Rodgers: Sterling 'foolish' not to stay

Brendan Rodgers believes Raheem Sterling would be "very foolish" not to commit himself to Liverpool.

The 17-year-old winger has burst onto the scene this season, starting 13 out of 14 Barclays Premier League matches and earning an England debut in the friendly against Sweden.



He turns 18 a week tomorrow, with the club currently in negotiations over a first professional contract.



The player has already intimated new terms can wait until his birthday, and Rodgers has stressed he is confident there will not be any hitches, but that has not stopped the speculation about the teenager's future.



Rodgers knows how valuable Sterling can be to his side but he believes it is a two-way street and has urged him to recognise the importance of the Reds in his development.



"It's important for the club to sign our young talent - but it's even more important for Raheem," Rodgers told reporters.



"If you are 17 and playing regularly, you would be very foolish not to commit yourself very quickly.



"This is a club that is going to give young players an opportunity and he has played more games than he could have dreamed of this season, both in the Premier League and the Europa League.



"Liverpool have given him the chance to become a full international player.



"If I was Raheem Sterling and his agents, I would look to tie it up very quickly.



"Raheem's (contract) has been ongoing really.



"The club and his representatives are in good dialogue and communication and hopefully we will get that resolved very soon, but there is no timescale."



Although Sterling has been a key performer in Rodgers' first season at Anfield, the Northern Irishman accepts there will come a point when he will need to be rested for his own benefit.



Rodgers has no concerns about the physical demands on the player but accepts he may require a mental break.



"There will be at some point and we'll need to give him a breather, there's no question," said the Reds boss.



"He's a very young man and is still learning the game. He still has technical elements he needs to improve upon and tactical elements.



"But one of the biggest things is psychological at this level - real mental fatigue can set in.



"He's been terrific so far. He's got to this stage at the end of November and been absolutely brilliant, but at some point he will need that breather.



"He's been one of our leading players, but for the benefit of Raheem it'll be something I'll need to consider."

Campbell: I can 'fix' Torres

Former Olympic sprint champion Darren Campbell has claimed he could solve Fernando Torres' goalscoring problems for Chelsea.

Campbell, who won gold in the 4x100m at the Athens Games eight years ago, believes Torres needed just a fortnight's specialist training to recover most of his lost pace.



Torres briefly worked with Campbell during his first year at Stamford Bridge, prior to the departure of Dr Bryan English as Chelsea's medical director during Andre Villas-Boas' reign.



Interim manager Rafael Benitez suggested on Tuesday that Torres needed to do gym work to regain his explosive power.



And Campbell, a sprint coach in football and rugby union, told the Daily Telegraph: "It's something that is best done in pre-season but I think Fernando just needs two weeks when he hasn't got to worry about playing on the Saturday and just put in a nice two-week training programme that I think would definitely bring the majority of his speed back.



"I'm sure I could fix him. It doesn't have to be a lengthy process because these guys are already extremely fit. That's the great thing about working with footballers and rugby players. You're not having to worry about the base fitness so you just go in and teach the raw speed.



"In the case of Fernando, I think he would also probably need to do a bit of weightlifting as well as the running and the speed drills to put some power back into his muscles. That's why sprinters lift weights, to gain that explosive speed and power."



Meanwhile, Los Angeles Galaxy chief executive Tim Leiweke has admitted he is "honoured" his club have been linked with a move for Frank Lampard.



Lampard has long been touted with a move to Major League Soccer as a big-name replacement for David Beckham, who is quitting Galaxy at the end of their season.



Leiweke told Sky Sports News: "Chelsea is a club we have a great relationship with.



"We've heard of other players mentioned that are playing in Europe and we want to respect their clubs and where they're at."



But he added: "When you mention the likes of Frank Lampard to me, he's one of the class acts of football. I'm a huge fan of him as an individual, a huge fan of him as a captain and a huge fan of him as a player.



"We're honoured that anyone would even speculate that Frank would want to come here, that's a good day."

Leiva delight with support

Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has thanked the club's fans for their support during his absence due to a thigh injury.

The Brazilian, who also missed a large part of last season with a knee problem, is set to return to first-team action after a three-month lay-off in Saturday's home game against Southampton.

He told the club's official website: "Ever since my first injury, the fans have been very important to me.



"When you don't play, you think that people might forget about you but I think it has been completely the opposite.



"People send me nice messages and they say that they really miss me. So this has given me the confidence to come back.



"The players, on a daily basis, have really supported me. I remember when Luis scored and he had a message for me on his shirt. These are the small things that really mean a lot and they keep you going. Now it's the time for me to repay that and help them.



"Brendan Rodgers has been very good to me since my first day. When he arrived I was just recovering from the knee injury, so he gave me a lot of confidence and was always very clear about his plans for me.



"He has tried to keep me very calm and not tried to rush me, in terms of my rehabilitation."

Kagawa named as Asia's best overseas player

Shinji Kagawa has been named the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) International Player of the Year after a sterling 12 months with Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United.

The 23-year-old edged out Inter Milan's pacy full-back Yuto Nagatomo and Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer for the inaugural trophy, which is given to the best player based outside the AFC region.



