Fabregas travelled to Barcelona on Tuesday to consult specialist doctor Ramon Cugat about the problem he picked up during Sunday's Premier League draw with Liverpool when he was tackled by Xabi Alonso.
The injury is set to keep the Gunners' captain sidelined for around four months, but it will not require the Spain international to go under the knife.
"After consulting with the best doctor possible, we've decided not to operate. If it would have been necessary it would have been the first thing I would have done, but the doctor recommended to me not to do it because I'm young and the meniscus is not damaged," Fabregas was quoted as saying in Marca.
"Although we cannot be certain because the injury only happened a few days ago, but I will be out for more or less four months. My intention is to return as soon as possible to help my team-mates.
"I will endeavour to return as soon as possible to do what I like most, to play football."
Fabregas did not come out for the second half of Sunday's 1-1 draw against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium after sustaining the knee problem following a tackle by his Spanish Euro 2008-winning team-mate Alonso.
The 21-year-old Fabregas said of Alonso: "He was very concerned about me. He called me after the game, he has been sending messages and also called me before I saw the doctor. These are things that happen, it's football and Xabi is a great friend of mine.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Premier League Wigan Athletic v Newcastle United live streaming and Highlights
Steve Bruce thought Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear's foul-mouthed rant at the press in the opening week of his reign was "absolutely fantastic".Kinnear, who was the surprise choice as caretaker manager at St James' Park when Kevin Keegan resigned, opened his first press conference with a volley of abuse at journalists whom he felt had unfairly criticised him.
His outburst dominated the headlines for days afterwards but Wigan manager Bruce believes it was a canny piece of psychology from the man famed for creating the 'Crazy Gang' when he was former Wimbledon manager.
Prior to that the focus on Newcastle had all been about their poor form, Keegan's departure and owner Mike Ashley's plans to sell the club.
"I thought his rant at the press was absolutely fantastic," said Bruce, whose side face Newcastle at the JJB Stadium on Boxing Day.
"I was thinking 'Has he done it on purpose to take it (the pressure) away from the owner and the players and pile it on himself?'
"If he did do that then I have to say well done, pat on the back to him, because it has got them going and since he has gone in there they have lost two in 13 games."
Bruce was full of praise for the work Kinnear, who was out of work for nearly four years before being catapulted back into the spotlight, has done in stopping the rot at Newcastle
"Newcastle have always been associated with playing one way - they've had to be because the supporters are a little gung-ho - but he's made them more difficult to be beat," said Bruce, himself a Geordie.
His outburst dominated the headlines for days afterwards but Wigan manager Bruce believes it was a canny piece of psychology from the man famed for creating the 'Crazy Gang' when he was former Wimbledon manager.
Prior to that the focus on Newcastle had all been about their poor form, Keegan's departure and owner Mike Ashley's plans to sell the club.
"I thought his rant at the press was absolutely fantastic," said Bruce, whose side face Newcastle at the JJB Stadium on Boxing Day.
"I was thinking 'Has he done it on purpose to take it (the pressure) away from the owner and the players and pile it on himself?'
"If he did do that then I have to say well done, pat on the back to him, because it has got them going and since he has gone in there they have lost two in 13 games."
Bruce was full of praise for the work Kinnear, who was out of work for nearly four years before being catapulted back into the spotlight, has done in stopping the rot at Newcastle
"Newcastle have always been associated with playing one way - they've had to be because the supporters are a little gung-ho - but he's made them more difficult to be beat," said Bruce, himself a Geordie.
Premier League Sunderland v Blackburn Rovers live streaming and Highlights
Diouf has just returned to the club after being given compassionate leave to be at his wife's side as she gave birth.
But while Sbragia does not want to keep an unsettled player in his squad, he will not allow Diouf to depart unless the terms of any proposed deal are right for Sunderland.
"If he is wanted by Big Sam at Blackburn, or if he wants to go, there's not much I can do about it," Sbragia said.
"But if that was the case, we would sit down and look at it and see if it was right for us and see if the fee was acceptable.
"If Dioufy wants to go, he's free to go."
The former Liverpool and Bolton forward moved to the Stadium of Light in the summer but has only shown flashes of his best ability and is still to find the net for his new club.
New Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce has been linked with a possible move for the Senegal international, who he knows well from his time at the Reebok Stadium.
