Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka: Two Mighty Signings for Real Madrid

Economic recession has not got over yet. Still, Real Madrid dared to spend about $250 million only on two players: Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka- in the summer. Time has not come yet to evaluate their performance and justify the two movies. However, one thing is for sure that no other club in the world could have gone that far to spend such a huge amount only on two players at the time of the economic recession, regardless of the fact how much they really deserve it.

Spending big amount is a trademark for the current Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who is currently in his third spell at Madrid hot seat. He did the same in his previous two terms brining in some of world’s best players like Figo, Zidane, Beckham, Ronaldo (Brazil) and many other star players. The main objective was to make some quick cash in by capitalizing on the starry image of the likes of Zidane, Figo, Beckham and others.

Well, it is true that he brought a considerable financial success for the club, but in terms of performance, Real Madrid was not very dominant. It is true that Real Madrid won some trophies both in Spain and Europe, but towards the end of Perez’s second spell, Real started showing poor performance, and thus, the pressure was mounting on the star players.

So, in the long run, I do not believe that Real Madrid’s current approach of signing big players and bringing success would work well. For sustainable success, you need to have a strong and effective youth policy (like Arsenal), and if you look at the Real Madrid youth side, you can see that their youth system could not yet produce any world class player after the current goal-keeper Iker Casillas.

So, I think, Real Madrid needs to have a productive approach towards sustainable success; rather than short term glory. It is true that Real Madrid may get some strong success this season or in the coming seasons, but after that would come another spell of some poor seasons because there is no productive approach in their youth policy.

Chelsea Moves atop the Table after 3-0 Win over Burnley

Chelsea clinched their fourth straight victory in the premier league season as they defeated newly advanced Burnley 3-0 at home. With this victory, the Blues are now at the top of the table with 12 points. No doubt, it was another strong performance from Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

Chelsea opened scoring thanks to veteran striker Nicolas Anelka who shot past the Burnley goalkeeper, having received a pass from Didier Drogba. Hosts were leading 1-0 at the half time. Chelsea fans celebrated two more goals in the second half. Michael Ballack headed in the second one before an Ashley Cole volley earned the third for Chelsea.

Chelsea could have won by a bigger margin, if a number of scoring chances were not squandered off by their players. Anyway, still it is a strong performance and they have showed that they are the strong contender of the title this season. Last year, Chelsea finished third in the league, but this season the Blues started the season winning the Community Shield trophy by defeating reigning premier league champion Manchester United. Chelsea’s current sparkling form is the evident of their unity and determination to land the premier league trophy for the first time in 4 seasons.

Related article:

BBC

Manchester United vs Arsenal 2009: The Challenge of Thomas Vermaelen

Thomas Vermaelen has created a lot fans in Arsenal within just 2 weeks. I think that last year, the arrival of Arshevin caused this kind of happiness among fans. Everyone is surprised with the way, Thomas Vermaelen has adjusted himself in the club in the first eleven right from the first match. Tomorrow, he has the unenvious task of marking Wayne Rooney in the Manchester United vs Arsenal match. This is his first big test in the club. I am sure that tomorrow, he will do well.

Thomas Vermaelen is a young player but with lot of experience behind him. He is the only big signing in the summer for Arsene Wenger. On the other hand, Rooney has a very good season for Manchester United. SO, it will be a real entertainment for the TV viewers tomorrow’s match.

Manchester United vs Arsenal 29 August 2009: Who Will Win?

For live score of the match, visit this link:

Manchester United and Arsenal Match Live Updates

The big fight is tomorrow and it will take place at Old Trafford. They are the two teams in superb touch this season. Both of them look confident and are demolishing others. Judging the form of the current season, it has become indeed the clash of the titans. The supporters are busy with arguing against each other in real life and in Internet about who will win tomorrow’s match between Manchester United and Arsenal.

Biplob Kishore Deb has written a detailed entry about it and you should read it:

Manchester United vs Arsenal Preview, Live Score

It is a home match for United and that is why, I think that Man U is the favorite. They are not playing bad in the current season either. The Untied players are perhaps in fresh mood compared to the Gunners because Arsenal had to take part in Champions League qualifying match against Celtic this Wednesday.

