The Malian player believes that the purchases of Diego and Cannavaro will benefit immensely the Bianconeri this year.

Juventus midfielder Mohamed Sissoko is pleased to be back in action after being out due to injury since last March.

Sissoko is especially looking forward to this season, which he believes will be a great one for the Bianconeri, especially thanks to the high-profile purchases of midfielder Diego and defender Fabio Cannavaro.

“I’m sure that it will be a beautiful year,” declared the former Liverpool player to Juventus Channel. “From my personal point of view I feel much better and I can’t wait to go on the pitch.

“With Diego and Cannavaro, Juventus made two great purchases in value and experience, players who have proved their worth already in the teams they were playing for and will do so also this year.

“I think that all teams have made good choices in the transfer market, but we’re up there, ready to play it with Inter and Milan.

“We’re strong and we want to prove it on the pitch.”

The 24-year-old player joined the Old Lady from Liverpool in January 2008 and since then has played a total of 36 Serie A games, contributing four goals for his side.

Goal

 
The days of the great British colonial empire may have faded into sepia, along with the fortunes of our national football, rugby and cricket teams. But there is still one realm where we continue to rule the waves – European club football. After last season’s Champions League final (effectively a showcase for the top two teams in the Premiership), this year’s last 16 once again features four English clubs in excellent positions to progress after their first round ties. But is the Premiership about to become the victim of its own success? As well as becoming the sport’s biggest importers of talent, the Premiership veraciously exports players and coaches to clubs in Europe at a breakneck pace. Of the four opponents waiting for Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal later this week, three are managed by former Premier League managers (Claudio Ranieri at Juventus, Juande Ramos at Real Madrid, and, of course, José Mourinho at Inter Milan). And all four of this week’s Champions League opponents are similarly studded with players who have plied their trade in the Premiership, know all about its top clubs and – most importantly of all – understand how to stop them. Here are my pick of the ex-Premiership stars who stand between our British boys and a prolonged jaunt on the continent.

Patrick Vieira, Inter Milan, formerly Arsenal
Patrick Vieira won three Premiership titles at Arsenal and captained the club to an unbeaten season in 2004, so he knows better than most how to shut Man United out of a game. Sir Alex Ferguson is a noted admirer of the Frenchman and tried to secure his services after Juventus’ relegation in 2006. Vieira has been in and out of the Inter team this season thanks to injury and his fractious relationship with Mourinho, but if he is thrown into action against Man United he still has the legs, lungs and drive to change the shape of a match.

Arjen Robben, Real Madrid, formerly Chelsea
As a Chelsea fan, Arjen Robben represents all the hopes and dreams that came with the Roman Abramovich revolution. His pace, creativity and eye for goal led to a string of matches in Mourinho’s first season with club that were – to my mind – the epitome of everything I always wanted Chelsea to be. I even remember describing him as Gianfrano Zola’s natural successor – that’s how good Robben was. Years of long-term injury have somewhat curtailed his development, but at the peak of his form I still believe he is the only player capable of challenging Cristiano Ronaldo’s claim to be the best wide man in the game. Liverpool will doubtless be a little envious of his turn of pace and ability to create something out of nothing.

John Arne Riise, Roma, formerly Liverpool
You could ask any Premiership club fan about their memories of John Arne Riise, and virtually every one would have a story about one of his trademark left-footed, long-ranged and unstoppable goals. In all, he scored one in every nine starts for Liverpool – an extraordinary ratio for a left back. I always believed he was treated harshly at Liverpool, who rarely made the most of his precocious talents. Fortunately, fate has been a little kinder on the Norwegian at Roma, where he has marked his arrival on Serie A this season with a first goal for the club against league leaders Internazionale.

Olof Mellberg, Juventus, formerly Aston Villa
Up until last weekend, ex-Liverpool hard man Mohamed Sissoko would have been a good shout as Juventus’ player to watch on Tuesday. But injury has put the Malian midfielder’s season on ice, so up steps Aston Villa’s very own former iceman. The Swede has added some much needed bite to Juventus’ back line this season, which will come as no surprise to Villa fans who still lament the affable defender’s departure last season. Last season, under Mellberg’s stewardship, Aston Villa gained a credible home win against Chelsea and draw their away match 4-4. That’s last 16 cup-tie winning form.

Read more here

• Follow Manchester United versus Inter Milan live
• Follow Juventus versus Chelsea live
• Follow Liverpool versus Real Madrid live
• Follow Roma versus Arsenal live

Presentato alla stampa Mohamed Sissoko.

Il 22 bianconero ha dichiarato «Sono molto contento di essere a Torino .La Juventus è un grande club e qui hanno giocato grandissimi campioni, è davvero fantastico farne parte per un ragazzo come me che ha appena compiuto 23 anni».

