Mourinho Enjoys Getting Technical

This, following the high-profile incident involving Newcastle manager Alan Pardew's technical area headbutt on Hull midfielder David Meyler.

Pardew has requested a personal hearing, expected to take place next week, after admitting to a Football Association misconduct charge after last week's incident, which prompted calls for technical areas to be scrapped.

Mourinho, who spoke to Pardew in the immediate aftermath of the incident, is no stranger to technical area fracas and once poked Barcelona assistant boss Tito Vilanova in the eye while manager of Real Madrid.

The Portuguese is animated in instructing his troops from the touchline, sometimes overstepping the white line on to the pitch.

Earlier this season following a last-gasp win over Manchester City at Stamford Bridge he ran behind the away dugout to celebrate with his son. His son's seat has since been moved to behind the home dugout.

Mourinho, whose side host Tottenham in the Premier League, said: "I spoke with Alan a couple of hours after the incident and he knows he made a mistake and he knows he has to pay for the mistake with some punishment.

"The biggest punishment is you to recognise yourself that you made a mistake.

"Alan will have the economical punishment, the suspension from the dugout, plus the self-blame of the mistake he made. I think he has a big punishment with all of these things together.

"I prefer to stay with a good friend and with a great guy, than to stay with a mistake."

Mourinho does not believe the use of technical areas should be reviewed.

"I don't think it's needed and I never had a problem to share a short space with other managers," the Chelsea boss added.

"I think the manager should have that freedom to come out and to speak with the players and to walk in the technical area.

"I think the problem is the human nature and the human nature is open to mistakes.

"I made mistakes in technical areas too. I paid for the mistake, I was suspended for the mistake. And every one of us can make mistakes."

Mourinho is sure to be roving the technical area during Saturday's London derby, where a win would take the Blues seven points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Arsenal and Manchester City are in FA Cup action this weekend, while second-placed Liverpool play Manchester United on Sunday.

Mourinho does not consider the table to be accurate, as City will have three games in hand come Saturday evening.

He added: "When some teams have more matches than other teams, the situation is not real. I don't look to the table. I just look to the game."

Mourinho will look to extend his unbeaten Premier League home record to 75 games against Tottenham, who have not won at Stamford Bridge in 24 years, since February 1990 when Gary Lineker scored the winner.

"Maybe (it is) a coincidence because Tottenham are always a good team, always a difficult opponent," Mourinho said.

"I don't remember in my previous years having an easy match against Tottenham.

"We want to try to win and I believe they want to try the same. We want our top-four position safe.

"And at the moment the biggest threat for that top-four position is Tottenham, because they are fifth and they are the closest team to the top four.

"If we can get a result against them we can say that, almost for sure, our objective of finishing in the top four is in a very good direction."

Ashley Cole is unavailable after suffering a knee ligament injury in training on Thursday, a day after playing 45 minutes for England.

Cole has been understudy to Cesar Azpilicueta at left-back this season and faces eight to 10 days out.

"It was good for me that Ashley played a part of the game," Mourinho added.

"Unfortunately he got an injury in training and he's one of the players that is out. Lateral (knee) ligament, a little thing, but impossible for tomorrow and we would say between eight to 10 days."

David Luiz (groin) is among a number of undisclosed players whose fitness could see them ruled out, too.

Pellegrini Still Believes Ahead of Barcelona Trip

City head to the Nou Camp on Wednesday trailing 2-0 after the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against the Catalan giants.

Most pundits have written off their chances of reaching the quarter-finals and the daunting task is made all the more difficult by the touchline ban affecting Pellegrini.

The Chilean must watch from the stands, and have no contact with his players or coaching staff before or during the match, as punishment for controversial comments about the referee following the first leg.

Pellegrini has had other matters to worry about since then in sustaining a Barclays Premier League title challenge, the Capital One Cup final and, this weekend, an FA Cup quarter-final against Wigan.

But attention will soon switch to the Nou Camp and the challenge of engineering an unlikely turnaround.

Pellegrini said: "I am looking at every competition with the same importance.

"On Sunday we have to play in the FA Cup, so we are thinking about the FA Cup.

