Manchester City remain hopeful that Carlos Tevez will be fit for the biggest two matches of their season after he returned to training at Carrington.
Tevez was back in Manchester after spending two weeks in Milan receiving treatment on a hamstring tear from the Argentinian FA's doctor.The striker is still some way from fitness but City manager Roberto Mancini hopes he will be back for their crucial Barclays Premier League clash with Tottenham on May 10 and the FA Cup final against Stoke on May 14.
Tevez himself hopes to play against Everton at Goodison Park on May 7 but City's medical staff feel that may be too early.
Meanwhile, midfielder Nigel de Jong believes City should not settle for Champions League qualification as they can still catch third-placed Arsenal.
Mancini's side took a huge step towards securing their place among Europe's elite with a 1-0 victory over Blackburn on Monday.
That put City four points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham and De Jong said: 'You have to aim as high as you can and all we can do is focus on each game and keep collecting three points.
'We are in the top four and the way to stay there is to not think about the future, only the next match.
'If we keep our focus then of course we can challenge for third, but we must keep winning and see what happens.' Mail
FULHAM will make another move to lure Shaun Wright-Phillips to Craven Cottage at the end of the season.
They failed with a loan move in January, but Wright-Phillips, 29, is still top of manager Mark Hughes’ wish-list.
Wright-Phillips, right, has been a bit-part player at Manchester City this season. He put in a transfer request in January and Fulham and Bolton moved in for him, but neither matched City’s £4SHrS million valuation and they refused to loan him out.
Fulham hope a £3.5m fee might be more agreeable and Hughes is looking to bring in a replacement for Simon Davies, who has been hit by injuries. Express
De Jong targets third place
Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong believes the squad should not just settle for UEFA Champions League qualification while it can still catch third-placed Arsenal.
Roberto Mancini's side took a huge step towards securing a first appearance in Europe's elite club competition since its debut in the then European Cup in the 1968-1969 season with victory over Blackburn Rovers.
That put it four points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with Spurs still to go to Eastlands next month.
City is also seeking to end a 35-year wait for a major trophy in the FA Cup final against Stoke City but De Jong insists more can still be achieved in the league.
"You have to aim as high as you can and all we can do is focus on each game and keep collecting three points," he told mcfc.co.uk
"We are in the top four and that is where we want to stay and the way to do that is to not think about the future only the next match.
"If we keep our focus then of course we can challenge for third place but all we can do is keep winning and see what happens."
Noel Gallagher set to go head-to-head with Tom Jones for FA Cup final
Some might say Noel Gallagher could soon be going head-to-head in a chart battle with ageing crooner Tom Jones.
Manchester City fan Noel Gallagher (centre) is set to perform during the FA Cup final next month (Pic: Action Images)
The former Oasis strummer and the Welsh wonder have been tipped to produce this year’s FA Cup final songs, adding some much-needed star quality to a once proud tradition.
Shakermaker Noel is reportedly in talks with his beloved Manchester City to write a song for the Eastlands club ahead of their Wembley date with Stoke on May 14.
Jones is not known for his love of the Potteries but, with Stoke fans having adopted his song Delilah as their unofficial anthem, club officials are believed to be have approached the orange-skinned warbler about performing a Cup-final record.
Boxer Ricky Hatton and former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr are tipped to guest on Gallagher’s tune – rumoured to be a cover of City’s ‘Blue Moon’ anthem – if the project gets off the ground.
Tardelli: 'Mancini won't join Juve'
Republic of Ireland assistant manager Marco Tardelli says Gigi Del Neri isn’t to blame for Juventus’ troubles, but “Roberto Mancini won’t come.”
The last few weeks have seen Manchester City boss Mancini become the hot favourite to replace Del Neri at the end of the season.
“Now it’s difficult to find anyone to replace Del Neri,” former Juve legend Tardelli told Radio Sportiva.
“Mancini is happy in England and I don’t think he can accept the Bianconeri’s offer. He won’t come to Turin.
“Besides, Del Neri cannot shoulder all the blame, as it must be shared out between many people. If you remove Alessandro Del Piero and Gigi Buffon, Juve have no world class players.
“Del Neri made mistakes, but the squad at his disposal was not worthy of a title race, certainly not on a par with Milan and Inter. It’s difficult to judge his work in these circumstances.”
Among the other candidates for the Juventus bench are Napoli’s Walter Mazzarri and Porto manager Andre Villas Boas.
“I don’t know Villas Boas very well,” continued Tardelli, who is assistant manager to Giovanni Trapattoni.
“Mazzarri did a great job at Napoli, but he too would need reinforcements before making this side successful.
“I don’t know if Juventus have the €100m needed for a real transfer strategy. It’s impossible to even suggest potential buys, because the club risks not even qualifying for the Europa League.”
THE MUNICH DEBATE BOLLOX
Calling them Munichs is just about as geographically accurate as calling them Mancs...
Sydney Blues: http://lessoninpride.blogspot.com/2011/ ... -time.html
Callous insensitivity, or manufactured controversy?
Here is the City: http://life.hereisthecity.com/2011/04/2 ... ut-munich/
You degrade City, a predictable Mail headline intersperse with Colin Bell's quotes
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... nting.html
I don't seek to excuse them, they are fools but I do think this is all a bit of a massive effort to try and destabilise MCFC before the FA Cup final.
Vital City: http://www.manchestercity.vitalfootball ... z1KniyjxNI
MCF.NET THREAD: viewtopic.php?f=119&t=38305
WAG OF THE DAY
El CLASICO & OTHER BOLLOX
"Look who's coming, Fergie" - Alongside a picture of two-goal Lionel Messi and his celebrating team-mates, the Sun marks Barcelona's victory over Real Madrid by warning Sir Alex Ferguson that his Manchester United side look set for a repeat of the 2009 Champions League final.
Messi's late heroics lit up a bad-tempered affair that The Sun calls "battle of Bernabeu" under the headline "IT'S ALL A BIT MESSI".
"BEAUTY AND THE BEASTS" is the verdict of the Daily Mirror, which hails "MAGICAL MESSI" and warns Manchester United to "BE AFRAID".
The Daily Telegraph takes a pop at Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho - "NOT SO SPECIAL NOW" - praises Messi - "Magnificent Messi makes mockery of Madrid tactics" - and then returns to Mourinho when attempting to apportion blame for the ill-discipline and malice on display - "Curse of Mourinho strikes again".
Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was quick to vent his displeasure at the perceived play-acting on display at the Bernabeu. Barcelona's Pedro fell to the ground clutching his face after a harmless collision with Alvaro Arbeloa in the first half and Ferdinand used social networking site Twitter to say: "This diving is a joke/embarrassing. When Pedro watches that do you think he'll think 'What was I doing!?'"
Chelsea are closing in on the £18m capture of 17-year-old Anderlecht striker Romelu Lukaku, who is being tracked by a host of top European clubs and has been labelled the 'new Didier Drogba'. the Sun
But winger Florent Malouda and striker Nicolas Anelka will be shown the door in a summer clear-out at Stamford Bridge. Daily Mirror
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will make a £24m bid to pip Bayern Munich to the signing of Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Daily Star
Turkey midfielder Nurin Sahin, previously monitored by Chelsea and a possible summer target for Liverpool, could be free to leave current club Borussia Dortmund after the German league leaders lined up Nuremberg's Ilkay Gundogan as a replacement. talkSPORT
Liverpool are also interested in a £5m move for Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton, with Reds manager Kenny Dalglish keen to reunite him with former Magpies team-mate Andy Carroll.Daily Mail
Standard Liege midfielder Axel Witsel is being courted by Liverpool and AC Milan, who both hope to sign the 22-year-old this summer.talkSPORT
Werder Bremen playmaker Marko Marin could be heading to Tottenham, with the 22-year-old's fine form and relative youth tempting manager Harry Redknapp. Footy Latest
Meanwhile, Tottenham midfield anchorman Wilson Palacios is a £10m target for Serie A side Napoli who hope to exploit the Honduran's fall down the pecking order at White Hart Lane. talkSPORT
And his fellow Spurs midfielder Niko Kranjcar could also be on his way out of White Hart Lane after failing to cement a permanent spot in Redknapp's plans this season. "I would definitely be interested in moving to Italy," he said. "I think I would adapt quickly to Italian football." the Sun
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema could be lured to Arsenal by the offer of first-team football after struggling to establish himself in the starting line-up at the Bernabeu. Caught Offside
Everton will make a summer move for Preston full-back Billy Jones. the Sun
Blackburn have been warned that they will have to offer £7m if they are to secure the services of Malaga midfielder Jose Recio. Daily Mail
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has moved into pole position in the race to land Cardiff striker Jay Boothroyd on a free transfer at the end of the season. Daily Mirror
Striker Wayne Rooney has admitted he was wrong to state his desire to leave Manchester United in October. the Sun
Despite manager Arsene Wenger's pleas for him to renew his contract, Arsenal assistant boss Pat Rice may be forced to retire as he struggles to manage a chronic knee problem. Daily Mail
Arsenal defender Sebastien Squillaci is locked in a row with the French FA over unpaid World Cup bonuses. The France players were each promised £100,000 for reaching last summer's finals and Squillaci pledged to split the money between non-league clubs FC Seynois and Sporting Toulon Var, where he began his career. However, after Raymond Domenech's side crashed out at the group stage, the French Football Federation decided instead to divide the funds between various charities and amateur clubs.
the Sun
Porto coach Andre Villas Boas says reports linking him with a move to clubs in England or Italy are "absurd". The 33-year-old has attracted attention from the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Juventus and Roma after leading his team to the Portuguese title in his first full season. the Sun
Patrice Evra has vowed to sign up for yoga classes after team-mate Ryan Giggs put Manchester United within sight of the Champions League final. Giggs became the oldest player to score in the competition following his opener in the 2-0 win over Schalke on Tuesday and the midfielder insists yoga has helped prolong his top-level career. the Sun
Schalke striker Raul admits the Red Devils were so good that his side could not even kick them. "Our keeper Manuel Neuer saved us in the first half," said the Spaniard. "We improved in the second half but they punished us twice - we couldn't even get close enough to kick them." the Sun
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