«Ho visto molte partite del campionato italiano, si gioca un bel calcio e ci sono molti talenti, alcuni dei quali militano proprio nella Juventus, quindi sarà fantastico essere al loro fianco e anche poter tornare a lavorare con Claudio Ranieri. E’ stato mio allenatore a Valencia, conosco il suo carattere e il modo di concepire il calcio, penso sia un grande tecnico».

«Sono un lottatore a cui piace pressare. Il mio obiettivo è quello di diventare un grande centrocampista e alla Juventus posso farcela. Questa per me sarà un’esperienza fondamentale, un passo importante per la mia carriera».

E questa sera… togliamoci una soddisfazione!

vota:

Mohamed Sissoko -  Liverpool - Premiership

Data di nascita  22/01/1985 Luogo di nascita  Mont Saint Agnain, France Nazionalità  Mali Altezza  1.88 m /6 ft  2 in Peso  80 kg /12 st 8 lbs Posizione  Midfield Numero di squadra

QUESTA STAGIONE

Competizione	Squadra	Camp.	Inizio	Sost
Premiership	Liverpool	9	6	3	1	2	-
Carling Cup	Liverpool	2	2	-	-	1	-
Champions League	Liverpool	1	1	-	-	1	-
African Cup of Nations	Mali	2	1	1	-	-	-

CARRIERA

Stagione	Camp.	gol	Squadra
2007 – 2008	9	1	Liverpool
2006 – 2007	16	0	Liverpool
2005 – 2006	26	0	Liverpool
2004 – 2005	24	0	Valencia CF
2003 – 2004	21	0	Valencia CF

In the vein of World Soccer’s Top 50 Exciting Youngsters and Ives Galarcep’s comments on it – I figured I’d take it one step further. This is mostly because I live for the challenge of scouting from my computer chair – looking up obscure results, finding as much information as possible about the future of each football country, and even e-mailing their equally obscure teams to get some sort of profile on the kid (not that most of this stuff couldn’t be found on Wikipedia). Generally, it’s the international tournaments that bring these kids to the forefront and I’d like to put it all in one list. I will use the top 50 teams in FIFA’s November rankings.

50. Slovakia – Marek Hamsik (Napoli)

A testament to the youth movement happening within Slovakian soccer these days – Hamsik, a central midfielder, is said to rival a young Pavel Nedved. He made the jump from Slovakian domestic leagues to the Italian Serie A (not an easy transition) when he was 17 years old, signing with Brescia. Their subsequent relegation to Serie B was the best thing that could have happened to Hamsik – upping his playing time and allowing him to develop against managable competition. It paid off as he appeared 40 times the next year, scoring 10 goals and earning him after several seasons, a profitable transfer to newly promoted Serie A side Napoli. In four appearances this year, he netted twice and earned himself a call-up to the Slovakian national team. His sights are set on one day moving to the EPL with Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham all keeping tabs on him.

Others: Lubomir Michalik (Bolton), Dusan Svento (Slavia Prague)

49. Belgium – Marouane Fellaini (Standard Liege)

Picked by World Soccer, he is born to Moroccan parents and had often entertained the idea of playing for Morocco. That never materialized as Belgian head coach Rene Vandereycken was smart enough to bring him into the fold when he became coach in 2006. Fellaini has 8 caps and a lone goal to his name but at 20 and surrounded by such potent young talent like Vandenborre, Vertonghen, Defour, Dembele, and Kompany the future of the Belgian national team looks extremely bright.

Others: Vincent Kompany (HSV), Anthony Vandenborre (Fiorentina), Steven Defour (Standard Liege)

48. Australia – Matthew Spiranovic (Nurnberg)

A bit of a pleasing surprise to all Australian faithfuls. This 19-year old central defender broke through the ranks of Nurnberg this year - a significant German Bundesliga contender – to start in several games. Known to some as the Australian ‘Vinnie Jones’, Spiranovic is big, imposing, and physical – the “enforcer”. The Socceroos need someone like that. He has already announced his intention to play for the Aussies even though his parents are English and Croatian. He has appeared several times at the youth levels (U-20s) for Australia and at some point the Aussie coaching staff should wise up.

Others: Nathan Burns (Adelaide United), Adam Federici (Reading)

47. Tunisia – Yassine Chikhaoui (FC Zurich)

His play has already warranted 2 caps for the Tunisian national team – which sadly has been losing its form as of late. Zurich fought heavy interest from Marseille and Racing Lens for the striker and even though the Swiss club just brought him in, Ajax has already expressed their intention to sign the 21 year old at some point in the near future.