But while Sbragia does not want to keep an unsettled player in his squad, he will not allow Diouf to depart unless the terms of any proposed deal are right for Sunderland.
"If he is wanted by Big Sam at Blackburn, or if he wants to go, there's not much I can do about it," Sbragia said.
"But if that was the case, we would sit down and look at it and see if it was right for us and see if the fee was acceptable.
"If Dioufy wants to go, he's free to go."
The former Liverpool and Bolton forward moved to the Stadium of Light in the summer but has only shown flashes of his best ability and is still to find the net for his new club.
New Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce has been linked with a possible move for the Senegal international, who he knows well from his time at the Reebok Stadium.
Premier League Middlesbrough v Everton live streaming and Highlights
Terry was shown red by Phil Dowd for a high tackle on Leon Osman in the stalemate and although the Blues managed to come away with a point, Scolari declined to talk to the press at the end of the game.
Scolari broke his silence on ChelseaTV a day later and insisted he was merely taking his time to get some perspective over the incident.
"If I go to say something [straight after the game] maybe I say something wrong and I need more time to look at everything.
"I have to look at the game again if something happened in the game. I need to be sure about this or that. I said no [to the press] at that time because maybe I'd have problems in the future - in that time I am not calm.
"If I go then I answer some questions and I'm angry."
But despite taking time out to make sure he could view the incident dispassionately, the Brazilian still cannot comprehend the sending off.
"Maybe I look at the game and I change my mind, but I don't change my mind about yesterday.
"I looked at the game again and I don't change.
Scolari broke his silence on ChelseaTV a day later and insisted he was merely taking his time to get some perspective over the incident.
"If I go to say something [straight after the game] maybe I say something wrong and I need more time to look at everything.
"I have to look at the game again if something happened in the game. I need to be sure about this or that. I said no [to the press] at that time because maybe I'd have problems in the future - in that time I am not calm.
"If I go then I answer some questions and I'm angry."
But despite taking time out to make sure he could view the incident dispassionately, the Brazilian still cannot comprehend the sending off.
"Maybe I look at the game and I change my mind, but I don't change my mind about yesterday.
"I looked at the game again and I don't change.
Premier League Manchester City v Hull City live streaming and Highlights
Hull boss Phil Brown hopes his side can take advantage of Manchester City's woes to get back to winning ways on Boxing Day.Mark Hughes' Manchester City side have slipped into the bottom three of the Premier League on the back of a poor run of form.
That has increased the pressure on Hughes with fans chanting he was going to get "sacked in the morning" during last week's loss to West Brom.
Brown has backed Hughes to turn the situation around but does not intend to show any sympathy at Eastlands on Friday as Hull look to bounce back from their disappointing 4-1 defeat by Sunderland.
Brown said: "There is a lot of pressure on Mark Hughes and hopefully we can compound that situation with a good performance.
"If Man City bring their best game to the table they are a very good side but we can hurt teams with the running power and the set-pieces we can bring.
"It is going to be a difficult game, a toughie - Man City were expected to be in the top six at the start of the season."
He added: "I think Mark is a strong character, he can handle the situation for sure.
"But I think he is probably one of the managers desperate to get to the January transfer window. You cannot say that Man City team is a Mark Hughes team."
Brown brought his players in for training this morning but they will be given tomorrow off to spend Christmas Day with their families.
That has increased the pressure on Hughes with fans chanting he was going to get "sacked in the morning" during last week's loss to West Brom.
Brown has backed Hughes to turn the situation around but does not intend to show any sympathy at Eastlands on Friday as Hull look to bounce back from their disappointing 4-1 defeat by Sunderland.
Brown said: "There is a lot of pressure on Mark Hughes and hopefully we can compound that situation with a good performance.
"If Man City bring their best game to the table they are a very good side but we can hurt teams with the running power and the set-pieces we can bring.
"It is going to be a difficult game, a toughie - Man City were expected to be in the top six at the start of the season."
He added: "I think Mark is a strong character, he can handle the situation for sure.
"But I think he is probably one of the managers desperate to get to the January transfer window. You cannot say that Man City team is a Mark Hughes team."
Brown brought his players in for training this morning but they will be given tomorrow off to spend Christmas Day with their families.
Premier League Liverpool v Bolton Wanderers live streaming and Highlights
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is set for a possible return as the Reds entertain Bolton on Boxing Day.