A key player in Dortmund's league and cup "double" last season, Kagawa joined Manchester United for an initial fee of £12million during the summer amidst much fanfare.



He has shown glimpses of his mercurial ability for United this term but has not featured for Sir Alex Ferguson's men since the end of October due to a knee injury.



Ulsan Hyundai forward Lee Keun-ho won the AFC Player of the Year award for players based within the region.



The 27-year-old, who was briefly linked with Blackburn Rovers in 2009, was instrumental in leading Ulsan to the AFC Champions League title this season.


-->

Arsenal want pay cuts for Champions League failure

Arsenal want players signing new contracts to agree deals that involve reduced payments if the club fail to qualify for the Champions League.



Arsenal have qualified for the Champions League in every one of Arsène Wenger's 16 years in charge. Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kieran Gibbs and Karl Jenkinson have or will soon be offered long-term deals.



An Arsenal spokesman said it was "normal practice" for players to have clauses that were linked to the club's success both domestically and in Europe.



"Each player has an individual contract that contains elements of performance-related payments, which are linked to a player's individual contribution and also to the club's progress in both domestic and European competitions," he said.

Ronaldinho extends Atletico Mineiro contract

Former Brazil star Ronaldinho has extended his contract with Atletico Mineiro for one year, the president of the Belo Horizonte club has announced.



"You wanted him. He is staying," Alexandre Kalil tweeted late on Wednesday.



Ronaldinho, a FIFA World Cup™ winner in 2002 who joined Atletico in June after quitting Flamengo over a salary dispute, will earn a higher salary of $450,000 plus a share of revenues from club jersey sales and bonuses should Atletico shine in major competitions next year, acording to the sports daily Lance.



The 32-year-old former Barcelona and Milan star and former FIFA World Player of the Year played 31 matchs with Atletico, scoring nine goals and winning the support of fans.



"Ronaldinho's objective is to rejoin the Seleção (national squad) and compete in the 2013 Confederations Cup, a key step to win a slot on the 2014 World Cup squad," Lance said.




-->

Scolari: We have an obligation to win crown

Luiz Felipe Scolari believes Brazil have a solemn duty to win the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ on home soil in 2014, but admitted that the faltering giants are nowhere near favourites for a sixth world title.

Scolari is used to guiding Brazil through stormy waters having taken over a side struggling even to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup before guiding them to their most recent triumph 10 years ago.



Winning the trophy again in 18 months' time would take things to a new level given that Brazil famously missed the target on the only other occasion they staged the showpiece - losing the 1950 final in the Maracana to Uruguay.



"We have an obligation to win, we are playing at home. Don't you think our players are aware of the importance of winning the trophy on home soil?" asked Scolari after he was presented to the media in Rio at the start of his second spell in charge.



"We are not favourites right now but we intend to turn ourselves into favourites during the tournament."



The pressure looks on after two consecutive poor FIFA World Cup showings and a lost Men's Olympic Football Tournament final to Mexico which saw predecessor Mano Menezes given the boot.



But Scolari, who had a stellar second spell in charge of Gremio and a less successful second stint with Palmeiras, says he can take the pressure. "If you don't want pressure best not to be in the team."



Scolari takes the helm of a side currently ranked just 13th in the FIFA/Cocoa-Cola World Ranking behind the likes of Greece and Colombia.



As Brazil demand "new methods" Scolari insists he is focused. "The objective is clear - to win the World Cup in 2014. I don't feel under pressure. The players are the ones with pressure on them."



A year after his initial arrival Brazil landed their fifth world title - the Pentecampeao.



Now it is a Hexacampeao that Scolari and his sidekick, 1994 winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, are tasked with winning - using next summer's home FIFA Confederations Cup as a springboard.



"I am happy to work with people who have confidence in me and happy to have at my side someone to share in this task - that is, Parreira," said Scolari. "The World Cup project is starting off strongly," said the man named 'Felipao'.



"Our sole commitment is to seek out and offer the best for our football and it is in this vein that we have chosen these two great champions, respected not just in our country but worldwide," Brazilian Football Confederation president Jose Maria Marin said.



Scolari, whom Chelsea sacked mid-season in early 2009, was out of work after parting company with Palmeiras last September - the team were later relegated.



Divided opinion

Former players are divided on whether Brazil can go back to a glorious future under him.



Ronaldo, whose goals landed the 2002 FIFA World Cup title, said: "Congratulations to him. It's a great challenge for him."



Zico, star of the early 1980s, also favoured the move. "Felipao (Scolari) has won so many titles he has to be respected," he said.



But former skipper Carlos Alberto, who lifted the 1970 World Cup after starring in the Pele-inspired 4-1 thrashing of Italy, is not impressed.



"I don't know that this is Felipao's moment. He won in 2002 - but that was 2002! This year he bombed out at Palmeiras."



Single-mindedness is now the name of the game for the new tandem.



"I'm not talking about there being a 'Scolari family - but we're going to foster an atmosphere of unity," Scolari stressed.



Parreira earlier told Brazilian media that "it's time to put other problems aside and focus on winning the World Cup."




-->