On the other hand, I don’t want to underestimate Arsenal at all because in this season, they have won all the matches so far. I liked their strong showing against Celtic in this Wednesday night because they completely outclassed the Scottish side despite missing Fabregas and Van Persie. Even Arshevin was in the bench most of time.

That is why, I think that it will be a draw and no one will win. Let us see who wins.

Joleon Lescott Moved to Manchester City for £22m Transfer Fee

Joleon Lescott has, at last, made his much-anticipated move to Manchester City from Everton for a transfer fee in the region of £22m, and thus, making a place among the top defenders in the world. There is no doubt, with this signing Manchester City has strengthened its already-star-studded squad further. After the Arab-takeover last year, the club has suddenly found bucket loads of money to buy star players in their attempt to become a formidable force both in England and in the Europe.

Manchester City signed Robinho last season for a British transfer record and they continued their spending spree this Summer too. They have already signed the star players like Gareth Barry, Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Carlos Tévez, Wayne Bridge, Roque Santa Cruz and Craig Bellamy. Now, add Joleon Lescott to the squad.

Don’t you think that the squad looks formidable? Now, let us see if Manchester City’s star players can deliver at their best and bring out success for the club who are now hungry for silverware.

Related article:

Goal.com

What Australia Needs to Bring Back its Dominance over Cricket World?

Australian captain Ricky Ponting is now under fire after Australia lost the recent Ashes 2009 series to England. There are many who are calling for sacking of Ponting as team captain and giving the responsibility to someone else. Well, Ponting has now said that he has no problem in sharing the leadership with his current deputy Michael Clarke. In fact, he is ready to keep himself reserved only for test captaincy, handing over the leadership to Clarke for the limited over matches.

The same thing happened when Ponting was appointed captain of Australia’s one-day side in 2002, while Steve Waugh who was still leading the Aussies in the longer version of the game. Ponting got the test captaincy only when Waugh retired from international cricket in 2004.

To be honest, I think, Ricky Ponting has made a smart move by declaring that he is ready to hand over the ODI and Twenty20 captaincy to Michael Clarke. It shows that Ponting does not have any special attraction for the captaincy role. However, those who are thinking about his replacement do not understand the fact that Australian team is much less stronger than it was even two years back. It is a team which is going through a formation period and it is not a task of a day or two to make the side as dominating as it was 4 or 5 years back.

So, I think, replacing a captain like Ponting, who has achieved almost everything with Australia both as a player as well as a captain, would not bring any overnight-change in Australia’s performance. What Australia needs to do is to make a long term plan under which the board will be working to make another word-dominating side within next 4 or 5 years. You might ask me that what would then happen in the next 4 or 5 years?

Well, you have to accept the fact that for long term sustainable success, you have to sacrifice some short term successes in the near future. The most important thing is that Australia needs the replacement of the likes McGrath, Warne, Martin, Bevan and many other former stars who left the international circuit over the last few years. You know it very well that finding replacements of the players of this stature is not something very easy.

So, Australian cricket needs two things: one is a long term plan under which some world class players will be developed at every age level and the second thing is the acceptability of sacrificing some short term successes in order for bigger, sustainable, long term success.

FA to Investigate into an On-field-Clash Incident at Chelsea

Football is nothing but a game, but from our past experience, we can say that football matches sometimes take nasty turn, and thus, creating havoc on the field. An incident like this reportedly happened during a behind-close-door practice match between premier league club Chelsea’s reverse side and United Arab Emirates club Al-Ahli.

The match went on for 35 minutes before it was abandoned following some physical clashes between the players. Reports have it in the media suggest that it was Al-Ahli players who played very rough and tough, and made some knee-high and two-footed tackle. All these incidents started when Chelsea defender Ben Gordon was charged a two-footed tackle and it was reported that another Chelsea defender Jack Cork picked up an injured eye from the game.

Chelsea officials are trying to keep the incident undercover. First, they removed all the references regarding this match from their website, and then, a Chelsea spokesperson tried to decrease the intensity of the incident by calling it ‘unfortunate’ and that it was ‘dealt with’.

Well, FA has already prepared to make an investigation into the matter and to find out what exactly happened on that day. This kind of incident on a football field is really very disgraceful and it could affect the popularity of the game. It does not matter who were playing the game, be it a reserve side or the first team, the matter of fact is that something happened on the day and it should be investigated and those who were involved in it should be punished.

