Chelsea boss has treated Mata with complete disrespect

Chelsea fans have started to become frustrated at Jose Mourinho's decision to continuously overlook Juan Mata.

The Spaniard - despite having been Chelsea's best player last season - has been used sparingly this season, due to Mourinho's preference to play Eden Hazard, Oscar and Willian or Andre Schurrle behind the main striker.

Mourinho even decided to turn to Kevin De Bruyne on Tuesday when Chelsea were in need of a goal against Basel.The Portuguese tactician decided to leave Mata watching helplessly from the bench, which must have been a bitter pill to swallow for the 25-year-old.

Chelsea fans, pundits and probably even Mata's teammates do not understand Mourinho's decision to omit the Spanish international from his side.

Mata scored an impressive 20 goals and claimed 13 assists in the Premier League for the Blues last season.

The Chelsea star, who moved to Stamford Bridge for just under £24million in August 2011, has lost his place in Spain's squad due to the lack of game-time he is currently receiving under Mourinho.

Mata will be desperate to break back into the Spain squad ahead of next summer's World Cup in Brazil - and the only way he can do that is by playing first-team football week-in, week-out.

The former Valencia man deserves to be playing in the biggest competitions as he is one of the best footballers on the planet.

If Mata does not manage to worm his way into Mourinho's plans, then he will have no choice but to jump ship in January.

Mata would break Chelsea fans' hearts if he was to leave the west London outfit in January - but the only person they should blame for his expected departure is Mourinho.

UEFA Europa League: Spurs, Fiorentina, Valencia advance

Jermain Defoe broke Tottenham's European goal-scoring record on Thursday as he steered his side into the knockout phase of the Europa League with a tough 2-1 victory over Moldova's Sheriff Tiraspol.

Spurs join Valencia, Salzburg, Esbjerg, Fiorentina and Dninpro in the last-32 who all booked their places with two matches still remaining in the group phase.

Defoe's clinical 67th minute penalty, which not only makes him the competition's top scorer with five goals from four matches, also gave him 23 European goals, one more than former England international Martin Chivers.

Chivers, who scored 13 goals in 24 matches for England, helped the side win the same competition in 1972 when it was known as the Uefa Cup.

"Some things are written, I couldn't get a lot of space in the first-half but I just tried to stay patient and top of the list now, I'm delighted," said England striker Defoe.

"I saw Martin (Chivers) at halftime, he's a legend and he just told me to get it so it's special for me."

Valencia, who won the tournament in 2004 and were twice beaten Champions League finalists, are also into the next round after a Sergio Canales' goal five minutes from time gave them a 3-2 victory at Swiss side St Gallen.

Premier League club Swansea blew a victory chance against Kuban Krasnodar for the second time when they conceded a last-gasp equaliser but need only avoid defeat when they play St Gallen in their final game or beat Valencia at home in their next to ensure their passage to the knock-out stages.

Despite playing the last quarter of an hour with 10-men following defender Xandao's red card at the Kuban Stadium, the Russians netted two minutes into injury time through Ibrahima Balde to earn a 1-1 draw.

Ivory Coast forward Wilfried Bony had given the Welsh visitors an early lead but just as Djibril Cisse's penalty at the Liberty Stadium had cost them a win last month, so too this time Senegal forward Balde's clever lofted finish broke Swans' hearts.

Fiorentina, who lost the 1990 final against Serie A rivals Juventus, continued their progress by making it four wins out of four with two goals in the last four minutes from Ryder Matos and Borja Valero which gave them a 2-1 win at Romanians Pandurii Targu-Jiu.

Austria Vienna also cruised into next year's knockout phase, despite a 2-2 home draw against Belgian club Genk.Denmark also have a representative in the draw, which will be made on December 13, after Esbjerg edged Swedish neighbors Elfsborg 1-0 thanks to Mick van Buren's winner.

Ukraine's Dnipro are also through after brushing aside Portuguese club Pacos de Ferreira 2-0.

In a second Anglo-Russian clash, Rubin Kazan opened a clear gap at the top of Group D with a 1-0 win over Wigan.

Full-back Oleg Kuzmin hit the winner midway through the first period after escaping down the right and finding acres of space behind the Wigan backline.

Wigan remained second after Belgium's Zulte-Waregem won 1-0 at NK Maribor of Slovenia.

South Africa vs Pakistan 2013: Steyn, Kallis released from ODI squad

Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis have been released from the Proteas' one-day international (ODI) squad for the third ODI taking place at SuperSport Park on Saturday.

Steyn is nursing a mild left-side strain and Kallis is recovering from a sprained joint to a small finger, sustained in the first ODI in Cape Town.

"Dale and Jacques will play a key role in the upcoming series against India in both the tests and ODIs," said Proteas' team manager Mohammed Moosajee.

"So we felt it was necessary for us to take precautionary measures so that they are able to enter the series in prime condition. This will also give the coaching staff an opportunity to try out a few players who have missed out during the series."

No additional players have been added to the squad.

Liverpool open talks over deal for Barcelona starlet

The Mirror report that the Spanish U21, Martin Montoya could be on his way to Anfield, with Ayre in town to talk to the player about a potential switch.

The paper claim that both Arsenal and Inter Milan have expressed an interest in the 22-year-old, who was part of Spain's U21 successful squad at the European Championships last summer.Montoya, who can operate at full-back and at centre-back and would fill a hole in Brendan Rodgers's squad following the injury to Jose Enrique, is out of contract with Barcelona in the summer.

That means he would be able to sign an agreement with Liverpool that would see him head to Merseyside in the summer. Contract talks with Barcelona are believed to have broken down.

Despite that, the Mirror report that Ayre is in Spain to try and negotiate a deal for Montoya that would see him join Liverpool in January for a small fee.

Montoya has made six La Liga appearances for Barcelona this season, and is tipped to become one of Spain's brightest defensive stars. Rodgers will hope that his upbringing at the Nou Camp will help him settle into life at Anfield as quickly as possible.

Barcelona, who have lost promising youngsters such as Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas in the past, appear to have been caught on the back foot by Liverpool's interest. 

Montoya's agent said recently: "We have been talking about a renewal, but there is nothing yet as the situation is a little complicated.

"We will evaluate the situation more as we move forward, and it is at the moment we can no talk about a possible transfer in January."

The relationship between Liverpool and Barcelona is said to be good following talks over the future of goalkeeper Pepe Reina, and the Premier League club are confident that a deal can be done.

Nepal's Journey in Cricket: A tale of Hardwork and Tears

Courtesy: ESPNcricinfo

On November 16, Nepal were chasing 183 against Kenya, who were favourites to win the Group B encounter in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dubai. They needed 17 runs off the final over. In the middle was the Nepal captain Paras Khadka and Sharad Vesawkar. As soon as the tall Vesawkar hit the first of three sixes to win the match, his team-mate Sagar Pun

 began to cry. Pun, a 20-year old batsman, was padded up because he was the next man in, and he cried louder as Vesawkar took Nepal closer to the target.

"Matches like these only bring the emotions out easily. Imagine if a wicket had fallen and he [Pun] was the next man in, what might have happened," Khadka tells ESPNcricinfo from Abu Dhabi with a chuckle, explaining Pun's reaction. "Everybody was so keen. Everybody was pushing themselves. Every one of us believes in fate. Every one of us believes in God."

According to Khadka, his players have worked "double" the amount they usually do, for this tournament. "The belief was always there. But in the Twenty20 format you just never know which way the game can swing," he says. "There is no substitute for hardwork, even if it might take time. Three years ago, four years ago, five years ago if anyone had asked us do you want to play a World Cup, our answer would have been - maybe yes. But how do we go about it?"

On Wednesday afternoon, in the dry heat of Abu Dhabi, Vesawkar and Khadka found themselves in the middle once again, with Nepal's fate in the balance. In the quarter-final against Hong Kong, with a spot in the World Twenty20 at stake, Nepal needed 26 off the last two overs. With 10 balls to go, Khadka attempted a risky second run and was dismissed. Nepal now needed 13 off the final over, from medium pacer Haseeb Amjad. Vesawkar started the over with a straight six and then bottom-edged the next ball to the fine-leg boundary. With one ball to go and scores level, all the Hong Kong fielders were inside the circle; Vesawkar's powerful off drive pierced the field to deliver the most important victory in the Affiliate nation's history. Nepal had qualified for the 2014 World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.

Nepal's journey through the tournament in the UAE had been tense. They might not even have made it to the knockouts, if not for a fractionally superior run rate to Scotland. At the end of the group stage, Nepal and Scotland were level on eight points. They were separated only by a net run rate calculated to the fourth decimal: Scotland had 0.3792, while Nepal had 0.3794. "I do not know how they calculated, but we had the belief. We had the hunger," Khadka says, still unable to comprehend what his team achieved.

Vesawkar confesses that the significance of their performance has not "sunk in" completely because it has been a long-cherished dream, and now that they are there it feels almost unreal. "It is the proudest moment of our lives," he says. "We wanted to play a World Cup. It was a dream for us. Finally it has come true."

Vesawkar started following cricket when he was eight, after watching Sachin Tendulkar during the 1996 World Cup. "Sachin inspired me," Vesawkar says, recollecting the days spent playing street cricket with tennis balls. He is happy he chased that dream.

"We had no other choice, other than going for it," Vesawkar says in a matter-of-fact tone, speaking about final over against Kenya. "Yesterday [against Hong Kong] was very important to us because it was a do-or-die match and we had to qualify for the World Cup. There is so much following back home and the expectations were really high. The Kenya game was equally important since the tournament could have gone either way, but I still feel the Hong Kong match had more importance."

In May this year, Nepal won the ICC World Cricket League Division Three title, beating Uganda in the final. It was Vesawakar who had hit the winning runs to complete a half-century. Nepal had lost their first two group matches but won all the rest to claim the title. It was their biggest win at the time.

According to Khadka, Nepal's Sri Lankan coach Pubudu Dassanayake has "transformed" the team's progress and development. "The introduction of our coach transformed everything. It has been the same team, same players but everyone has risen to the task."

During the match against Hong Kong, Dassanayake, who joined Nepal after leaving the Canada job following the 2011 World Cup, remained confident though he feared his batsmen had left themselves too many to get in the final over. "That was the only hiccup," he says. "But we had already been involved in last-over games."Nations like Nepal struggle for proper cricket infrastructure and resources. To prepare for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, they travelled to Delhi in October to play practice matches. "Six months ago we went to Bharatnagar Cricket Academy (in Delhi), where we were smashed by a couple of teams," Dassanayake says. "This time when we were there we had victories against Under-25 sides from Railways and Delhi District Cricket Association. That provided a shot of confidence and showed us how much we had improved."