Others: Nour Hadhria (Club Africain), Youssef Msakni (Stade Tunisien), Mohamed “El Rojo” Karoui (Carthage Eagles)

46. Mali – Mohamed Sissoko (Liverpool)

Seemingly a seasoned veteran to some, many forget this kid is only 22 years old and doing a stand-up job at the heart of the Reds’ midfield. He is big, strong, and to many, his biggest weakness, is his attitude. Many remember one of the big reasons he was shipped out at Valencia was due to training absences, late night excursions. Sissoko has found a happy medium at Liverpool and is beginning to come into his own. In three seasons of play, he has amassed 60 appearances for the Reds often fitting nicely into the rotation of Gerrard, Mascherano, and Xabi Alonso. At one point he was excelling in the French youth system only to represent his true heritage – Mali – but even since that decision, his international caps have come sparingly.

Others: Sidi Yaya Keita (RC Lens), Adama Tamboura (Helsingborgs)

45. Chile – Matias Fernandez (Villareal)

‘Matigol’ is a 21 year old who has already won the title of South American Footballer of the Year. ‘Nuff said, right? There’s more. Fernandez grew up under the watch of Colo Colo, youth hotbed of Chilean soccer. There he won the 2006 Apertura and Clausura and attracted interest from Chelsea and Real Madrid – it was Villareal that swooped in first shelling out a whopping $12 million to get his services. Less than year after his arrival in La Liga, Fernandez is a regular in his Villareal squad (30 caps) as well as breaking through on the international forefront (18 caps, 4 goals). Known within Chile as the Peruvian killer – as 3 of his 4 goals have been against Peru. Watch for Matias to make a big splash during the 2010 CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.

Others: Alexis Sanchez (River Plate), Arturo Vidal (Bayer Leverkusen), Mauricio Isla (Udinese)

44. Switzerland – Eren Derdiyok (FC Basel)

Turkish-born but committed – it seems – to the Swiss national team, this forward has lit up the U-21 international age group with 7 goals in only 5 caps so far. At 6′2″, he is powerful in the air even at a young age. He also scored 7 in 7 caps for the U-19 team. His domestic career has been put on hold as inconvenient injuries have popped up during the preseason keeping him out. The Swiss national team is currently trying to find a way to cap-tie him, but the choice to play for Turkey is still a very real one. The Bundesliga will most likely be his first step in the coming years once consistency sets in.

Others: Johan Djourou (Birmingham), Julian Esteban (Rennes)

43. Ghana – Ransford Osei (Kessben FC)

Also picked by World Soccer, Osei was one of the most exciting talents at this past summer’s U-17 World Cup in South Korea. He was second on the scoring charts with six but showed a prowess and tenacity that will likely get snapped up in the coming months. At the age of 16, however, the chase for teams will be a long and arduous one. Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool Bayern Munich, and Hamburger SV have all lodged at bids at one point. He was close to Chelsea before Jose Mourinho stepped down. Just recently, Osei received his first international call-up giving Theo Walcott a run for his money. One of many to come. As a striker, Osei highlights the newest and most exciting crop of young’uns to come from Ghana.

Others: Daniel Opare (AshantiGold), Andre Ayew (Marseille), Yahaya Mohamed (Nice)

42. Korea Republic – Young Rok Shin (Suwon Bluewings)

Impressed at U-2o World Cup in Canada, scoring 2 goals in three appearances for an extremely tough Korea Republic squad. Along with Young Sum-Shim, he is part  the most promising offensive duo that South Korea has possessed, in terms of youth. Labelled the ”S-Line Duo”, both feature for their respective K-League squads with Young Rok-Shin getting the brunt of the praise due to his teams increased global exposure. Rok-Shin has scored 5 for the K-League giants and played well during Suwon’s friendly trip to America a couple months ago.

Others: Young Sum Shim (Jeju United). Lee Keun-Ho (Daegu FC)

41. Egypt – Mahmoud Abdoul-Razeq “Shikabala” (Al-Zamalek)

A controversial figure in the youth ranks of Egyptian football. This 21-year old is contracted ot PAOK of the Greek Super League but had to return to Egypt for military duty which put him back with his youth team - and Al-Ahly’s biggest rival – Al-Zamalek. The controversy is with his international career, however, as behaviorally he earned himself a one-year ban from the Egyptian federation. None of this takes away from the fact that he is one of the fastest and most skilled attacking midfielders in Egypt’s youth ranks, but most are going to have to wait until July 23rd 2008 – when the ban is lifted – to find out. For now, you can find clips on YouTube.

Others: Hossam Ashour (Al-Ahly), Shikabala , Ismael Saleh (Al Esmaily)

Teams 31-40 will come next week. Stay tuned!!