Related article:

straitstimes

Nicolas Anelka Wants to Stay at Chelsea as Long as Possible

French striker Nicolas Anelka has said that he would love to play for Chelsea as much as possible as he loves the team and his teammates. The veteran, who joined the Stamford Bridge camp in 2008, scored one and set up another for fellow striker Didier Drogba in Chelsea’s 2-0 premier league victory away at Fulham on the weekend.

With three wins in three games, Chelsea has not lost any point either, and new boss Carlo Ancelotti is pretty much happy with his striking pair Anelka and Drogba. Anelka, however, has revealed something which could be a reason for worry both for Chelsea and France. The striker has said that he has been suffering from injury for the past 6 months almost continuously, and he even thought about undergoing a surgery this summer, but later on changed his mind considering next year’s world cup. However, he has assured his fans on the fact that he does not feel the back pain which has suffered him a lot in the past.

Well, no doubt, Anelka is getting older and it is natural that he would miss some action due to injury in future. However, one thing is true that he is still capable of playing at this level. He was the highest scorer of premier league last season with 19 goals and it shows that he still has something to offer for both his club and country. No doubt, France national team would also like to have an experienced and quality striker like Nicholas Anelka in their 2011 world cup squad.

Related article:

usatoday

Chelsea Getting Expected Service from Portuguese Players

Chelsea is one of the two Big Four clubs who have not lost any point so far in premier league 2009-10 season. No doubt, Chelsea has found their Portuguese players in better shape this season. Midfielder Deco scored in 3-1 victory against Sunderland, while two defenders Jose Bosingwa and Ricardo Carvalho have been pretty much impressive so far.

There is no doubt, time has not come to evaluate performance as the season is still in its infancy. However, the indication is clear that the three Portuguese players are going to contribute a lot to Chelsea’s success this season. They were not at their best and thus lost the favor of Guss Hiddink last season, but the new Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti is treating the three differently. It seems the players are responding too.

Related article:

Telegraph

Manchester United Routed Wigan Athletic 5-0

Having watched the first half of the game, there was hardly anybody who could imagine that Manchester United would pull off an emphatic 5-0 away victory over Wigan Athletic. However, the reality is that United players found goals coming in a flurry in the second half of today’s premier league encounter against Wigan Athletic.

Star striker Wayne Rooney scored twice to reach his 100-goal mark for United, while Dimitar Berbatov and new recruit English striker Michael Owen also found the nets, before Portuguese winger Nani scored the fifth goal in the 90^th minute.

There is no doubt, United fans are overly happy with the performance of the Red Devils, after last week’s shocking defeat at the hands of Burnley. Most importantly, all the front line strikers found goals against Wigan Athletic in what would boost up their confidence ahead of the next game against Arsenal.

Related article:

sportsnetwork

Shahid Afridi Still Sees Future for ODI Cricket

Former Australian great Shane Warne has recently suggested that ICC should adopt Test and Twenty20 formats of the game, leaving out ODI format. However, Pakistan all rounder Shahid Afridi, who is also the captain of Pakistan twenty20 side, said that ODI cricket still has good future and there is no need to close down this format.

Shahid Afridi, the record holder of fastest ODI century, thinks that ODI cricket is still very popular among the fans and players. However, he also suggests that ODI format could be reduced to 40-over, in stead of 50 overs, if ICC thinks the format is losing its popularity.

Well, money has become a part and parcel of the game which, in one sense, has been instrumental behind its increasing popularity over the last two decades. However, one thing is for sure that ODI cricket is losing its popularity with the advent of money spinning twenty20 format. So, considering the overall situation, I also think that test cricket and twenty20 should be the two formats of cricket. However, if ICC wants to keep ODI format alive, then it needs to bring out some changes in order to make it less time-consuming, but more exciting. In fact, test cricket itself also needs some changes in order to keep its appeal intact among the fans.

Benitez Not Worried about Sotirios Kyrgiakos’ Disciplinary Problem

You know that Liverpool has just completed the signing of Greek centre midfielder Sotirios Kyrgiakos for £2m from Greek club AEK Athens. The 30-year-old is believed to have brought huge experience with him as he earlier spent 18 months at Scottish club Rangers. So, Kyrgiakos is not someone new to British football. However, there is a concern in the media regarding his hard-tackling mentality for which he picked up 3 red cards during his spell at Rangers.