Torres recently suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury which had earlier kept him out of the side for five weeks and has now not played since November 26, but assistant manager Sammy Lee claims that the Spanish star is improving.
"Fernando's progress has markedly improved," he said. "He is getting better. He improves with every training session and he has worked very hard on his rehabilitation."
Also hoping to be back on Friday is manager Rafa Benitez, who is recovering from a second operation on his kidney stone problem. Since he was afflicted Benitez has been relegated to relaying instructions via mobile phone to Lee, but he hopes to return to the dugout for the Bolton match.
Fabio Aurelio, Martin Skrtel and Philipp Degen are also close to fitness, though will not be risked.
Bolton, who will be seeking a first league victory at Anfield since 1954, have no new injury problems for manager Gary Megson to deal with. Joey O'Brien and Tamir Cohen are both still out with long-term problems.
Torres recently suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury which had earlier kept him out of the side for five weeks and has now not played since November 26, but assistant manager Sammy Lee claims that the Spanish star is improving.
"Fernando's progress has markedly improved," he said. "He is getting better. He improves with every training session and he has worked very hard on his rehabilitation."
Also hoping to be back on Friday is manager Rafa Benitez, who is recovering from a second operation on his kidney stone problem. Since he was afflicted Benitez has been relegated to relaying instructions via mobile phone to Lee, but he hopes to return to the dugout for the Bolton match.
Fabio Aurelio, Martin Skrtel and Philipp Degen are also close to fitness, though will not be risked.
Bolton, who will be seeking a first league victory at Anfield since 1954, have no new injury problems for manager Gary Megson to deal with. Joey O'Brien and Tamir Cohen are both still out with long-term problems.
Premier League Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham live streaming and Highlights
Roy Hodgson is not getting carried away by expectation but admits Fulham's lofty league position is at the "top end" of his end-of-year target.The Cottagers are eighth following a seven-match unbeaten run and go into the Boxing Day clash at Tottenham on the back of a 3-0 thrashing of Middlesbrough.
It is a far cry from this time last year, when the west Londoners were in dire straights in the relegation zone, but Hodgson says he tries to remain cautious no matter what the situation.
"Is it where I expected to be? Expectation, I'm not sure," he said. "There's so much expectation in football today that I try to play down personal expectation and manage what's actually happening.
"If what's happening is good I manage that and if what's happening is bad then I manage that.
"If you get too caught up in the disappointment that your expectation is not being met or the euphoria that expectations are being met then you can make a lot of errors along the way.
"So I try to stay as blank as possible on expectation.
He added: "It's at the top end of what I dared hope for after losing those three matches in a row early on.
"After the first three matches when we had six points I suppose then I was hoping we'd be in the mid-20s come the end of the year - but after losing three in a row I suppose I wasn't quite so certain. We did well to recover from that."
Despite being upbeat about team morale and the positive mood in the Fulham camp, the fact his side still have not won away from home still rankles with Hodgson.
It is a far cry from this time last year, when the west Londoners were in dire straights in the relegation zone, but Hodgson says he tries to remain cautious no matter what the situation.
"Is it where I expected to be? Expectation, I'm not sure," he said. "There's so much expectation in football today that I try to play down personal expectation and manage what's actually happening.
"If what's happening is good I manage that and if what's happening is bad then I manage that.
"If you get too caught up in the disappointment that your expectation is not being met or the euphoria that expectations are being met then you can make a lot of errors along the way.
"So I try to stay as blank as possible on expectation.
He added: "It's at the top end of what I dared hope for after losing those three matches in a row early on.
"After the first three matches when we had six points I suppose then I was hoping we'd be in the mid-20s come the end of the year - but after losing three in a row I suppose I wasn't quite so certain. We did well to recover from that."
Despite being upbeat about team morale and the positive mood in the Fulham camp, the fact his side still have not won away from home still rankles with Hodgson.
Premier League Portsmouth v West Ham live streaming and Highlights
Pedro, Sulley and now Lassie have gone and that is the heart of your team and your protection for the defence. If you ripped them out of any squad they would struggle.
"But I will pick up the pieces, work with the lads here and try to get some results.
"I feel we have struggled with the balance of the squad all season, irrespective of who we have sold and I have been constantly looking for areas to strengthen.
"I would love to play the same XI week in, week out at the moment but that is not the case. I have not played the same team since I have been here and I would like to.
