent Pakistanis is an integral part of the current ruling party’s manifesto and that there was no reason why the government would want to change that for Baloch terrorists.

“It is only logical that we have decided to negotiate with the United Baloch Army – who I had not heard of until earlier this week – because that falls in line with our counter terrorism policy,” Nawaz told Khabaristan Today. “I mean it is impossible to count the number of blasts that the TTP have orchestrated, but we always negotiate with them, don’t we? Baloch separatists deserve the same,” he added.

Claiming that no self-respecting government would have one rule for a group of miscreants and completely different for another, the prime minister then went on to add that ostensible religiosity should not be factored in while dealing with anti-state elements. “If we were to immediately launch operations against the UBA, while we are sitting on the negotiation table with the TTP, one would assume that we have bowed down to TTP’s peddled religiosity. And that just because TTP have claimed that their actions are Islamic – something that the UBA of course has not iterated – we are giving them all the leeway in the world,” Nawaz said.

He further added that the establishment’s contrasting stance regarding the Taliban and Baloch separatists also needed to be rebuffed, and that the best way of doing so would be to treat them equally. “We will soon release Baloch separatists as a token of goodwill as well,” Nawaz concluded.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan meanwhile breathed a very loud sigh of relief when approached by our correspondent with questions related to the blast. “I am just glad that someone else took responsibility for it and Thank Allah Almighty, the Most Beneficent, Most Merciful, that the TTP condemned the bombing. With the timing so suspicious, had no one showed up, I might have had to take the responsibility for the blast myself,” Nisar said.

All “non-TTP” bombings are haraam: TTP

North Waziristan - Our TTP Correspondent: The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Team Lead Maulana Fazlullah has issued a fatwa on behalf of his entire team against all bomb blasts that the TTP has no hand in, Khabaristan Today has learnt. The announcement came a day after TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid condemned the United Baloch Army’s (UBA) blast in the capital, claiming that it was haraam. “We do not kill innocent people,” Shahidullah shamelessly said. Fazlullah, meanwhile, has decided to go one better and has reiterated that all “non-TTP” bombings are haraam.

“I would like to take this opportunity given to me byKhabaristan Today to clarify for once and all that only the TTP have exclusive rights overhalaal bombings – suicide or otherwise. And so any blast that the TTP does not take responsibility of, automatically becomesharaam,” Fazlullah said.

The TTP chief further added that it is very important that the Islamic Republic of Pakistan learns to differentiate between Shariah-compliant blasts and secular blasts. “If you kill innocent citizens according to the Sharia that is halaal, but if you kill innocents according to any other motivation that is haraam. That is basically what Shahidullah was trying to say. And it is no rocket science.” Fazlullah concluded.

814.5 million Indians will vote to decide Yuvraj Singh’s future

New Delhi - Our India Correspondent: On Monday, last week, the first Indians cast their votes vying to decide cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s future in what is touted as the world’s biggest election. Around 814.5 million are registered voters, and the voting process would continue over the next five weeks to decide what should be done about Yuvraj Singh.

Names like Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal have also been linked with the voting process. However, experts believe that such names are irrelevant and the Indians would vote in hordes with only one name on their mind: Yuvraj Singh.

The elections results are due on May 16.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Indians are really angry, and will come out in numbers to vent their frustration. The recent past haunts them, and all moments before that count for zilch. Pedigrees do not mean a thing as things stand. They believe they have been betrayed. And India collectively believes that it should axe its betrayers.

Sangakkara awarded Sitara-e-Jurat by Pakistan government

Colombo - Our Cricket Correspondent: Pakistan government has awarded Sri Lankan star cricketer Kumar Sangakkara the Sitara-e-Jurat – the third highest military accolade – following his match winning performance for Pakistan against India in the ICC World T20 final in Bangladesh last Sunday. The brass at GHQ believes that Sangakkara deserves this accolade for his services to Pakistan and his endeavour to crush our enemies.

“Just the reaction in Pakistan following the T20 World Cup final should be enough to reveal how Sangakkara thoroughly deserves this award. The Pakistanis were over the moon, and tributes flew in from all over the place. Sangakkara truly is a Pakistani hero,” said an ISPR spokesman talking to Khabaristan Today.

It is important to mention here that Sangakkara, along with Mahela Jayawardene, have announced their retirement from the shortest form of cricket. And so it was rather fitting that Pakistanis gave their hero such a rapturous farewell.

EPL: Anfield to host title-decider today

Liverpool, Manchester City lock horns in the Premier League.

All eyes will be on Anfield as Liverpool host a potential Premier League title-decider when Manchester City visit on Sunday.

After 24 years and more than 900 league games since their last title in 1990, a win for Liverpool will leave them with one hand on the trophy; lose and it may all be over for them, with City left to map out the route of the open-bus parade. A draw would be advantage City.

The emotional clash will be framed with tributes to mark the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, where 96 Liverpool fans died after a stampede at Sheffield during an FA Cup semi-final in 1989.

Currently, the Reds sit at the top of the table, with five more games to go and four points clear of City, who have two games in hand.  Both teams have scored 174 goals, with Liverpool at 90, while City have accumulated 84.

Brendan Rodger’s side will be looking to secure their 10th successive league victory, having  recorded a routine, albeit controversial, 2-1 win over West Ham last weekend, courtesy of two penalties from Steven Gerrard.

Rodger’s side is riding on the back of their gung-ho attitude, with the support of a large fan base and a noise to equal the sense of destiny, history, and emotion this encounter holds for them. “We have an army of supporters behind us who are incredible; we’ve got a team high in confidence and belief, knowing we can beat anyone; we have no fear,” said Rodgers, according to The Telegraph.

“If you become fearful of it, that’s the first-class ticket to fail. The roar is different here at the moment. I have sensed it.

“We will unleash the supporters yet again on our opponents. Anfield is a very, very difficult place for people to come and play now. I have felt the power of the support here.”

The Reds will turn to Daniel Sturridge, who quit his former club City for the sake of his career, and now makes a deadly combination with Luis Suarez, to create problems for their opponents. They will also have Gerrard’s brilliance backing up their play.

After more than two decades in United’s shadow, Liverpool have the chance now to write a new chapter in the club’s history. Rodger’s has given his side the individual freedom to attack freely and do whatever it takes to put the ball in the net.

On the other hand, City, who are newly established, compared to historical giants Liverpool, focus mainly on teamwork and not individual brilliance. They have one of the best home records this season and recently thrashed Southampton 4-1; however, it is their away form that has let them down. This could play a pivotal role in deciding the Premier League title since the clash is set to take place at Anfield.

Moreover, Manuel Pellegrini’s side may need to take heed of what happened to Tottenham and Arsenal at Liverpool’s home ground, with the former being destroyed 4-0 and the latter, 5-1. Pellegrini’s side themselves have historically struggled at the stadium, having won only once there in the past 22 league encounters.

Having said this, City’s Vincent Kompany needs to be on top of his game to steady his side’s challenging approach.

However, the captain has banked his side’s success at Anfield by pointing to City’s away victories at Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Tottenham as evidence that they can beat Liverpool at home.

“They [Liverpool] have scored a lot of goals – as have we – but we’ve only conceded two goals in our last seven Premier League games so we’ve been defending well, too, and that will be just as important as our strikers finding the net on Sunday,” said Kompany, according to The Guardian.

“It’s a game between two teams with slightly different styles, but the same philosophy and I think it will be a very entertaining game because both teams will try to score goals.”

Besides the potential tite-decider, Chelsea will be looking to end an away three-match losing streak when they travel to Swansea on Sunday.

I’ve lost focus due to non-payment: Mohammad Asif

“So much has changed in these 16 months but I’m still standing at the same point waiting for my prize money,” Asif told The Express Tribune. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE

KARACHI: 

Former snooker world champion Mohammad Asif admitted that he has started to lose his focus on the game due to the non-payment of his Rs15 million prize money from the government as per the national sports policy for becoming a global champion.

More than 16 months have passed since Asif won the world championship back in December 2012, where he became only the second cueist from Pakistan to achieve the feat after Mohammad Yousuf, who won the IBSF world championship back in 1994.

Despite putting Pakistan’s name back on snooker map, Asif and the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association’s (PBSA) plea is being ignored by the government.

In the meantime, Asif went onto lose his world crown, while he, along with Mohammad Sajjad, helped Pakistan win the maiden IBSF World Team Championship.

Despite all these developments, one thing that has not changed for Asif is that he has not received his rightful payment and according to him the situation was disheartening.

“So much has changed in these 16 months but I’m still standing at the same point waiting for my prize money,” Asif told The Express Tribune.

“As a player or even as a human being you just can’t remove the thought of not getting such a heavy cash reward despite becoming a world champion.

“This non-serious attitude of the government has started to take its toll on my mind and my game which has resulted in a loss of focus in my performance.”

‘It’s snooker golden period currently’

Pakistan is probably enjoying its golden period in snooker right now with the likes of Asif and Sajjad, who are accompanied by upcoming players such as Mohammad Majid, Asjad Iqbal, Hamza Akbar and other talented individuals.

But Asif stressed that all could change very soon if the government failed to realise how the game of snooker could bloom at this point of time.

“Every player or a game has cycles during its continuous evolution,” he said. “Previously, we used to rule the world in squash, then came the golden period in hockey followed by cricket. But right now, it’s snooker which is going through a golden period and the government must realise this quickly.