Dassanayake says the dedication of Nepal cricketers must be admired, for most of them rely on their board for basic needs, including their kit. "The Nepal Cricket Association provided a kit to each of the 15 players. The players give their full time to cricket but they do not benefit financially," Dassanayake says. When Khadka, a former small-time school and college-level coach, says the players "have dedicated" themselves to cricket "full time," you realise how much they love the sport.

The ICC played its part too, by promoting cricket in Nepal and providing exposure to players. Dassanayake feels in a few years Nepal will be on par with Associates like Ireland and Netherlands. "This is beginning of another level but we have to do a lot of hard work," he says.

For Dassanayke, it is satisfying that Nepal have played the same brand of cricket in victory and defeat. "When we lost to Afghanistan in a seven-over rain-affected match, we had been confident we could beat them and hence were upset. But we played good cricket and stuck to our plans in front of strong crowd support for both sides." On Friday, Nepal face Afghanistan again in the semi-finals of the tournament. Vesawkar wants to beat the archrivals, another long-standing desire, but for now he cannot forget the crowd that had gathered at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium to infuse the team with energy.

After the victory against Hong Kong, as Khadka and his men sang the patriotic anthem Rato Ra Chandra Surya, the crowd joined the chorus to make the moment that much more special. "It is almost like a festival back home. There have been rallies, candle light functions and such from the moment we qualified," Khadka says. "Our home minister called us to congratulate the team. People are very excited. As a country we have been waiting for something to unite us. I think cricket has become the unifying factor."

When Khadka had got out against Hong Kong, he saw Pun crying once again. This time, even Khadka was counting the beads in his mind. "It was crazy. When I was batting I was in the zone. You work so hard all your life and it is right there in front you. And then I got out with 10 balls left." Khadka recollects the moment. He had removed his helmet and gloves but he did not sit down. "I was standing there and praying. Please, please, God, you cannot be cruel. In the end it was fate. I believe in destiny. Honest work paid off."

Manchester United with a 5-star show in Leverkusen

The English champions marched into the knockout phase after dismantling their German rivals in what had been billed as a top-of-the-table clash.A stellar performance from Wayne Rooney paved the way for Manchester United FC to qualify for the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds with a matchday to spare, their 5-0 Group A victory at Bayer 04 Leverkusen coming courtesy of five different scorers.Before tonight, Leverkusen had won eight consecutive home games in the group stage but, after a cagey opening at the BayArena, Antonio Valencia was on hand to tap in a Rooney centre. Rooney's fine free-kick was then headed into his own net by the unlucky Emir Spahić before, in the second half, Jonny Evans made it three from a Rooney rebound and the talismanic forward set up Chris Smalling's fourth. Nani completed the scoring late on.

The Red Devils move three points clear in the section while Bayer – who drop from second to third – visit Real Sociedad de Fútbol on 10 December knowing they must better FC Shakhtar Donetsk's result in Manchester to go through.

While coach Sami Hyypiä had promised a more attacking Leverkusen side, understandably they did not go out all guns blazing. Even so, a Spahić header flew just over the bar and Stefan Kiessling saw his shot blocked by a timely Evans intervention, shortly before Nani came closer still when his curler from a Ryan Giggs lay-off went narrowly over.

David Moyes had insisted he had the better team at his disposal – and was probably thinking of the in-form Rooney when saying so. The United No10 did not grab a goal himself, but was instrumental in much more than just the two first-half goals that silenced the home crowd. For the opener, Shinji Kagawa robbed Stefan Reinartz of the ball and eventually Rooney floated a cross to the back post, where Valencia raced in for a first-time finish. Eight minutes later, a dangerous Rooney free-kick found an unwilling recipient in Spahić's head, leaving Bernd Leno powerless.

The Premier League title holders were now in control and enjoyed themselves on the break. Hyypiä's side never really looked like reducing arrears and Rooney also contributed to United's third after the hour, when his close-range effort after a corner was denied by Leno, only for Evans to tap in.

The best goal was to follow: Rooney latched onto Kagawa's brilliant chip into the area and then directed the ball past Leno for an easy conversion by Smalling. Nani sealed matters minutes from time by rounding Leno and it was the only goal in which man of the match Rooney, by then substituted, did not feature. Usually, counterattacks and set pieces are Leverkusen's main strengths, but here they were eclipsed in both departments as United romped home.

UEFA Champions League Roundup, Matchday 5

Manchester United FC, Real Madrid CF and Paris Saint-Germain sealed progress to the knockout phase, but half the last-16 places will still be up for grabs on matchday six.

Manchester United FC, Real Madrid CF and Paris Saint-Germain are the latest teams to secure their progress to the UEFA Champions League round of 16.Qualified for last 16: Manchester United FC, Real Madrid CF, Paris Saint-Germain, FC Bayern München (holders), Manchester City FC (plus from other sections: Chelsea FC, Club Atlético de Madrid, FC Barcelona)

Guaranteed at least UEFA Europa League spot: Bayer 04 Leverkusen, FC Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, Olympiacos FC, SL Benfica (FC Basel 1893, FC Schalke 04, Arsenal FC, Borussia Dortmund, SSC Napoli, FC Zenit, FC Porto, AFC Ajax, AC Milan)

Can still qualify: Galatasaray AŞ

Can still make UEFA Europa League: FC København, PFC CSKA Moskva, FC Viktoria Plzeň

Eliminated from Europe: Real Sociedad de Fútbol, RSC Anderlecht (FC Steaua Bucureşti, Olympique de Marseille, FK Austria Wien, Celtic FC)

United booked their place in next month's draw in style, cruising to a 5-0 success at Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The Bundesliga side therefore drop down to third, a point behind FC Shakhtar Donetsk, who were 4-0 winners over Real Sociedad de Fútbol. Shakhtar will come top of Group A should they prevail at Old Trafford in a fortnight.

Real Madrid merely needed to rubber-stamp their qualification prior to Wednesday's visit of Galatasaray AŞ. The Merengues emerged as 4-1 victors against Roberto Mancini's team and are certain to advance as Group B winners. They will be joined by either Juventus – up to second having triumphed 3-1 against FC København – or Galatasaray.

Also assured of finishing top of the pile are Paris in Group C. Laurent Blanc's charges – who went ahead through a Zlatan Ibrahimović goal on his 100th UEFA Champions League appearance – needed an Edinson Cavani effort in the final minute to beat Olympiacos FC 2-1. Olympiacos will still join them if their matchday six result against RSC Anderlecht is as good as SL Benfica – 3-2 winners at RSC Anderlecht – manage at home to Paris.

In Group D, it is a case of as you were. FC Bayern München and Manchester City FC already had qualification wrapped up and merely reasserted their authority with victories against PFC CSKA Moskva (3-1) and FC Viktoria Plzeň (4-2). Pole position is still up for grabs, with the holders hosting City in two weeks' time.

Groups A–D conclude on Tuesday 10 December, with the remaining four sections set to finish the following day.

Wednesday results
Group A
Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0-5 Manchester United FC
FC Shakhtar Donetsk 4-0 Real Sociedad de Fútbol

Group BReal Madrid CF 4-1 Galatasaray AŞ
Juventus 3-1 FC København

Group CRSC Anderlecht 2-3 SL Benfica
Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Olympiacos FC

Group D
PFC CSKA Moskva 1-3 FC Bayern München
Manchester City FC 4-2 FC Viktoria Plzeň

Tuesday results
Group E
FC Basel 1893 1-0 Chelsea FC
FC Steaua Bucureşti 0-0 FC Schalke 04

Group F
Arsenal FC 2-0 Olympique de Marseille
Borussia Dortmund 3-1 SSC Napoli

Group G
FC Zenit 1-1 Club Atlético de Madrid
FC Porto 1-1 FK Austria Wien

Group H
Celtic FC 0-3 AC Milan
AFC Ajax 2-1 FC Barcelona

Nepal through to ICC World T20

Nepal joined Afghanistan and Ireland, becoming the third team to qualify for the World T20 2014 in Bangladesh with a last-ball win against Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi. It's the first time Nepal will be heading to a global event.

Nepal entered the final over needing 13 to win and Sharad Vesawkar swung a six down the ground followed by an inside-edged four through fine leg. Vesawkar was back on strike to face the final delivery with scores level and pierced a packed ring through extra cover to send Nepal through to Bangladesh with a five-wicket win.

Chasing 144, Nepal got off to a solid start, but Hong Kong kept chipping away every time it appeared Nepal was about to seize control. Tanwir Afzal bowled opener Subash Khakurel behind his legs for 16 and Sagar Pun made 22 off 19 before he was pinned on the crease by a full delivery by Haseeb Amjad.

Gyanendra Malla and Paras Khadka came together and added 33 for the third wicket before Malla heaved Aizaz Khan to deep midwicket for 30. Atkinson kept Nepal off balance with a series of bowling changes as dot balls kept piling up to bring the equation to 32 off 20 balls for Nepal to win.

Khadka only struck two boundaries in his 46 off 39 and cleverly seized on ones and twos to anchor the chase. He offered a chance to Jamie Atkinson behind the stumps on the last ball of the 18th, but Hong Kong's wicketkeeper-captain spilled it and in the process injured his right thumb before exiting the field for treatment. A front foot no-ball by left-arm spinner Nadeem Ahmed was slammed past the umpire for a boundary two balls into the 19th and it looked as though Hong Kong would crumble without their captain. However, Hong Kong erupted in the field when Khadka was run-out two balls later after changing his mind too late on a second run.

After sending Hong Kong in to bat, Nepal had bowled and fielded marvellously for the majority of the innings before a hiccup in the final two overs allowed Hong Kong to reach 143 for 8. Hong Kong had a handful of players cross 20, but none made it past 25. The dangerous Irfan Ahmed was the first of three wickets for seamer Jitendra Mukhiya, edging a short ball to Nepal captain Paras Khadka at first slip in the second over. Hong Kong captain Atkinson sliced Avinash Karn to point at the start of the fifth. The two bowlers shared five wickets between them.The win also took Nepal to the semi-final of the qualifying tournament where they will meet Afghanistan.

"This is the biggest moment of our lives. Our childhood dreams have come true," Khadka said. "I think the boys have worked really hard for this and been pushing it in the World Cricket League and the Twenty20 format. I think when it mattered, everyone contributed, and I am really glad we have qualified for the ICC World Twenty20

Bangladesh 2014. The tournament is still not over. We are now in the semi-finals and most likely to play Afghanistan. So, it's about time that we give them what they've been giving us all these years."

ICC WT20 Qualifier UAE 2013 to be broadcast live across the globe Last four days of event to be broadcast by ICC’s broadcast partner, STAR Sports

(source: Official ICC Website)

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the broadcast schedule for the last four days of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier UAE 2013 (WT20Q), which commenced in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 15 November.

The tournament, which is running from 15 to 30 November across six venues in the UAE, has reached the play off and final stage, and fans will get the opportunity to watch their teams compete live from Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, over the last four days of the tournament.  Eight matches will be broadcast live in key territories via ICC’s global broadcast partner STAR Sports and its licensees around the globe.  

The broadcast will be produced in High Definition, with fourteen-camera match coverage along with Hawk-Eye cameras for the first time at an ICC Associate and Affiliate event.

Former England players Nick Knight and Paul Allott will join Pakistan fast bowling legend Waqar Younis as part of the commentary team.

This will be the second time that an ICC event featuring non-Test playing teams will be shown on a live global television broadcast, and it sees an increase in the number of matches broadcast in comparison to previous events. 

This continues to highlight the ICC’s efforts to expose cricket outside the traditional Test playing countries, and, aligned with the ICC’s Strategic Plan, is an important step in promoting cricket to become a bigger, better global game. 

The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier UAE 2013 is a 16-team global event that is being played in the UAE from 15 to 30 November. The top six sides will progress to the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014, to be staged in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet from 16 March to 6 April.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “We are thrilled that the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier will once again be viewed around the world.”

“The tournament has already provided some fantastic viewing for fans around the globe via the live stream on the ICC website. 

“We would like to thank our broadcast partner, STAR Sports, and our licensees for their continued support and commitment to help us grow the game.”

Speaking on the occasion, Nitin Kukreja, Head of Sports Business, Star India, said, “We are delighted to work closely with ICC in our endeavour to offer the best possible coverage as well as widest distribution of all ICC properties across the globe. The global coverage of ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier will contribute in expanding the fan base of cricket. The tournament will be seen across as many as 197 territories.” 
The broadcast matches are:
 

27 November 2013 (1000-1300)	Match 60 Hong Kong v Nepal  2nd Group A v 3rd Group B
27 November 2013 (1400-1700)	Match 63 UAE v Netherlands  3rd Group A v 2nd Group B
28 November 2013 (1000-1300)	Match 64 Winner of 61 v Loser 60
28 November 2013 (1400-1700)	Match 66 Winner of 62 v Loser 63
29 November 2013 (1400-1700)	Match 68 Semi Final 1 Winner Group B v Winner Match 60
29 November 2013 (1800-2100)	Match 70 Semi Final 2 Winner Group A v Winner Match 63
30 November 2013 (1400-1700)	Match 71 Loser S/F 1 v Loser S/F 2
30 November 2013 (1800-2100)	Match 72 Final Winner S/F 1 v Winner S/F 2

Kobe Bryant's career earnings to reach $328m

Kobe Bryant's career earnings with the LA Lakers will surpass $328 million when his contract extension, which was signed on Monday, ends in 2016.

The 35-year-old's injury concerns of late meant a renewal with the Lakers was somewhat uncertain, but clearance over Bryant's fitness resulted in a two-year extension to his current deal, which expires at the end of the season.

Bryant suffered a torn Achilles tendon playing against Golden State Warriors in April and has not featured for the Lakers since, but the shooting guard is set to be welcomed back imminently.The new contract awarded to Bryant will see him earn $48.5 million over its duration and, injury permitting, take him beyond 20 seasons with the Lakers, for whom he signed after the 1996 NBA Draft.

Given his loyalty to the Lakers over the past two decades, Bryant has received a growing salary from the franchise and his total earnings in LA are now guaranteed to pass the $300 million barrier.

The current season, during which Bryant has yet to play a single game, is his highest paid so far - with a salary of over $30 million - and means he has the most lucrative contract in the NBA.

Here's the breakdown of Bryant's salary season-by-season during his time as a Laker…

1997-98: $1,167,240

1998-99: $1,319,000

1999-00: $9,000,000

2000-01: $10,130,000

2001-02: $11,250,000

2002-03: $12,375,000

2003-04: $13,500,000

2004-05: $14,175,000

2005-06: $15,946,875

2006-07: $17,718,750

2007-08: $19,490,625

2008-09: $21,262,500

2009-10: $23,034,375

2010-11: $24,806,250

2011-12: $25,244,493

2012-13: $27,849,149

2013-14: $30,453,805

2014-15: $23,500,000

2015-16: $25,000,000

Career total: $328,238,062

(Source: LA Times)

UEFA Champions League Roundup: Chelsea through, Ajax shock Barca

Chelsea reached the Champions League knockout stage on Tuesday despite a 1-0 defeat by Basle in Group E after a late Mohamed Salah goal shocked the 2012 title winners with Jose Mourinho saying they deserved to lose.

Barcelona, without Lionel Messi but already into the last 16, went two goals down in Amsterdam but looked a different side in the second half after Ajax's Joel Veltman was sent off.

Xavi pulled a goal back but Ajax held on to inflict Barca's first defeat this season under new coach Gerardo Martino and the Dutch side now visit AC Milan next month with all to play for.

Milan thrashed Celtic 3-0 away and have eight points to Ajax's seven in Group H after ending the Glasgow side's hopes

Three sides in Group F - Arsenal, Napoli and Borussia Dortmund - all still harbour hopes of reaching the last 16.

Arsenal have 12 points after beating visitors Olympique Marseille 2-0 thanks to a double from England midfielder Jack Wilshere, while Dortmund, last season's losing finalists, join Napoli on nine points after beating the Italians 3-1.

Mourinho's Chelsea side failed to manage a shot on goal in the first half against Basle who themselves could not find a way past Petr Cech to make their dominance count.

The visitors were little better in the second period and Salah made them pay in the 87th minute, the Egyptian collecting a long pass and lifting the ball over Cech for the winner.

"A bad performance, a deserved defeat," said Mourinho. "I did not like anything from the first minute."

Basle's double triumph over the English side gives them eight points, one fewer than Chelsea. Basle travel to Schalke 04, who drew 0-0 with Steaua Bucharest and have seven points, in the final round next month and one of the two will qualify.Wilshere put Arsenal in front after 30 seconds with a superb curled shot but Germany's Mesut Ozil missed the chance to put the Londoners two-up when his penalty was saved before halftime.

Wilshere gave Arsenal breathing space with a second after 65 minutes and they coasted home. A draw in Napoli will book them a place in the last 16 and manager Arsene Wenger said he felt that was well within their capabilities.

"I'm confident we can take another point or three in Naples if we play well," he said.

In Dortmund, Borussia went 1-0 up with a 10th minute penalty, Marco Reus putting the spot kick away after Robert Lewandowski was fouled following a corner. Jakub Blaszczykowski doubled the home side's lead on the hour.

Lorenzo Insigne pulled one back for Napoli five minutes after coming on as a substitute from a fine pass by Gonzalo Higuain but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang secured the three points for Dortmund with a goal 12 minutes from time.

BARCA SHOCKED

Kaka put Milan ahead in Glasgow with the simplest of close-range headers from a corner and Milan grabbed their second via Cristian Zapata Helped by another static display from the Celtic defence shortly after halftime.

Mario Balotelli added a third on the hour to end Celtic's hopes of reaching the knockout stages.

Barcelona suffered an early shock in Amsterdam after a goal by Ajax midfielder Thulani Serero. The Spanish side's defence allowed a cross from Ricardo van Rhijn to reach the South Africa international who netted from close range.

The surprises continued when Danny Hoesen added a second for the hosts just before halftime but Xavi pulled one back for the 2009 and 2011 European champions from the penalty spot four minutes after the break.

Ajax's Veltman was sent off for a foul on Neymar that led to the spot kick and Barca began to impose themselves on the 10-man home side, but Ajax held on for the win.

"In the first half we didnt have a good attitude. At an individual level we were not as good as Ajax," said Martino.

Atletico Madrid dropped their first points of this season's competition in the 1-1 draw in St Petersburg. Adrian Lopez put the group winners ahead shortly after halftime before a Toby Alderweireld own goal secured a point for the Russian side.

Atletico lead Group G with 13 points while Zenit have six, one more than Porto.

Austria Vienna, with only one point from four games, went ahead against the run of play at Porto through Roman Kienast in the 11th minute - their first goal in this season's group stage.

The Portuguese side equalised three minutes after the break through Jackson Martinez. Porto travel to Madrid for their final game, leaving Zenit in pole position for the runners-up spot.

Real Madrid vs Galatasaray ,UEFA Champions League 2013-14 ,Preview

Champions League Group Stage

Thursday, 28 November, 1:30 am (NST)

Santiago Bernabéu

It will only take a draw at Santiago Bernabeu for Real Madrid to make it into the last 16 of the Champions League when they welcome Galatasaray at home on Wednesday’s late night group B encounter. But the hosts recent match form suggests, the Turkish will have a lot to defend. Real Madrid have scored more than 20 goals in their last 5 matches in all competitions.

Galatasaray were beaten on their home turf the last time the two teams played with a score line of 6-1. A Real thrashing at home for Turkish team.

The Spanish team currently lead the table by six points in group B , a courtesy of their three wins and a draw against Juventus; in as many as four matches played so far and will need only a point to advance further in pursuit of La Decima.

Real Madrid have fallen short of the trophy for last 14 years reaching in the last four stages in consecutive occasion.

Ancelotti feels that the 10th title is a motivation as he speaks;

“The 10th European Cup is not an obsession, but a motivation,” he told The Times.

“For the club it’s very important. The last time Real Madrid played in the final was 2002. For a club like Real Madrid this is not good.”

Given the injury to Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored a hat-trick against the Turkish two months ago, the Turkish team might feel to score level against the Spanish giants under the new management of Roberto Mancini.

This is what Mancini told who turns 49 on the eve of the match day; to UEFA.com:

"Galatasaray are a very good team who have the potential to do well this season.

"It's never easy in the Champions League and our group is particularly tough. However, we can progress.

"I'm still confident of qualifying. We need to improve as a team but I am hopeful of a good result in our next game against Real Madrid.

"Then we will have everything to play for at home to Juventus on 10 December. As they say in football, never say never."

 The Turkish champions can boost their chances of qualification to next round in the Champions League, if they come away from the Santiago Bernabeu with a draw or better.

Currently, Galatasaray are in the second place in the table in group B rankings but will be well aware of the urgency of win in tomorrow’s match with the Los Blancos.

For Real Madrid, a big threat is the injury of their star player Cristiano Ronaldo and the duo of Fabio Coentrao and German international Sami Khedira who will remain side-lined for six months.

In the absence of Ronaldo, young sensation Jesé Rodriguez may get the much awaited game in the Champions league with Illaramendi in place of Angel Di Maria to start the match.

Meanwhile for the visitors; Wesley Sneijder, Semih Kaya and Hamit Altintop will all be unavailable for the match.

Under Roberto Mancini, Galatasaray have been doing well in their previous encounters and it will be worth watching Mancini waving his magic and expertise to his new club in the match against the title runners of the Champions league.

RealMadrid: L-W-W-D-W-W

Galatasaray: W-W-W-L-L-W

Possible starting line-up

Real Madrid: Casillas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Arbeloa; Bale, Alonso, Isco, Illarramendi, Jese; Benzema

Galatasaray: Iscan; Eboue, Zan, Chedjou, Gulselam; Melo, Riera, Inan, A Yilmaz; B Yilmaz, Drogba

UEFA Champions League 2013/14 Matchday 5

UEFA Champions League 2013 Matchday 5, Tuesday 26th November 2013

Barcelona don't always win, says de Boer

Ajax vs Barcelona UCL 2013

The Dutchman won La Liga with Barca in 1999 but now needs to find a way to topple them in Europe's premier competition.

Barcelona are already through to the knockout stages and sit five points clear at the top of Group H, with Ajax third on four.

With AC Milan second on five, a defeat for Ajax and a Milan win over Celtic would leave the Europa League as De Boer's best remaining option.

De Boer is hoping, though, that salvation can come in the form of Lionel Messi missing out for Barca through injury.

Messi scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 win when the sides met in September.

"We would like to be second," De Boer said at the pre-match media conference.

"And of course it makes a difference whether Messi plays or not. He scores lots of important goals and gets assists.

"On the other hand, Barcelona have not lost many points without Messi. They have many good players and are a nice team. We must arm ourselves as well as we can.

"Normally Barcelona have more quality but the best team does not always win."

The omens are not good for Ajax considering they have lost their last nine matches against Spanish opposition, although they will be in good spirits after their 3-0 victory over Heracles on Saturday.

But although qualification is already safe, Barca's sporting director, Andoni Zubizarreta, insists there will be no let up in Amsterdam.

"We are travelling with the intention of securing the top spot and continuing with a phase that has gone very well so far," he said at a media conference.

"Our aim is to win every game. We want to compete with a historic team like Ajax at a historic venue. This is a top-level Champions League match and we have to be up to the occasion".

The demanded intensity may be hard to find with a weakened side, though.

Aside from Messi, keeper Victor Valdes is injured, with in-form Alexis Sanchez suspended.

Dani Alves (calf) and Jordi Alba (hamstring) are also unlikely to be fit for Barca's 250th game in the Champions League.

Xavi Hernandez: Perception in the Eyes of Beholder

Within instances of the ball arriving at his feet, Xavi Hernandez looks around him, takes in what runs his team-mates are making and then moves the ball on.  It is a simple process yet, within a team of the ball playing ability of Barcelona, it is also a devastating one; capable of ripping to shreds the best laid plans of most teams.

Few players embody Barcelona’s style of play as much as Xavi.  His ability to pass through bigger and more physically imposing players mirrors his team’s favoured way of winning games.   It is difficult to determine what is more impressive; whether it is the fluidity or the speed at which all of their attacks are created.  No matter how tight opposing teams try marking Xavi – or his teammates, for the matter – they always seem to find a way through.

The main reason for this is that Xavi is a fantastically talented player, one who can see the game in a way few in the world can.

Why is that the case, however?  What is it that makes him so special?

Those are the questions that Geir Jordet has been trying to answer and answer in a very specific method: by looking at players’ faces during games.

One typical study involved using video images from Sky Sport’s split screen – the larger image focusing on the player whilst the smaller image showing the overall play – he analysed 64 games from the Premier League.  Attention was focused on situations where the player had relevant information behind his back that he had to detect.  As for the players’ visual movement, he looked at instances where players’ faces were temporarily and actively directed away from the ball looking for teammates, opponents and scanning the environment.

Such studies have allowed him to develop a number of ground-breaking ideas about what he terms visual exploration.

“Visual exploration is the behaviours that people need to conduct in order to perceive,” he explains.  “So perception, which is actually processing information, is obviously something that a good football player needs to be good at in order to make his decisions on the pitch.” 

“Good perception is active perception.  I think there is a misunderstanding that perception can happen by passively absorbing information.  In my studies it seems that effective perception is active which means that you have to hunt for information, you have to actively go out and obtain information.  This leads to the whole concept of visual exploration which is, very concisely, moving your head and moving your eyes in order to perceive.”

The insight that Geir’s work delivers is that a player’s ability to ‘know’ where others are on the pitch is neither accidental nor solely the function of his skill.  Instead, it is all down to how much he looks at what is happening around him before he gets the ball.

“That is something that every coach and probably every player knows which is that you have to look before you get the ball.  That way you are prepared for when you do get the ball and not start preparing at that late point.” “What I've done, which I don't think many people have done, is to actually go in and analyse exactly what happens with some of the best players in the world in the seconds before they get the ball.  And there is so much activity going on.  There is so much looking, there is so much searching and there is so much exploration.  That is why I find the players who explore the most actively in that period before they get the ball they also perform better when they get the ball.  I think that there is a need to focus a bit more on that side of the game then what people usually do.”