"I would love to have a settled back four, absolutely, the last clean sheet was against West Ham and we need to keep working.
"A settled midfield as well, that is just as important. At the moment though it is not happening."
Adams believes his players owe it to the Fratton Park faithful to rediscover their winning habit against West Ham following a run of just two victories from their last 10 Premier League games.
The Pompey boss was left shell-shocked by the way his side started their encounter with Bolton last Saturday as they conceded two goals inside a shambolic opening three minutes.
Adams added: "It was very disappointing last week at Bolton and we need to try and put that right but I thought our fans were magnificent with the way they cheered the team.
"But I will pick up the pieces, work with the lads here and try to get some results.
"I feel we have struggled with the balance of the squad all season, irrespective of who we have sold and I have been constantly looking for areas to strengthen.
"I would love to play the same XI week in, week out at the moment but that is not the case. I have not played the same team since I have been here and I would like to.
"I would love to have a settled back four, absolutely, the last clean sheet was against West Ham and we need to keep working.
"A settled midfield as well, that is just as important. At the moment though it is not happening."
Adams believes his players owe it to the Fratton Park faithful to rediscover their winning habit against West Ham following a run of just two victories from their last 10 Premier League games.
The Pompey boss was left shell-shocked by the way his side started their encounter with Bolton last Saturday as they conceded two goals inside a shambolic opening three minutes.
Adams added: "It was very disappointing last week at Bolton and we need to try and put that right but I thought our fans were magnificent with the way they cheered the team.
Premier League Chelsea v West Bromwich live streaming and Highlights
The 20-year-old was due back at Stamford Bridge after Monday's game at Blackpool but will now see out the maximum 93 days permitted under the emergency loan system.
Manager Mick McCarthy told the club's official website: "Michael has done everything we expected of him and has been a very good player for us. We've been delighted with him and are delighted to have extended the loan.
"We'll then wait and see what Chelsea decide in the window. If they feel they can leave him out and we can have him for the rest of the season then that's what we'll do because that can happen at any time in January.
"Chelsea might have a problem with any outgoings or injuries and if they want him back they'll have him on recall. At least now we can take him to the end of the emergency loan.
Manager Mick McCarthy told the club's official website: "Michael has done everything we expected of him and has been a very good player for us. We've been delighted with him and are delighted to have extended the loan.
"We'll then wait and see what Chelsea decide in the window. If they feel they can leave him out and we can have him for the rest of the season then that's what we'll do because that can happen at any time in January.
"Chelsea might have a problem with any outgoings or injuries and if they want him back they'll have him on recall. At least now we can take him to the end of the emergency loan.
Premier League Stoke City v Manchester United live streaming and Highlights
Phelan gave evidence to the panel earlier this month in a case that saw left-back Patrice Evra handed a four-match ban for his part in a post-match brawl with Chelsea groundstaff at Stamford Bridge last spring.
Part of United's claim was that within the brawl, which the FA panel concluded Evra was responsible for starting, Chelsea groundsman Sam Bethell used racist language towards the Red Devils defender, something he strenuously denies and was rejected by panel chairman Nicholas Stewart QC.
In his case notes, Stewart outlined major inconsistencies in the two written accounts submitted by Phelan prior to verbally giving evidence.
"Even before the hearing we did not feel able to place strong reliance on this evidence. Mike Phelan did not impress us," read the panel's findings, which have been made public by the FA.
The report claimed that if Phelan and then goalkeeping coach Richard Hartis had heard the comments Bethell was alleged to have made, it was implausible no-one else, specifically two black members of the Chelsea groundstaff close to the scene, would not have heard them and reported them.
Part of United's claim was that within the brawl, which the FA panel concluded Evra was responsible for starting, Chelsea groundsman Sam Bethell used racist language towards the Red Devils defender, something he strenuously denies and was rejected by panel chairman Nicholas Stewart QC.
In his case notes, Stewart outlined major inconsistencies in the two written accounts submitted by Phelan prior to verbally giving evidence.
"Even before the hearing we did not feel able to place strong reliance on this evidence. Mike Phelan did not impress us," read the panel's findings, which have been made public by the FA.
The report claimed that if Phelan and then goalkeeping coach Richard Hartis had heard the comments Bethell was alleged to have made, it was implausible no-one else, specifically two black members of the Chelsea groundstaff close to the scene, would not have heard them and reported them.
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