Liverpool’s Rodgers concerned by lack of squad depth |
- Liverpool’s Rodgers concerned by lack of squad depth
- Saudi Arabia to give Lebanese army US$3b
- Mourinho praises ‘fantastic’ Terry after 600th game
- US Defence Chief voices concern in call to Egypt army head
- Aussie dollar set for biggest yearly drop since 2008 on Fed taper
| Liverpool’s Rodgers concerned by lack of squad depth Posted: 29 Dec 2013 05:12 PM PST
The Merseysiders topped the Premier League on Christmas Day, but a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on yesterday, on the back of losing to Manchester City by the same score-line, has dumped them down to fifth. They were far from outclassed and took the lead in both games but ultimately came unstuck and were without an inspirational game changer waiting in the wings to come off the bench. "We couldn't have had two tougher games against two greater squads. Our squad is very thin at the moment," Rodgers told BBC Sport. "Against Manchester City we were the best team and today, after taking the lead, we gave away a disappointing goal. "The players have been outstanding. If one or two things had gone our way maybe the result would have been different. At the start of our season this squad was very thin anyway and we needed that bit of luck with nobody getting injured but up until four weeks ago that worked for us." With captain Steven Gerrard and striker Daniel Sturridge already side-lined, they suffered further bad news on the injury front with defender Mamadou Sakho limping off clutching his hamstring and midfielder Joe Allen also forced off. Liverpool have now played all of the current top four away from home and their next three fixtures are against teams 10th or below and a good run of results could yet propel them back into contention. Yet their title credentials could be defined by their strength in reserve and a glance at their substitutes, in comparison to Chelsea's, would not have filled their fans with confidence. After Allen was forced off, Rodgers threw 19-year-old Brad Smith into the fray for his first appearance, while the inclusion of 16-year-old Jordan Rossiter on the bench might have been a nudge to the club's owners to dust off the chequebook in January. "We've shown when we've got everyone available we'll be a match for anyone. If we get that wee bit of luck and have people fit then there's no reason why we can't be challenging (for the title)," Rodgers added. "It's such a tight league you can go from top to fifth. Nothing is won at the midway point. The most important thing for us is that we're in the conversation this year." — Reuters  |
| Saudi Arabia to give Lebanese army US$3b Posted: 29 Dec 2013 05:01 PM PST
Some of the money was likely to be spent on weapons from France, Suleiman indicated in a televised address. One of the few institutions not overtaken by the sectarian divisions that plague the country, Lebanon's army is ill-equipped to deal with internal militant groups, particularly the Shiah Muslim guerrilla and political movement Hezbollah. The Sunni Muslim kingdom of Saudi Arabia may be seeking to bolster the army as a counterbalance to Hezbollah, seen as the most effective and powerful armed group in Lebanon and funded by the regional Shiah power Iran. "The king of the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is offering this generous and appreciated aid of US$3 billion to the Lebanese army to strengthen its capabilities," Suleiman said. "His Highness suggested that weapons would be purchased from France, and quickly." French President Francois Hollande, currently on a visit to Saudi Arabia where he met King Abdullah, said France would supply weapons to the Lebanese army if it was asked to do so. He told a news conference in Riyadh: "France has equipped the Lebanese army for a while up until recently and we will readily answer any solicitation ... If demands are made to us we will satisfy them." Lebanon's armed forces have been struggling to deal with violence spreading over the border from Syria's civil war. The country, which is still rebuilding after its own 15-year civil war, has seen clashes between gunmen loyal to opposing sides of the Syrian conflict, as well as militant attacks on the army itself. Rising regional Sunni-Shiah tensions have been stoked by the fight in neighbouring Syria, which generally pits the country's majority Sunni Muslim rebels against President Bashar al-Assad's minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiah Islam. — Reuters |
| Mourinho praises ‘fantastic’ Terry after 600th game Posted: 29 Dec 2013 04:59 PM PST
The 33-year-old former England skipper, whose form was said to be in decline last season, turned out for Chelsea for the 600th time in their 2-1 home victory over Liverpool in the Premier League. The win lifted Chelsea into third place, two points behind leaders Arsenal and pushed Liverpool down to fifth, four points further back. "More important than the accumulation of the 600 matches is that he played every minute of the 19 matches in the Premier League this season amazing for a player who last season lots of people said was going down," Mourinho told reporters. "He is showing fantastic quality. The players I had in the past I have a special connection with them but . he's not playing because he's my friend but he's getting these minutes on the pitch because he's playing exceptionally well." Mourinho said Terry had contributed to a big win in a tight championship race in which the demands on players were clearly illustrated by the fact Chelsea lost Frank Lampard and Branislav Ivanovic to injury during the game. "Big respect to every player in this country. The accumulation of matches is amazing and happens what happens to Ivanovic, to Lampard, to (Liverpool's Mamadou) Sakho, to (Joe) Allen," he added, referring to the busy traditional Christmas and New year programme in the Premier League. "They have to give what they have and have to give what they don't have. "From the first minute to the last minute the result was in doubt with everyone giving 100 per cent. It was a game of big emotion, a hard game and a big game. "If we don't win the game, the distance to the leaders is difficult. The accumulation of matches, the injuries, Ramires not playing, plus (John Obi) Mikel with the flu, altogether makes me very happy with the game." — Reuters |