However, manager Rafael Benitez does not believe that it would be a problem for his new recruit. The Spaniard thinks Sotirios Kyrgiakos has become more matured in the last few years. So, Liverpool would not suffer from the Greek’s disciplinary problems. Benitez rather is pretty much delighted to have a defender with a height of 6ft 5in. He believes that Kyrgiakos’ strength in the air and aggressiveness would boost up Liverpool defense.

Related article:

Soccernet

Rafael Benitez Looking for More from Ryan Babel

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has expressed that he wants from Dutch winger Ryan Babel in 2009-10 season. The 22-year-old was unimpressive during Liverpool’s shocking 2-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur in the opening game of the season. As a result, he was left in the substitutes’ bench in the 4-0 mauling of Stoke City in the next game.

Benitez believes that Babel has the mentality to work hard and improve his game. However, the manager has made it clear that Babel has to deliver performance at different level and unless he can do that he would not given enough first team football this season.

Well, I think, Ryan Babel has shown his talent and skill last season, but the problem is that he lacks consistency. In order to clinch a regular spot at this level, one needs to perform almost regularly, and thus, winning the belief of the coach and fans. I hope Babel would nurture his talent and improve on his game to win a regular place in Liverpool squad.

Related article:

Guardian

Australia Named 15-Men Squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2009

Australian selectors declared the 15-men squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 recently and it seems that they decided to show some faith on the senior players. In fact, 9 of the 15 players of the squad are currently playing in the ongoing fifth Ashes test against England. There are 6 players who are at their 30s and only 2 players are under 25.

Over the last few series and tournaments, Australian selectors were very much interested in bringing new faces in Australian squad, citing an approach to make a balanced team in the long run. However, this time national selection panel took a different stance, providing chances to experienced cricketers like Mike Hussey and Brett Lee, and thus, leaving out the young players like Phillip Hughes and Stuart Clark.

Actually, I think that a team should have a much-needed balanced of experience and youth and I appreciate the recent stance of Australian selectors. Young talented players should be given some time to nurture their talent in domestic cricket and they should not be rushed to the national team just after one good season.

Related article:

Reuters

Arsenal Wants to Make Money with New Executives

We all know that Arsene Wenger is often criticize for his reluctance of not to get big players. What we forget it that big players need big investment. Arsenal has done a huge investment on building a new stadium. However, this stadium was built with thinking to earn more money. The reality is that Arsenal needs to get some good brains if they want to earn money and become big club like Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona. So, the club has recently hired three senior executives to help the club increase its revenue. We work as Tom Fox chief commercial director. All the three executives are very experienced and have successful track record.

Speaking of English Premier League, tomorrow there will be two important matches:

Arsenal vs Portsmouth

Wigan Athletic vs Manchester United

Hopefully, Arsenal will win tomorrow. What do you think?

Real Madrid vs Barcelona Live Score and Analysis: La Liga May 2 2009

(This entry was originally published on Thursday, April 30th, 2009)

I really cannot remember any El Clasico match of recent years to be so important like the next one to be played on this Saturday at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid. From the title of this entry you already know who are playing. In fact, the world El Clasico is enough to remind you about the importance of the match. After 33 matches, Barcelona is leading the point table with 82 points while Real Madrid is just 4 points behind at 78 points from the same number (33) of matches. After Saturday’s match, there will be just another 4 to play. So, you can easily understand the excitement and tension related to this match.

The players of both the teams are excited and they are perhaps engaged in to war of words. The players of Madrid are confident that they have got the enemy at their own territory and they would demolish Barcelona in front of the Real supporters. On the other hand, some Barcelona players are trying to show that they are not worried about the El Clasico. Rather their focus is now on UEFA Champions League.

Match at a Glance:

El Clasico: Real Madrid vs Barcelona

Stadium: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu (Madrid)

Date: 2 May 2009 (Saturday)

Time: 20:00 CET

Lionel Messi: Chelsea is Bigger than Real Madrid Now

For his country, Lionel Messi is becoming a legend and many people think that he has the same potential like Diego Maradona. He plays for Barcelona team and he’s also one of their top strikers at this moment. Now, in the next few days Barcelona is going to play two important matches against Real Madrid and Chelsea. Both of the matches are very important to the club but he things that the match against Chelsea is much more important because if Barcelona loses it then they are out of Europe. I agree with him in this regard because even if they lose against real Madrid there’ll be another opportunity in Spain. So, I agree with him that Europe should be the more important factor at this moment and more attention should be given to Champions league semifinal match. However, you already know that Barcelona is leading Real Madrid by just 4 points and if the lose then the lead will be cut down to just one point.