"But when we finish that we will try to make a good match against Barcelona to try to have our revenge and continue in the Champions League."

City's progress to the last 16 represents improvement after failing to get beyond the group stage in the past two seasons.

Yet there was no hiding the disappointment last month as Barcelona outmanoeuvred them tactically.

City deviated from their usual 4-4-2 formation by bulking up the midfield to absorb pressure.

It worked to a large extent, and chances were created on the break, but Barcelona controlled possession and played a patient game.

The game turned in an instant Lionel Messi found a gap and was brought down by Martin Demichelis, who was sent off, for a penalty.

Pellegrini's rant at Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson stemmed from that incident, as he believed the offence was outside the box, but he could not hide the fact his team were caught out.

For much of the season Pellegrini has stuck to his preferred system and attacking principles, and that is likely to be the best way to serve his team this week.

The Chilean, whose side are buoyed by last week's League Cup success, said: "Not all the teams play exactly the same all the time, every time.

"Maybe it is not easy for us to play against different teams in the way we always want to do it but it is very important to try to continue the way we want to do it.

"The final of the Capital One Cup was one example of that.

"We were not on our best day but we tried to play in the way we always do, but with patience. In the end we scored goals.

"We are always trying to improve in defending and attacking.

"Maybe in two or three matches at the beginning we didn't defend well, against Cardiff, Aston Villa and Arsenal, when we scored six.

"But we are always trying to work to improve in all senses.

"In this part of the season I think we are defending well, even though we are not scoring as many goals."

Benzema's Goals Convincing Madrid Not To Sign a World-Class Striker

SPECIAL REPORT

By Chris Myson & Alberto Pinero

Karim Benzema's career has undergone an amazing transformation in the space of just a few months.

Having scored six goals in as many matches and an impressive 11 since the start of 2014, the striker's stock at Real Madrid has arguably never been higher.

As recently as October 26, it looked as if Benzema’s days at Madrid were numbered. Dropped for theClasico against Barcelona, he had scored in just one of his side’s previous 10 games.

He was being consistently booed by the club’s supporters; a spell of jeering that peaked when, after missing a glorious opportunity to score, he was substituted in a Champions League tie against Juventus.

Around the same time, Benzema was enduring ridicule back in his homeland for a disastrous run of form with France. Astonishingly, he failed to score in 17 consecutive international matches.

He has since turned that drought around too, netting four goals in five caps for the national team and playing a key role in helping les Bleus past Ukraine to qualify for the World Cup.

After ending the run in October, the striker admitted he had suffered with his poor form for club and country, saying: "This has been the most difficult period of my career. It has been tough for me, but I never stopped believing in myself.”

It has been an up-and-down journey for the 26-year-old forward since he arrived at the Bernabeu in the summer of 2009 in a deal eventually worth over €40 million. It is only now that Madrid are ready to fully commit to Benzema as their main man in the No.9 position.

At most clubs, a striker who has played over 200 games and scored over 100 goals would have already secured iconic status, but Benzema’s four-and-a-half seasons have been unconventional. 

He has drifted in and out of favour with both the fans and his coaches, but in Carlo Ancelotti and, significantly, assistant Zinedine Zidane, he has now found two avid supporters. 

Even when being booed and criticised earlier in the season, the former Paris Saint-Germain coach gave him full public backing. The coaching team resisted repeated calls to replace him with Alvaro Morata.

That faith has been rewarded with Benzema’s upturn in form, which has intensified since the turn of the year. A number of his strikes have come in crucial games – two against Villarreal, one against Atletico Madrid and another double in Europe against Schalke. 

He also netted the vital first goal against Celta, Osasuna and Espanyol, playing a key role as los Blancos move into an impressive position. They remain in the running to win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

Ancelotti said ahead of the game with Levante on Sunday: "Benzema is comfortable in the side and with our style of play. He is concentrating hard on his work and that is paying off." 

For the first time, Benzema is in favour with the club’s support, the coach and the board. For most of the last four years, at least one of those groups – and often more – have been against him. 

