Cool Carlos

FALCAO INJURY WORRIES

Radamel Falcao sustained a knee injury during Monaco’s match against Chasselay some weeks ago and now the Colombian superstar is doubtful if he can be fully fit for the 2014 World Cup which starts in June.

The star of As.Monaco was expected to be the main driving force behind Colombia for the World Cup as they have to face off against Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan. While it still remains uncertain if Falcao will be ready in time for the worldwide competition, some coaches believe that he will be playing at the World Cup.

According to the head coach of As.Monaco, Claudio Ranieri stated that the recovery of Falcao is going on well and he thinks he should be ready in time.

‘I had Radamel Falcao on the phone yesterday; He’s doing well and working hard. His knee is reacting very positively; I think he’ll play at the World Cup.’ Ranieri told the official club’s website.

The injury that Falcao sustained is so serious that As.Monaco signed Dimitar Berbatov as a replacement until the Colombian star can get back to his feet and play for his club. This is Colombia’s first World Cup since 1998 and the absence of a player with the caliber of Falcao will surely be noticed.
Carlos Valderrama is a former captain of Colombia and he is one of the latest figures to talk about the situation of his country and he also believes that Falcao should be able to recover just in time for the 2014 World Cup.

When Valderrama was asked if Falcao was going to make it into the World Cup, he replied by saying yes.

‘’I think that he can make it in time and if he continues working at the same pace, he definitely will. If something happens and he is somehow unable to fully recover in time, then there will be problems but the team has a positive energy and there are other players that are still capable of scoring goals but it will not be the same if Falcao is not in the team’’.

TORRES NOT WORRIED

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has said that he is not worried about the club being linked with the Colombian international, Radamel Falcao, who is reported transfer target for the club in the summer. The Atletico Madrid striker is regarded as one of the best in the world and he is only behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the la Liga scoring list. Torres has been a poor run of form since arriving at Chelsea back in 2011. The British transfer record signing, though, has said that he knew what he was signing up for when he arrived at Chelsea.

He has said that this is a club that will certainly not be looking to sign mediocre players. Hence, there is always going to be competition at the club – even when you’re the fans favourite player for autographed chelsea stuff. Torres’ future has been a lot of speculation in recent months, as he has been linked with a return to Atletico Madrid in a swap deal involving Radamel Falcao. The 28-year-old, though, has said that he is going to stay at Chelsea at least for the next three years, as he has a contract that runs until 2016. Falcao could cost the Premier league outfit around £ 45 million, while he is also demanding wages of around £ 200,000 per week.

“When you play for Chelsea you’re always hoping big players come and the big names are always being related with Chelsea. You cannot stop that, especially when the summer comes. Every player is welcome at Chelsea, every top player. Since I came to Chelsea only top players have come so it would not be a surprise [if Chelsea signed Falcao]. I have always felt part of the club. Things change and you could see this season that I’ve been the main striker, then Demba came to join the club,” said Torres.

FALCAO WILL STAY

The Colombian striker Radamel Falcao Garcia has said that he wants to stay at the Spanish club Atletico Madrid amidst interest from several clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City. Falcao has been one of the best players in Europe over the last few years. He has helped FC Porto and Atletico Madrid to Europa league titles in back-to-back seasons. He has been linked with a £ 45 million move to Chelsea and Manchester City over the last few months, but the striker recently reaffirmed his commitment to the Spanish club by ruling out a possible move in the summer.

Falcao is currently third in the table of top scorers in Spanish la Liga. Only the likes of Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are ahead of him in the table. The 27-year-old was signed from FC Porto for around £ 35 million as the replacement for Aguero. Falcao has stated that he still has three years left on his contract, and he is not thinking about a move elsewhere. He has also reaffirmed his commitment to the club’s objective of qualifying for the Champions league group stages. His incredible goal return this season has helped Atletico Madrid move into the second position ahead of their arch rivals Real Madrid.

“I have a contract with Atletico for three more years, therefore, that’s the best option. As a group we have the clear goal of qualifying for the Champions League. If we maintain the same level that we have showed, we will achieve our objectives. We are not thinking about either [Real] Madrid or Barcelona, we are focusing on what we can give and on our objectives. I have come to one of the biggest clubs in Spain,” said the 27-year-old. The Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini recently expressed his admiration for the striker.

FALCAO MISSING FOR ATLETICO

The Atletico Madrid and Colombian international striker Radamel Falcao will be a major absentee for the team in the next few days according to the manager of the Spanish club Diego Simeone. The 26-year-old Radamel Falcao is regarded as one of the best strikers in the world. He has been recently linked with a £ 45 million move to the Premier league club Chelsea. He was signed by the Spanish club Atletico Madrid from the Portuguese club FC Porto for around £ 35 million. He helped them win the Europa league in his first season at the club by scoring more than 35 goals in all competitions.

This was the second consecutive season that he has won the Europa league after previously helping FC Porto to the same title the previous season. However, the player will not be available for Atletico Madrid for the weekend’s match against Espanyol. He will be missing the match due to a thigh injury recently suffered. Speaking ahead of the match, the Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has said that there is no doubt that the team will be not at their best due to the absence of Radamel Falcao, but he expects other players to step up in his absence.

“The objective is not to cover for Radamel’s absence. However, we will be going there with the same mentality as we have had recently, with different players and different characteristics to Falcao, while continuing to remain competitive. The team is good, there is much competition internally, the players are eager to play and the intent is to enter the field with the people who can get us the best result, especially for the match that we are next preparing for,” said Simeone ahead of the match with Espanyol during the weekend.