| US Defence Chief voices concern in call to Egypt army head Posted: 29 Dec 2013 04:56 PM PST
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel expressed his condolences for the victims of a spate of recent bomb attacks in Egypt, and offered US assistance to investigate the incidents, a Pentagon spokesman said in a statement. A bomb exploded outside an Egyptian army building north of Cairo yesterday, the latest in a series of violent incidents in Egypt. The Egyptian Army labelled the incident a terrorist attack, but did not name the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group it declared a terrorist organisation last week. In his call with Sisi, Hagel also "stressed the role of political inclusiveness," and the two men discussed "the balance between security and freedom," spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said in the statement. "Secretary Hagel also expressed concerns about the political climate in advance of the constitutional referendum, including the continued enforcement of a restrictive demonstrations law," Rear Admiral John Kirby said. Egypt's army-backed government has used the new classification to detained hundreds of supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, and thousands more are already in jail. The terrorist classification was the government's latest move to crack down on the Islamist group following the ouster of former President Mohamed Mursi in July. As friction grows between supporters and opponents of the Brotherhood, officials have also warned Egyptians against participating in protests in support of the group. Street clashes have killed seven people in the last three days. The Brotherhood, which has estimated its membership at up to a million people, was Egypt's best organised political force until this summer's crackdown. A political and social movement founded in 1928, it won five elections after the downfall of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Under the government's political transition plan, a referendum is planned for mid-January on a new constitution, followed by parliamentary polls and a presidential election. — Reuters |
| Aussie dollar set for biggest yearly drop since 2008 on Fed taper Posted: 29 Dec 2013 04:50 PM PST
The Aussie dollar weakened, extending the worst weekly run of losses in more than three decades before data which may show expansion in Chinese manufacturing slowed. Iron ore ports on Australia's northwest coast began shutting down over the weekend before Tropical Cyclone Christine hits land as early as tonight, after being upgraded to a Category 3 storm by Australia's Bureau of Meteorology. New Zealand's dollar held a five-day decline versus the US currency. "The big theme has been Fed tapering," said Janu Chan, economist at St. George Bank Ltd. in Sydney. "With that set to continue into 2014, we'll expect the Aussie to come under some further pressure over the next year." The Australian currency weakened 0.1 per cent to 88.57 US cents as of 11:23am in Sydney from December 27, when it capped a 10th consecutive weekly decline, the longest losing streak since exchange controls were scrapped in 1983. The Aussie has fallen 15 per cent this year, the sharpest drop since 2008. It slid 0.1 per cent to NZ$1.0869 today and was little changed at ¥93.25. The kiwi bought 81.48 US cents from 81.50 at the end last week, down 0.6 per cent since December 20. New Zealand's currency has lost 1.7 per cent this year. It gained 0.1 per cent to ¥85.78. Australia's 10-year government bond yield rose as much as four basis points, or 0.04 percentage point, to 4.32 per cent. Cyclone Christine Port Hedland, the largest iron ore-export terminal, shut down yesterday morning as the cyclone nears the Pilbara coast. The port of Dampier closed last evening, said acting Chief Executive Officer Paul Toussaint-Jackson. Australia's cyclone season typically runs from November to April with storms affecting shipping of commodities and potentially shutting offshore oil and gas production. "It's still early days in determining what kind of damage the cyclone would have on iron-ore production," said St. George's Chan. "The bigger picture is that, because of the investments over the past decade or so, production capacity has increased greatly, so over the next year we should still continue to see the trend improving as long as Chinese demand is maintained." China manufacturing China's Purchasing Managers' Index probably fell to 51.2 this month from 51.4 in November, according to the median estimate of economist surveyed by Bloomberg News before the National Bureau of Statistics and China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing data due January 1. Numbers above 50 signal expansion. China is the biggest trading partner for both Australia and New Zealand. In the US, pending home sales increased 1 per cent in November from the previous month, economists in a separate Bloomberg poll forecast before that report today. The Fed said December 18 it will cut monthly asset purchases in January to US$75 billion (RM246.7 billion) from US$85 billion. Policy makers will reduce bond purchases in US$10 billion increments over the next seven meetings before ending the programme in December 2014, economists said in a Bloomberg survey published December 19. — Bloomberg |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malay Mail Online | All To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