Benzema finds it harder than most to win support from the terraces. His deliberate movements on the pitch and introverted personality can make him appear to lack passion. He is not a pure goalscorer either, unlike many of those who have historically played in his position for Madrid. 

Those factors can make him an easy target compared to established stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos or enthusiastic youngsters like Jese and Morata. He receives less patience than most team-mates are afforded when hit by a spell of bad form.

His current exploits are gaining widespread recognition, but he has impressed in the white of Madrid before. He did score 32 goals in all competitions in 2011-12, although that was overshadowed by Ronaldo netting a sensational 60 and Jose Mourinho ending Barcelona’s run of three-straight Liga titles. 

Gonzalo Higuain was a constant rival for selection in his first four years. With only one place up for grabs at centre-forward, his high-profile colleague was always waiting to pounce. It was rare for either to see out a full 90 minutes and a poor performance from one would mean the other quickly came into favour.

Parker Sumbang 30 Poin dalam Kemenangan Spurs atas Magic

San Antonio - San Antonio Spurs memetik kemenangan 121-112 atas tamunya, Orlando Magic. Ini merupakan kemenangan keenam beruntun Spurs.

Di AT&T Center, Minggu (9/3/2014) WIB, Spurs harus mendapatkan perlawanan cukup alot dari Magic meski di akhir kuarter pertama masih berhasil unggul dua bola dari tamunya tersebut, 31-27.

Magic tampil apik di kuarter kedua. Selain menambah poin demi poin, Nikola Vucevic cs juga mampu meredam Magic dan berbalik unggul 61-59 di akhir paruh pertama pertandingan.

Di kuarter tiga Spurs bangkit dan menambah 29 poin, sedangkan Magic cuma membuat 22 poin. Kuarter ini berakhir 88-83 untuk keunggulan Spurs. Pertarungan sengit kemudian terjadi di kuarter empat walaupun Spurs akhirnya mampu mengamankan kemenangan.

Tony Parker menjadi penampil terbaik buat Spurs di laga ini dengan membuat 30 poin dan lima assist. Manu Ginobili juga tampil oke dari rekannya itu dan menyumbang 24 poin.

Hasil NBA

NY Knicks 107 CLEVELAND 97 

Utah 104 PHILADELPHIA 92 

MEMPHIS 111 Charlotte 89 

SAN ANTONIO 121 Orlando 112 

Washington 114 MILWAUKEE 107

Lorenzo Kembali Tercepat

Phillip Island - Tes keamanan ban di Phillip Island berlanjut pada hari kedua. Pebalap Yamaha Jorge Lorenzo kembali mengukir waktu tercepat setelah mengungguli Dani Pedrosa.

Seperti diberitakan sebelumnya, tes khusus ini digelar untuk menghindari terulangnya kejadian di MotoGP Australia tahun lalu. Saat itu, masalah ban memaksa adanya pitstop di tengah balapan.

Lorenzo, yang menjadi pebalap tercepat pada hari pertama, mampu mempertahankan posisinya. Dia mempertajam catatan waktunya menjadi 1 menit 29,133 detik, Selasa (4/3/2014).

Pedrosa harus puas menempati urutan kedua dengan selisih 0,248 detik. Di belakangnya ada Andrea Dovizioso, Valentino Rossi, dan Cal Crutchlow.

Selain pebalap-pebalap Yamaha, Ducati, dan Honda, beberapa pebalap dari kelas Moto2 seperti Esteve Rabat dan Mika Kallio juga mengikuti tes ini. 

Hasil Tes Hari Kedua di Phillip Island

Posisi-Pebalap-Tim/Motor-Waktu-Selisih-Laps :

1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1) 1m 29.133s [42 lap]
2. Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 29.381s +0.248s [58]
3. Andrea Dovizioso Ducati Team (Desmosedici) 1m 29.387s +0.254s [53]
4. Valentino Rossi  Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1) 1m 29.516s +0.383s [75]
5. Cal Crutchlow Ducati Team (Desmosedici) 1m 29.660s | +0.527s [59]
6. Esteve Rabat  Marc VDS Racing (Kalex) 1m 32.168s +3.035s [101] *
7. Mika Kallio  Marc VDS Racing (Kalex) 1m 32.698s +3.565s [79] *
8. Nico Terol  Mapfre Aspar Team (Suter) 1m 33.014s +3.881s [62] *
9. Jordi Torres Mapfre Aspar Team (Suter) 1m 33.160s +4.027s [65] *

Rossi: Lorenzo dan Marquez, Mengalahlah untuk Pedrosa

Madrid - Valentino Rossi bersimpati pada Dani Pedrosa yang sepanjang kariernya di kelas MotoGP tak pernah merasakan gelar juara dunia. Padahal rider asal Spanyol itu disebutnya pantas menyandang gelar tersebut.

