Clean Sheet

[ohhh_yeah 2795]

Clean sheet is best therapy

Dec 17 2007 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

 

DAVID Rozehnal believes Newcastle United’s clean sheet against Fulham was just as important as the three points earned in victory as the centre-back admitted the team’s poor defensive record had begun to mess with the players’ heads.

 

Rozehnal has had his fair share of problems trying to adapt to English football this season and admitted the pressure had got to him, but he was in tremendous form in Saturday’s 1-0 win over the Cottagers in arguably Newcastle’s best defensive display under Sam Allardyce. And the Czech international gave a glowing tribute to centre-back colleague Claudio Caçapa after the Brazilian provided the perfect answer to the questions which have been asked about him ever since he was hauled off after less than 20 minutes in the 4-1 home defeat by Portsmouth last month.

 

“I am very happy with what happened against Fulham,” said Rozehnal, who admits he is still learning about the English game six months after his move from Paris-Saint Germain. “To get the three points is the most important thing, but in many ways, the 1-0 score is just great for the team.

 

“It’s been a long time since we kept a clean sheet, so that is something we are very pleased with. The longer it goes on, the more people talk about it and the more you think about it.

 

“It might sound strange as a defender to say it, but if we won 5-4 every game, I’d be happy because the victory is the most important thing in any football game.

 

“But, for our heads and confidence, it is better that we keep a clean sheet. We haven’t done that enough this season and we have created pressure for ourselves.

 

“Fulham did not create a lot of chances and to win 1-0 is really good for our heads, it will calm everyone down and we have to concentrate on taking this into the next game. It’s obviously important for me as a defender to keep clean sheets.”

 

Despite some persistent pressure in the second half, Shay Given was well protected by his back four and did not have a meaningful save to make in the game other than to tip away David Healy’s shot from outside the area.

 

Rozehnal revealed the return of Caçapa had made a big difference to the back line, which avoided conceding a goal for the first time in the Premier League since the goalless draw with Aston Villa in August. It was also United’s first clean sheet away from home in the top flight since drawing 0-0 at Manchester City in November last year. And he explained: “First of

 

all, Claudio is a great player. What happened to him is a big pity. He made some mistakes, but football is like that. Sometimes you can look like the worst footballer in the world, you make mistakes and people think you are terrible.

 

“But he is a great player and a strong player. We saw against Fulham, he did a great job. I felt really good playing close to him. He has a lot of experience, there is big pressure on us and we need this type of big player on the pitch.”

 

If Rozehnal did not fully comprehend the criticism which is traditionally directed at Newcastle defenders, he has had to come to terms with it rapidly. The Czech international has featured in all but one of United’s Premier League games this season and has had to learn from his mistakes in the full glare of the critics.

 

He said: “I wanted to play from the moment I arrived at Newcastle. I didn’t come here to sit on the bench, I want to play and do the best I can.

 

“I knew I’d have to adapt a little bit, but I made the decision to come here and that is what I was determined to do. It’s a different country with a different language, but my English is getting better and I feel as though I am playing better as well.

 

“We are aware of the criticism we have received as a defence, but it will always be like that in the Premier League. We have to keep clean sheets, we have to stop the other team scoring, there is big pressure to do that, not just for the defenders but the goalkeeper and the rest of the team.

 

“Newcastle are a big team, hopefully with a big future, and we are going to be under pressure if we don’t keep clean sheets. This is a big league, it’s not like when I was in the Czech Republic or in Belgium, there is constant attention every weekend. It’s the biggest league in the world.”

 

 

quoted from Journal Live

[ohhh_yeah 2795]

Praise for Caçapa’s comeback

Dec 17 2007 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

 

SAM Allardyce has admitted he did not want to play Claudio Caçapa against Fulham but Newcastle’s manager was thrilled to see the Brazilian thrive after Steven Taylor was ruled out by a hamstring injury on the eve of the game.

 

Caçapa’s last contribution in a Newcastle shirt was two mistakes which led to two early goals as Portsmouth ran riot at St James’s Park last month. But although short on match practice, the 31-year-old former Lyon defender played a crucial role in securing a rare clean sheet for the Magpies.

 

Allardyce said: “We asked the lads to stop Fulham first and foremost away from home. We haven’t had a clean sheet away in 12 months, we haven’t won a game away from home since the first game of the season, so I wanted a more resilient performance without trying to take away the opportunity to attack the opposition.

 

“We did not really want to put Claudio straight back in, but we’re glad to have him back in the squad. But with Steven (Taylor), who has been terrific in the last three weeks, failing an injury test, he used all his experience and got himself through the game.

 

“He had a very solid, effective performance. A manager is always satisfied when they go away from home and the opposition do not score. It was always going to take one goal to win the game and we got it in the 90th minute like we did last week. Claudio’s performance at the back is one of the reasons we got three points.”

 

And Allardyce believes the weekend’s win, which comes after a creditable home draw against Arsenal and a win over Birmingham City, has restored the player’s confidence as they head towards the vital festive programme. He added: “We only had five points away from home before this game with no clean sheets, now we have another three points and another clean sheet, which is obviously going to build confidence for our next away performance. The players have now reinstalled the belief they lost maybe three or four games ago.

 

“You can’t always win pretty and we weren’t, but we were effective. When you play away from home you have to make sure you cope with what the opposition throws at you and we did that. We now need to get all our injured players back on the pitch.”

 

 

more from Jounal Live

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“Fulham did not create a lot of chances and to win 1-0 is really good for our heads, it will calm everyone down and we have to concentrate on taking this into the next game. It’s obviously important for me as a defender to keep clean sheets.”

quoted from Journal Live

 

That's because Fulham were even more toothless that your average goldfish.