Recife: Italy midfielder Daniele De Rossi picked out Japan's Shinji Kagawa as the dangerman for his side ahead of their Confederations Cup match on Wednesday. "I only know three or four Japanese players and the most talked about is the one that plays for Manchester United, Kagawa, he is the star," De Rossi told reporters on Tuesday.
"I think they are well organised and I think that means they will be dangerous." The Italians made a winning start on Sunday when goals from Andrea Pirlo and Mario Balotelli secured a 2-1 win over Mexico in Rio de Janeiro. Italy coach Cesare Prandelli got a laugh when he discussed how to handle the mercurial former Manchester City forward but said Balotelli's good form was down to his own hard work.
"Talking about Mario is difficult because you never know what he might do from one day to the next," Prandelli said. "I think he is strongly motivated by wearing the Azzurri shirt and he has found a group of players here who have won a lot and want to win a lot more.
"That helps him grow. We have said for years that he has great potential and our task is to let him fulfil that and we need to contribute to that and help him as well." Prandelli said Wednesday's game could depend on how his countryman Alberto Zaccheroni sets out the Japanese....
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08:37 AM, Jun 19, 2013
Tokyo: A Japan squad without any surprises was chosen for the Confederations Cup on Wednesday, a day after the team secured a fifth straight World Cup appearance. Keisuke Honda, whose goal in stoppage time allowed Japan to draw 1-1 with Australia and qualify for the World Cup on Tuesday, and Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa were among the 23 named by coach Alberto Zaccheroni. Japan are the first team to...
04:34 PM, Jun 05, 2013
Manchester: For striker Wayne Rooney to be taken off the pitch because Manchester United needed a vital goal was once inconceivable but is now the reality facing a player whose future at the club is as shaky as his form. "We had to get that goal that mattered," was manager Alex Ferguson's reasoning on Friday for the decision to substitute the England striker in Wednesday's 2-2 draw at West Ham...
07:00 PM, Apr 19, 2013
Jordan stunned Japan 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier, denying the Asian power the chance to become the first team secure a berth in Brazil. ...
11:29 AM, Mar 27, 2013
Kagawa scored a hat-trick as Manchester United kept their firm grip on the EPL title with a 4-0 win over Norwich at Old Trafford. ...
10:24 PM, Mar 02, 2013
Kuala Lumpur: Japanese playmaker Shinji Kagawa won the inaugural Asian Football Confederation (AFC) International Player-of-the-Year award on Thursday. The 23-year-old Manchester United midfielder beat Japan team-mate Yuto Nagatomo of Inter Milan and Australia's veteran goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer of Fulham to the award in Kuala Lumpur. Kagawa produced a number of impressive displays earlier in the year as Borussia Dortmund claimed the Bundesliga title before he moved to England where he...
10:49 PM, Nov 29, 2012
Singapore: Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa and his Japanese team mate Yuto Nagatomo have been nominated for the AFC's first Asian International Player of the Year award. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced the three-man shortlist for the new honour on Sunday along with the nominees for their Asian Player of the Year award, open to candidates who play for clubs in the continent. South Korean...
03:28 PM, Nov 18, 2012
London: Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa has been ruled out for up to four weeks with a knee injury, manager Alex Ferguson said on Friday. The Japanese international was substituted at halftime of United's 3-2 victory over Braga in the Champions League on Tuesday. "Shinji Kagawa is going to be out for three to four weeks," Ferguson told reporters. "It's a knee injury similar to the one (winger) Ashley Young...
04:13 PM, Oct 26, 2012
London: Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa picked up an injury during the first half of last night's 3-2 comeback win over Braga and he is due for tests on Wednesday to discover the extent of the problem. The Japan international was replaced at half time by Nani after he picked up the injury midway through the first half at Old Trafford. "Kagawa twisted his knee," said Manchester United manager Alex...
01:14 PM, Oct 24, 2012
Manchester: The shade of the shirt may have changed but Robin van Persie remains a red-hot Dutch master after marking his first Manchester United start with a goal in a 3-2 Premier League win over Fulham on Saturday. Having swapped the crimson of Arsenal for the red checks of United's new home jersey, the 24 million pound ($38 million) man dug United out of an early hole by firing in...
10:00 PM, Aug 25, 2012
Manchester United and Barcelona look to start their season on a good note when they play in a pre-season friendly at Gothenbrug in Sweden on Wednesday. The last time both teams played one another was the Champions League final in 2010 in which the Catalans thumped Alex Ferguson's men 3-1 at Wembley. Ferguson is still there, but Pep Guardiola has since left Barcelona and Tito Vilanova has taken over. Both...
08:45 PM, Aug 07, 2012
Manchester: Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa has spoken to Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and would like to move to an English Premier League club, the Japanese international said on Wednesday. "It was good to meet and actually talk to him. He had some nice things to say to me," the 23-year-old told reporters. Kagawa has been widely linked with a seven-million-Pound transfer to the Premier League runners-up by British...
05:19 AM, May 17, 2012