Sudah delapan musim Pedrosa bertarung di kelas MotoGP, di mana seluruhnya dia habiskan bersama tim Honda. Saat Nicky Hayden, Casey Stoner sampai rookie bernama Marc Marquez bergantian jadi juara, Pedrosa seperti cuma jadi pebalap pelengkap di tim asal Jepang itu.

Sejak 2006, Pedrosa tercatat tiga kali jadi runner up juara dunia MotoGP, tiga kali pula dia duduk di posisi tiga serta masing-masing sekali menempati posisi empat dan lima klasemen akhir. 

"Disayangkan Dani Pedrosa tidak pernah memenangi gelar juara dunia MotoGP. Saya pikir dia layak mendapatkannya," sahut Valentino Rossi dalam wawancaranya dengan Majalah Rolling Stone Spanyol dan dikutip dari Marca.

Ketidakberuntungan sangat sering mendatangi Pedrosa sepanjang kariernya di MotoGP. Di kelas MotoGP saja paling tidak dia sudah mengalami 12 kecelakaan yang terbilang parah dan membuatnya dapat cedera. 

"Saya pikir situasinya sedikit mengerikan. Dia punya talenta untuk menjadi juara dunia MotoGP, tapi sudah mengalami patah pada beberapa tulangnya dengan total 18 kali sepanjang kariernya. Itu jumlah yang banyak."

"Mungkin jika ada kesempatan berbicara dengan Lorenzo dan Márquez Anda bisa katakan, 'Tolong beri satu buat Dani," lanjut The Doctor.

Ditanya Prediksinya untuk F1 Musim 2014, Ini Jawaban Kimi

Roma - Dengan musim balapan F1 2014 akan mulai bergulir akhir pekan depan, Kimi Raikkonen yang akan menjalani debut keduanya bersama Ferrari dimintai prediksi mengenai musim nanti. Apa katanya?

Mulai musim 2014 ini Raikkonen, yang selama dua musim terakhir membela Lotus, kembali membela Ferrari yang pernah mengantarnya meraih gelar juara dunia pada tahun 2007 lalu.

Di Ferrari, pebalap Finlandia 34 tahun itu akan berpasangan dengan Fernando Alonso, pebalap Spanyol 32 tahun yang sudah mengoleksi dua gelar juara dunia.

Musim 2014 ini sendiri, yang mana dimulai di Australia pada tanggal 16 Maret, menghadirkan sejumlah perubahan regulasi yang digadang-gadang akan membuat jalannya balapan jadi berbeda dibandingkan musim lalu.

Nah, sehubungan dengan hal itu Raikkonen pun dimintai komentarnya mengenai prediksi untuk balapan pertama khususnya dan juga bagaimana musim akan berjalan secara umum, terkait dengan peluang dari dirinya maupun Ferrari.

"Membuat prediksi bukan salah satu kebiasaanku dan tahun ini ada alasan lebih besar untuk tidak mulai melakukannya," kata Raikkonen seperti dilansir Planet F1.

"Kami menuju Down Under dengan mobil yang benar-benar baru dan aku pikir persaingannya terbuka dan segalanya mungkin. Di Maranello kami sudah bekerja keras dan F14 T sepertinya mobil yang bagus, tapi siapa yang tercepat akan terbukti di lintasan."

"Ketika kami sudah mulai untuk melihat bagaimana laju kami, nanti kami setidaknya sudah memiliki data untuk memberi kami gambaran ada di mana posisi awal kami (dibandingkan tim lain)," bebernya.