It is this ability that distinguishes the great players from the rest. 

“This is the case on multiple levels.  What I find in my studies is that at the simplest level players that look more also perform better.  That seems to be a very consistent finding across situations, across leagues and across levels.”

“I also find that the better players explore more actively, they search more in the seconds before they get the ball.  You can also dig into the nuances of this and the details of it.” 

“I think that the better players adapt more to the situations, they time their explorations to the kind of situation they find themselves in, how much time they have, how important it is to look at the ball versus looking at their surroundings.” 

“Generally I think that players tend to look too much at the ball; you don't really need all the information you get from the ball.  Ideally players should, in my opinion, only look to get the necessary minimum from the ball and spend the rest of the time looking at their surroundings.”

It might be easy to assume that all this applies only to midfield players after all, they are the heartbeat of the team and they are the ones who dictate the rhythm of the game.  But that isn’t the case.

“It is important for all players to have a good vision of what is happening around them during different types of situations and different environments.”

“We've done studies on central defenders in defensive situations, it is the same there.  If I am defending my goal against a cross the side, do I only look at the ball and the opponents crossing the ball?  Or do I have a vision of what is around me?” “We have found that the better players are much better able to explore before that cross is hit and are more capable of seeing what there is around them than the inferior players. And we have found that it is the same for midfield players and forward players.”

Looking across the Spanish teams that have dominated world football for the past five years, they are full of players who have this awareness.  It could be that they have been blessed with a generation of supremely talented players but that feels too naïve; too simplistic.  Another, more plausible, explanation is that they are coached in a way that helps them develop this particular skill.

It is a theory that has Geir’s approval.

“Like all skills there is always a combination of something that you bring to the table and the training and the exposure you have to different situations,” he explains.

“I also think that the proportion of the skill that is learned due to the deliberate exposure to the experience is very big.”

“Xavi is a good example.  He doesn't just look, he is one of the most active players out there; he doesn't automatically know what is around him, is constantly searching, constantly looking.  And, of course, that is something that he probably was doing from an early age so he's gotten used to dealing with that information too.”

“This is a function of the repetition and the exposure.  And this is something that people can start to learn from an early age.  I don't know how early we teach kids to look left and right before they cross the street, that's probably when they're three years old.  One can argue that they're not proficient at it when they're three years old because if a balls rolls onto the street then they'll go chasing after it.  But the point is that you can learn this from an early age.”

“When I look at this I find it very interesting to see how much can be learned and how much comes from deliberate exposure and I think that is pretty big.”

The key question, then, is how do you coach this?

“There many ways you can do it.  I find that - both for kids and for adults - an important part is becoming aware of these processes. An effective way to do this is to show video images of some of the biggest players out there to make them see how active perception is, how actively these players explore.”

“Another effective way is to shoot videos of the players themselves so that they get to see how they behave in these situations.  You can then discuss this with them to see whether they are sufficiently prepared and if they sufficiently oriented before they get the ball.”

“And then it is about coaching drills and exercises.  There are many ways to do it from transforming simple passing and receiving exercises making players explore before they get the ball even if there is nothing happening around you so that you get accustomed to receiving the ball without looking at it at every single second.” 

Of late, a lot has been said about statistics and how these can be developed to offer clubs an advantage.  Yet the results of Geir’s work could have a similar impact not only in the development of players but also in the identification of talent and players a club is thinking of signing.

“You can definitely scout this.  The way we have done this research is that we have very precise criteria; we have very specific criteria so we can really quantify the extent to which players are doing this.”

“The two players in all my analysis that score the highest using these criteria over the 150 players that I measured are Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo.  These are two players who are very good at this, seeing good passes and sensing where to pass the ball.”“So you can model scouting on some of these factors.  Of course, you need to get a lot of these details right and it is not a job that you can do without preparing and having the database to check it afterwards.”

For all the insight that it provides, all of this measuring, takes away some of the magic from watching the truly great players.  This comment resonates with a recent experience Geir had. 

“I gave an interview with the Dutch coaching magazine which is called The Football Trainer.  They did an editorial about this research that I have done where they basically said that until this research they were thinking about these huge stars like Pirlo, like Xavi, like Lampard that they had this gift that made them able to see more than others and be more creative than the others.  Then they said ‘thank you Geir for ruining this image for us, now all our delusions are gone!’ ” he laughed 

“I have to say that it does not measure everything, it just measures the pre-condition for great vision but it is a very important pre-condition as you have to direct your eyes toward the relevant information.  What we're not measuring is what you are doing with the information and how you are processing that information.  That is still a skill that is hard to measure.  It gives you a piece of the picture but not the whole picture.”

For The Coaches: Ways of Teaching Perception

“You can build that up, you can have players behind your back that you have to perceive to be successful at the exercise so that you only turn with the ball if the player behind you has given you space to do it but you actually have to check your shoulder to see if you have that space.”

“Then you can take it in game situations.  You can coach players in small sided games.  You can put in conditions where you score a point for your team when you're successfully able to turn with the ball so that you learn to check that you can turn.”

“You can have limitations in terms of the number of touches of the ball.  You can freeze the play and ask players before they have a chance to turn around and see what is behind them "who is behind you and where are they situated?"  You can do that a couple of times and if they are not attentive I can assure you that they will soon be paying attention because they won't want to be humiliated again.  There are tons of things that you can do.  It is about being creative and getting the context right.”