Frings eyes Germany starting berth

Torsten Frings is set to be in the Germany starting XI at Euro 2008 if he does not suffer any more injury setbacks.

The Werder Bremen midfielder has only recently returned to first-team action after missing much of the season with a knee injury.

But national coach Joachim Low has told Frings he is wanted alongside Michael Ballack at the heart of the Germany midfield in Austria and Switzerland.

Asked whether the coach had reserved a starting place for him, Frings told the Bild newspaper: “He (Low) has told me that he needs me. When I am fit then there is not many better players than me in my position.”

The holding player revealed he has been in regular contact with Low, adding: “We send text messages to each other. The last time he congratulated me on my good performance and goal against (Hansa) Rostock.”

Germany head to the European Championships strongly-fancied to go all the way after their impressive showing in qualifying and at 2006 World Cup.

And Frings admitted such expectations are justified.

“We are rated like Italy, Spain, Holland and France among the favourites,” he said.

The 31-year-old also hinted he could call time on his international career after the championships.

“I will definitely not play for the national team right up to the end of my career,” he said.

“The first thing though is to do as well as possible at the Euros. The title would be the crowning glory.”

source: sportinglife.com

Allofs and Born – successful negotiations in Brazil

The chairman of the Werder Bremen executive board, Jürgen L. Born and general manager Klaus Allofs returned to Bremen on Monday afternoon, following a two day stay in Brazil. On their brief business trip to FC Sao Paulo, the Green-White duo took the opportunity to get a personal look at the current situation with on loan Werder midfielder Carlos Alberto. Aside from discussions with the 23 year old himself, Allofs and Born held talks with the FC Sao Paulo sport director, Marco Aurelio Cunha on Sunday.

In light of the talks held and impressions gathered in Brazil, Klaus Allofs sees the situation as being quite positive: “The player is in good physical condition, quite contrary to what had been reported in the press, and his health is decidedly better now than it was a few months ago in Bremen.”

The Werder Bremen representatives did however obtain conformation of the midfielders suspension from the Brazilian first division clubs squad. Carlos Alberto was stricken from the team after an argument with team mate Fabio Santos. The complete situation surrounding the incident has yet to be cleared-up. “There are inconclusive statements as to what actually led to the incident and whether the measures taken since then have been justified. Right now it is clear that Carlos Alberto will have all possibilities he needs to train with FC Sao Paulo in order to remain in form”, explained Allofs on a stopover in Munich on his way home.

As to how things are now to continue with Carlos Alberto will be decided over the coming weeks. The loan deal with FC Sao Paulo is valid until 15.07.2008 and the possibility of the Brazilian staying on in South America is not out of the question completely: “An internal move within Brazil is a possibility at the moment but a decision is yet to be made. We will have to discuss that issue with FC Sao Paulo”, remarked Allofs.

source: werder.de

Bremen hail Sweden’s invisible man

Having stealthily become one of the most dangerous strikers in the German Bundesliga, Sweden’s Markus Rosenberg is hitting peak form just in time for UEFA EURO 2008™.

Team player
Other forwards may have caught the eye in Germany this season, not least FC Bayern München’s Luca Toni, but Rosenberg – signed from AFC Ajax for around €4m in January 2007 – may yet prove to be the unheralded star of the campaign. He has registered eleven goals and eight assists in the league already, underlining his growing reputation as one of the better team players in the Bundesliga.

Slow start
Comfortable with both feet and his head, the former Malmö FF striker scored 12 goals in 40 league games for Ajax before joining Bremen, and made a slow start to life in north-west Germany. “I needed time at Bremen to get used to the surroundings,” he said, having largely started as a substitute in his first calendar year in Bremen. However, his goalscoring record from the bench did not go unnoticed, and since being given more of a run in the first team since last November, he has scored plenty of fine goals like a back-heeled effort against BV Borussia Dortmund on 1 March. “That was an absolutely crazy goal,” he remembered. “I hoped the ball would go in on its own but it didn’t so I went after it.”

Striking foil
Nicknamed ‘Rosi’ at Bremen, the 25-year-old’s selfless work is drawing admiring glances in Germany, and Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs recently said of him that “Markus is getting better and better”. With Sweden still seeking a striking foil for Zlatan Ibrahimović, that can only be good news with UEFA EURO 2008™approaching, and Rosenberg hungry to add to his six goals in 21 caps. An unused squad player at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Rosenberg may yet move ahead of Johan Elmander in the Swedish pecking order as Lars Lagerbäck seeks the right player to complement the the brilliant Ibrahimović. Coaches will expect the FC Internazionale Milano man to lead the line for Sweden, so Rosenberg may be the ideal player to strike from the shadows when opponents least expect it.

source: uefa.com

Frings: We Rely Too Much On Diego

Werder playmaker Diego has certainly been in the headlines this season, what with top performances, sending offs, and the constant transfer speculation regarding him.

The Green and Whites have gone through their own ups and downs this season but now look to come through and look set to clinch one of the three Champions League qualification spots this season.

International midfielder Thorsten Frings however has stressed in an interview with ‘Bild’ that any criticism of Diego is unfair.  It had been intimated that Werder’s poor form after Christmas was linked to a run of poor form from Diego himself.

“He relies heavily upon his fitness, but he missed the entire winter preparation.  Perhaps we as players relied a little too much on Diego” Frings admitted.

The transfer speculation is not however having a negative impact upon the team says the German international midfielder.

“We don’t talk about it.  Diego has explained often enough that he wants to stay.  The only thing that is clear is that if a player wants to go, then he should.”

Frings also believes that in time, the Brazilian will be able to contribute even more to the team and even take on a leadership role.

“He is still young, and perhaps in the future he will be more vociferous.  But he has to decide for himself whether he wants to contribute more in that area.  Diego is very important and we need him.

“With Johann Micoud, we played good direct football and at the start everybody thought Diego would change our style.

“But a new player has to adapt, and Diego has done that well” he added.

source: goal.com