Winter World Cup welcomed

The clamour for the 2022 World Cup to be played in January has grown with the international players' union the latest to call for a change from the usual June/July tournament.The move would mean the Premier League and other domestic football tournaments having to have a long winter break.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and general secretary Jerome Valcke have both thrown their weight behind moves to stage the tournament in January to avoid the heat problems.Summer temperatures in Qatar can top 50 degrees C and players' union FIFPro are pleased with FIFA's willingness to consider changing the timing to winter.Tijs Tummers, secretary of FIFPro's technical committee, said: "We will have to take a careful look at the international match calendar, but FIFPro does not foresee any insurmountable problems in this regard."Space will have to be made for the tournament, even though many countries already have a winter break."In Europe, competitive matches will have to be played in August and the second half of May and the first half of June. If you look at what happened last weekend with weather problems in Europe because of heavy snowfall, you could see this as an advantage rather than as a problem."And it might perhaps turn out that the players will be fitter at the start of a winter World Cup than was the case last summer at the World Cup in South Africa."

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Pepe Reina: Liverpool will fight for the title next season - EXCLUSIVE

How does a goalkeeper widely seen as the best in the Premier League end a year during which he became a World Cup winner? