Football news

Chelsea have refound their defensive strength under interim manager Rafael Benitez, goalkeeper Petr Cech said yesterday.

Chelsea have won their last three Premier League matches and kept four clean sheets since Benitez took over last month following the sacking of Roberto Di Matteo.

“We look more organised. We were conceding far too many goals and we were too open,” Cech said.

“We’ve been defending much better as a team and that’s been the key.”

Chelsea have conceded eight times in Benitez’s 10 matches in charge, compared to 21 in the same number of games at the end of Di Matteo’s tenure.

Newcastle jinx

Newcastle have been hit with a succession of injuries ahead of their Premier League game away to Arsenal this evening.

Manager Alan Pardew has midfielder Cheick Tiote available again after a one-match ban, but Vurnon Anita is out with an ankle injury sustained in the 4-3 defeat at Man. United.

Central defender Mike Williamson, meanwhile, is suspended for a fifth booking.

Jonas Gutierrez (knee) has joined fellow midfielders Yohan Cabaye (groin) and Hatem Ben Arfa (hamstring) as well as central defender Steven Taylor (also hamstring) on the sidelines, while full-back Ryan Taylor and midfielders Dan Gosling and Haris Vuckic (all knee) are still missing.

Abidal feels fit, keen to play

Barcelona defender Eric Abidal says he feels fit and is keen to play again, eight months after he underwent a liver transplant.

“I feel good,” the 33-year-old French international said.

“The truth is that it’s been a long time since they operated on me. It has been eight months and I have fought a lot and I carry on fighting.

“It is difficult but my spirits are still high and I am keen to fight and come back.”

Abidal had the liver transplant operation on April 10 just over a year after a tumour was removed from his liver in March 2011.

Galatasaray show Alvarez interest

Reports suggest Inter are prepared to offload Ricky Alvarez in the January transfer window with Turkey’s Galatasaray the latest club to show interest in the Argentine midfielder.

Alvarez, 24, only made two starts this season as he continued to struggle with injuries that blighted his stay at Inter following his arrival from Velez Sarsfield in 2011.

Alvarez has a contract tying him until 2016 but with Porto, River Plate and a club from the Bundesliga keen to secure his signature, it seems his future lies away from the San Siro.

Zarate set for Genoa transfer

Serie A strugglers Genoa are reportedly close to signing Mauro Zarate , the Lazio 25-year-old striker, in the January transfer window.

Genoa are looking to add more players to their squad in order to boost their chances of avoiding the drop.

Zarate played for Inter on loan last season but returned to parent club Lazio in summer only to fall behind in the pecking order. In fact, the Argentine has only figured in one league match this season.

Genoa have already secured the signings of Antonio Floro Flores, from Udinese, and Francelino Matuzalem who joined from Lazio.

Sunderland ban fans for standing

Sunderland have taped up seats and stripped several fans of their season tickets for standing during matches as controversy grows over a law that requires many English football spectators to sit.

The law was passed in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster when 96 supporters were crushed to death and many more injured due to over-crowding at an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in 1989.

A photo on Twitter showed a seat at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light taped up with the sign: “This season card has been suspended due to persistent standing.”

Yobo hits back at Odemwingie

Nigeria captain Joseph Yobo has lashed out at Peter Odemwingie for being disrespectful after the West Brom striker said the country does not have a team leader.

Odemwingie said via Twitter that recent Eagles captains have looked out only for themselves and so the team lack a leader.

Yobo has now hit back at his national team-mate, who was sensationally dropped from the squad for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa

“Peter has been reckless, disrespectful to most people. He’s not a kid, he should grow up because we cannot continue to baby sit him.

“He is responsible for his problems,” Yobo said.