Let me just remind you that in the corresponding fixture, earlier this season, Barcelona entertained Real Madrid and Barcelona won the match by 2-0. However, last year, when Real Madrid entertained Barcelona then Real defeated the Catalan side by 4-1 and won the La Liga title.

Some players will not be in the field to play:

Independent Online wrote:

Both coaches have problems with injuries and suspensions.

Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez is out for the season after damaging a knee in the 0-0 home draw with Chelsea on Tuesday, and Real defender Pepe has been banned for 10 matches following his sending off against Getafe on April 21.

Real will also be without midfielder Guti, who has an ankle injury, and it is unclear whether winger Arjen Robben and midfielder Wesley Sneijder will recover from muscle strains in time to feature.

Marcelo of Real Madrid thinks that his club will win against the opponent. He is confident about it and his feeling is:

“It will be a tough match, but it’s one that everyone dreams about playing in. The hype begins several weeks before the match. This will be the most-heated Clasico in the world.

“A lot of people didn’t believe we would get so close, but here we are. It’s not a matter of giving us credit or not. Things are going well and we’re seeing the results. We haven’t lost in 18 matches and I think the streak will continue because we can defeat Barcelona.

“The Champions League wears you down, but Barca are a complete team and it will make winning on Saturday very difficult.”

Raul will be perhaps the key man for Real. He is in fine form recently. He is getting old but there is no sign that he is becoming tired or losing his skill. He is still one of the best strikers playing in La Liga. His feeling is:

“Either team are capable of winning, of course, but the atmosphere and the fans will help us.

“We have to have faith in ourselves and how we play and we know that we have a chance to cause Barcelona problems.

“It is a game that is always special because of the rivalry, but it is obvious that we are playing for the title which will make it even more special.

On the other hand, Lionel Messi is the major weapon of Barcelona. Back in December, when Barcelona faced Real at home, that time the visiting Real players found it to be very difficult to contain Lionel Messi. They attacked on him physically a lot as they failed to keep up with him most of the time.

This is a match you should not miss at any cost. It does not matter where you live or what you will do that night. Try to be infront of your TV set. Or if you cannot then follow online live score. Here, I am giving you name of some of the websites that will provide live score of the match:

LiveScore.com

Goalzz

Live Football Scores

Goal.com

Footie Score

By the way, CNN website has published reaction of some fans. You should read it: El Clasico: More than a game

So, let us hope that it becomes an exciting one.

Will Miss USA Kristen Dalton Slip at Miss Universe 2009?

The title might be a bit strange to you. Well, the fact is that delegates from USA slipped and fell during the final of the Miss Universe beauty pageant in the previous two years. It is really surprising that the unfortunate incident happened on both occasions (Miss Universe 2007 and 2008) with Miss USA contestants. In Miss Universe 2007, Rachel Smith slipped during the final competition and finished in the top five. Then last year, Crystle Stewart, Miss Universe 2008, fell during the Evening Gown competition and eventually failed to make it to the top five, finishing 8^th in the competition.

That is why, the question arises that what will happen to Miss Universe 2009 Kristen Dalton. The 22-year-old college graduate represented North Carolina at the Miss USA 2009 pageant and won the title to clinch the entry to the Miss Universe 2009 competition which will take place on 23 August 2009 at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas.

Well, there is no doubt, Kristen Dalton might feel some pressure going into the final competition, remembering the incidents that happened to the two USA delegates in the previous two years. However, it is also true that Dalton would be much more careful so that the same thing does not happen to her at the Miss Universe 2009 beauty pageant.

Miss Universe 2009: Performances and Performers of the Final Competition

Miss Universe 2009 beauty pageant is now knocking at the door. The 58^th edition of Miss Universe competition will take place at the Atlantis Paradise Island, in Nassau, Bahamas on 23 August 2009. With the participation of 84 beauty queens representing their countries, the final competition will have Flo Rida, David Guetta, Kelly Rowland, and Heidi Montag performing on the stage to entertain the audience. Here, it is noteworthy that the two-hour long Miss Universe 2009 final will be telecast on NBC and Telemundo TV channels at 9 pm EST. Let us know details about the performances in the final competition of the pageant.

