Weekly Football News, April 22 2013
Suarez is "world-class trouble": Hansen
Former Liverpool central defender Alan Hansen has conceded that the transfer value of Liverpool's prime asset Luis Suarez has diminished considerably in the wake of the biting incident involving Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in Sunday's Premier League match at Anfield.
Hansen, speaking on Match of the Day in England after Suarez's latest indiscretion since his move to England in 2011, also claimed that the Uruguayan's character is flawed and that trouble will continue to encircle him.
"He's a world-class player, but he gives you world-class trouble," he said of Suarez, who has since apologised for his "inexcusable behaviour" after contacting Ivanovic directly.
"Why he did it, you'll never know, but there appears to be a massive flaw in his character.
"Whether he has become a liability is a decision Liverpool now have to make. There will always be a problem here.
"If the club are going to be brave and say he is up for transfer, then they know they are going to have to take a hit. Because if anybody wants to take him they are not going to pay in excess of £40 million, which is the sort of value people might have put on him before Sunday's incident."
United close in on 20th title triumph
Manchester United could reclaim the English Premier League title tonight with four matches to spare after current champions and closest challengers Manchester City threw away a one-goal lead to capitulate 3-1 to Tottenham.
A victory for United over relegation-threatened Aston Villa at Old Trafford will secure an unprecedented 20th league title.
Manchester City were cruising to victory over Spurs, who have Champions League ambitions themselves, after Samir Nasri gave the visitors a half-time advantage.
However, with just 15 minutes remaining, Clint Dempsey tapped in man-of-the-match Gareth Bale's cross at the far post before Jermain Defoe added a second and Bale chipped a delightful third over Joe Hart.
"They [United] deserve to win this title because we lost a lot of points in games we didn't deserve to lose," Mancini said.
"But United won a lot of games in a row with goals and deserve to win the title."
Abidal returns for Barca
Barcelona defender Eric Abidal has made his first start since February 2012 following liver surgery last year.
The Frenchman played the entire 90 minutes of Barca's 1-0 win over Levante, which restored their 13-point cushion over defending La Liga champions Real Madrid.
"On a footballing level, I think he played well. He paced himself perfectly," said the club's assistant coach Jordi Roura.
"We have to enjoy this moment. We will have time to sit down and talk about his contract extension before the season is over. The important thing is that he played the whole game."
Barcelona face Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.
Grand final scars have healed: Arnold
Graham Arnold, the A-League-winning manager of the Central Coast Mariners, has conceded that the scars of losing the grand final to Brisbane Roar two years ago have finally been healed.
Arnold led the Mariners to their maiden A-League championship over the weekend with an emphatic 2-0 win over premiers Western Sydney Wanderers at Allianz Stadium.
After three grand final defeats, the unfancied Central Coast have finally clinched the biggest prize in Australian football and banished the memories of their heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to Brisbane in 2011
"There's a few boys who have been scarred from grand finals, but now the scars are gone. Our fairytale has now been achieved," the former Socceroos assistant coach said.
"We had to learn the hard way how to win a grand final, and I am sure they [the Wanderers] will get a chance in the near future."
Compiled by Marc Fox
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