“Snooker can bring laurels for Pakistan because we’ve got good quality players right now. If the government does not give due attention to the sport right now, then certainly the future will be really dark for the game and players will start giving it up as a profession.”

The 31-year-old Faisalabad-based player pleaded Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to personally look at the injustice of not being given his due reward.

“The PM himself is a lover of sports and I can only request him to personally look into my case so that the efforts I and other cueists make will not go in vain,” he concluded.

Technical directives are just opinions: Horner

Red Bull’s appeal hearing at the headquarters of the FIA will probably announce the verdict before the Chinese Grand Prix on April 27. PHOTO: AFP

LONDON: 

The first big technical controversy of Formula One’s new engine era has its day in court on Monday with champions Red Bull confident they have a strong case in appealing Daniel Ricciardo’s Australian Grand Prix exclusion.

Ricciardo finished second in his home race last month, his debut for Red Bull, but was disqualified hours later when stewards ruled his car had breached the new fuel flow regulations.

Red Bull are sure to argue that a technical directive relating to the issue, and sent out by the governing body before the start of the season to all teams, had no regulatory value.

“We are very confident that we can demonstrate that we complied with the rules at all times,” said team principal Christian Horner.

“If you look at the facts, it’s a very simple case. The rules are very clear. Technical directives are just opinions, not rules. Did we break the rules or not? It’s as simple as that.”

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has expressed confidence that the sensors it provides to all teams are accurate. In Melbourne, instead of relying on the official sensor provided by the governing body Red Bull declared it too inconsistent and used their own measurements instead.

Ricciardo was then disqualified when stewards ruled his car had exceeded the maximum fuel flow limit of 100kg per hour — a breach which could have given a significant performance advantage over others.

The FIA says also that Red Bull ignored requests to reduce the fuel flow rate during the race.

McLaren will be among those following events closely, having benefited from Ricciardo’s exclusion with Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen promoted to second and Jenson Button to third.

Watson rejoices at Masters lead

By the time the dust had settled, Watson was leading by three at seven-under-par 137 after rounds of 69 and 68. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

AUGUSTA: 

Bubba Watson was the man to catch on Saturday for the 50 other golfers who made it through to Masters weekend at Augusta National.

The 35-year-old champion from two years ago blasted clear of the field with a five-in-a-row, back nine birdie blast that briefly raised the roof on what was otherwise a relatively sedate day.

By the time the dust had settled, Watson was leading by three at seven-under-par 137 after rounds of 69 and 68, making him the only man in the field capable of creating Masters history by firing four rounds in the 60s.

Closest to him is quiet Australian John Senden, who is at four under, with veteran Dane Thomas Bjorn, unheralded Swede Jonas Blixt, rising US star Jordan Spieth and, most menacingly, defending champion Adam Scott a further shot back.

Watson, who endured a year in the golfing wilderness after his emotional Masters win in 2012, said he had got himself back to the basics and was “being a kid again and just rejoicing.”

Spieth exudes all the confidence of youth, saying there is no reason he cannot become the youngest-ever winner of the Masters on Sunday.

“Right now we’re 36 holes in, so I think I’m still far from contention,” said Spieth.

A total of 17 players were grouped within six strokes of Watson in a leaderboard dominated by Americans, but still with an international flavour.

This year, for the first time since 1994, there was no Tiger Woods and no Phil Mickelson on the weekend at the Masters.

Farah ready to enter marathon unknown

It was in London two years ago that Farah won gold in both the Olympic 5,000 metres and 10,000m. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

LONDON: 

Mo Farah is all set for the unusual experience of being a ‘first-timer’ in a major race when the British track star makes his marathon debut in London on Sunday.

It was in London two years ago that Farah won gold in both the Olympic 5,000 metres and 10,000m, joining a selected group of athletes to have triumphed in both long-distance races at the same Games.

It was a double he repeated at last year’s World Championships in Moscow but Farah now faces a field full of top-class marathon runners.

His rivals on Sunday include Uganda’s world and Olympic champion Stephen Kiprotich, Kenya’s Wilson Kipsang, the world record-holder, and double-defending London champion Tsegaye Kebede.

“If you look at the field in terms of the athletes, which athletes in there are running their first marathon?” said Farah.

“Pretty much none. It is strange feeling like a novice. In track races you know if you go to the front you can control a race.

“It’s the distance more than the race — as a track runner you can constantly cover the distance in training.

“However in this one I just don’t know what’s going to happen,” added Farah.

But it is not impossible for a marathon debutant to emerge victorious — Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele won on his first competitive attempt at the 26.2 miles distance in Paris last week.

“It does give me good confidence that I can repeat that feat,” said Farah