First performance of the Miss Universe 2009 final will be performed by Sean Kingston, a famous reggae fusion singer. He will perform the solo ‘Fire Burning’. American singer and television reality star Heidi Montag will come up next to perform the song ‘Body Language’ from her debut album “Unleashed.” Heidi will be performing during the National Costume Presentation.

Star rap singer, Flo Rida, will perform his worldwide successful song ‘Right Round’ from his recently released album “R.O.O.T.S.” during the Swimsuit competition of Miss Universe 2009 beauty pageant. Here, it is noteworthy that Rida’s song ‘Right Round’ reached the million-selling mark in a record-breaking time for a digital song.

During Evening Gown competition of Miss Universe 2009, David Guetta and Kelly Rowland will turn up to perform the duo’s hit song ‘When Love Takes Over’. The song has already taken the no. 1 place on the UK top chart, and is gradually becoming more popular day by day in the US. The song has been downloaded for more than 120,000 times on iTunes. David Guetta is a famous French DJ and music producer, while Kelly Rowland is a prominent R&B singer from US and one of the founders of Destiny's Child.

Sources:

missuniverse

Wikipedia

Emiri Miyasaka’s official costume for Miss Universe 2009 upset Japanese people

Japanese woman in the past dazzled the world with their uncommon costumes at the Miss Universe contest but this time it did not go down very well with Miss Japan Universe, Emiri Miyasaka. Her Miss Universe costume created a huge uproar in Japan. She was accused of dressing like a prostitute. Emiri was wearing

“a short black leather kimono and hot pink stockings and suspenders.”

The official costume was designed by French designer Ines Ligron and Japanese designer Yoshiyuki Ogata. They defended the costume saying that the critics were “dinosaurs.” Because of the complaints the designers decided to tone down the costume before the final.

The costume was unveiled on catwalk in Tokyo last month and it was not well received by the critics. An official of IBG Japan said that they were very much surprised by the harsh comments from many people. The Kimono was originally longer but Ines Ligron decided to shorten it. Now, Emiri will wear a less offensive design. Ligron became very much upset with the negative response and said that conservatives criticized her costume while fashionistas loved it.

Related articles:

The First Post

Emiri Miyasaka’s official costume for Miss Universe 2009 upset Japanese people

Japanese woman in the past dazzled the world with their uncommon costumes at the Miss Universe contest but this time it did not go down very well with Miss Japan Universe, Emiri Miyasaka. Her Miss Universe costume created a huge uproar in Japan. She was accused of dressing like a prostitute. Emiri was wearing

“a short black leather kimono and hot pink stockings and suspenders.”

The official costume was designed by French designer Ines Ligron and Japanese designer Yoshiyuki Ogata. They defended the costume saying that the critics were “dinosaurs.” Because of the complaints the designers decided to tone down the costume before the final.

The costume was unveiled on catwalk in Tokyo last month and it was not well received by the critics. An official of IBG Japan said that they were very much surprised by the harsh comments from many people. The Kimono was originally longer but Ines Ligron decided to shorten it. Now, Emiri will wear a less offensive design. Ligron became very much upset with the negative response and said that conservatives criticized her costume while fashionistas loved it.

Related articles:

The First Post

Will Emiri Miyasaka be the first Miss Universe from Japan?

Miss Japan

Name: Emiri Miyasaka

Hometown:

Height: 5’7”

Weight: 105 lb

Age: 25

Fluent in: Japanese, English

Over the years, Japan gave us beautiful women like Miyako Miyazaki, Kurara Chibana, Riyo Mori, Hiroko Mima and Mizuho Sakaguchi. Emiri Miyasaka will carry the torch this year. Born on June 16, 1984, Miyaska has been working as an international model. She first became interested to participate in Miss Universe after Kurara Chibana became the first runner up in 2006. Miyasaka is quite fluent in English because she spent ten months in California. Emiri Miyasaka is not any stranger to beauty contest in 2008 she became the second runner up at the Miss International. Miyasaka beat 3,000 applicants to win Miss Japan title this year. Post winning Miss Japan she was invited to the Primie Minister’s office which was a rare honor. Miyasaka was trained by Hiroko Mima who participated in Miss Universe 2008 in Vietnam. Miyasaka believes that Miss Universe will help her to understand herself better and would be a great way to empower Japanese women. Over the years, the Japanese delegates got lots of attention from for their unique fashionable dresses. This year also, Miss Japan would come with a beautifully designed national costume. Emiri Miyasaka is perfect mixture of cute Japanese girl and a sexy diva. She has a sensual look that resembles Kurara Chibana. Emiri has a deep, low-pitched voice.

Miss Australia is one of the favorite candidates of Miss Universe 2009

Miss Australia Universe Rachael Finch is quite popular among. Europes largest betting agency PUNTERS rated Rachael as one of the top candidates of Miss Universe 2009. Other betting forums and online polls gave high ratings to this beauty queen. Finch made quite an impact on judges with her poise and confidence. Sports Odds.com placed 5/1 odds on Rachael Finch.

OLBG SPORTs says:

Miss Australia was available at odds of 16/1 with Paddy Power but over the past week there has been a flood of money for her from punters who clearly expect her to be Miss Universe 2009. The best odds available currently are with Paddy Power who go 5/1. That still looks a decent price bearing in mind Betfred are offering just 9/4 on Miss Australia.

Daily Telegraph reports:

UK betting agency Paddy Power reports punters have backed her into firm favourite territory, with the odds down from $16 to $4.50 this week - the tightest ever offered for a Miss Universe hopeful.

Last year's winner Miss Venezuela had a $7 starting price and Finch's Adpro Management Group is hoping her low odds pay off for everyone.

Earlier, Australian media leaked a letter of complaint forwarded by Rachael to the Miss Universe Organization. The Australia Miss Universe could have sacked her on the ground of defaming the brand. Rachael complained that her national director Deborah Miller pressured her to sign a three year management contract.

Arsenal Interested in Rafael van der Vaart?

Arsenal has reportedly shown interest in Real Madrid’s Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart who is all set to make a move away from Bernabue this summer. Since the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka in the Summer, it has been pretty much certain that Real would like to off-load the squad in order to bring some money back. Another Dutch international Wesley Sneijder is on the verge of moving to Inter Milan for a reportedly £15 million deal. Liverpool has already been linked with a move for Rafael van der Vaart and it has been reported that Rafael Benitez would file a formal offer for the player within few days.

Well, I am a bit surprised to know that Arsenal is interested in the playmaker. Arsenal is traditionally a low-spending club who hardly go for big-money deals. They have already spent £10 million to land in Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax this summer. So, Arsenal would have to break their tradition if they want to land the player from Real Madrid because it is most likely that the Dutchman would cost no less than £10 million.

Rafael van der Vaart is now 26 and there are the reasons Wenger would be interested in the player. If the Dutchman joins Arsenal, the club would have plenty of options in the midfield. Arsenal already has playmakers like Cesc Fabregas, Andrei Arshavin, besides some of the promising youngsters like Samir Nasri, Aaron Ramsey, and currently injured Tomáš Rosický. If Rafael van der Vaart moves to Arsenal, it would be interesting to see how Wegner would accommodate so many playmakers in his squad. However, there is no doubt, Rafael van der Vaart would bring both experience and skill with him at the Emirates, if he really lands in Arsenal.

Thomas Vermaelen: A Perfect Replacement of Kolo Toure?

Arsenal played only two matches in the current season so far and it is not the right time to evaluate the performance of the side this season. However, one thing is, for sure, that newly signed centre back Thomas Vermaelen has been the centre of all attention at this moment as the Belgian defender has impressed all right from the first match of the season. He scored in his Arsenal debut against Everton, contributing to an emphatic 6-1 Arsenal victory. He continued his excellent form in Arsenal’s Champions League play-off victory over Celtic last week and Arsene Wenger is overly happy with Vermaelen’s impact on Arsenal.

There were many who were skeptical about Arsenal defense following the departure of Kolo Toure this summer. However, it seems Thomas Vermaelen, who joined Arsenal for a £10m deal from Ajax, has all the abilities to fit in Arsenal defense and make a strong partnership with William Gallas. Now, let us see if Vermaelen can continue his excellent run in the coming months.

Related article:

Guardian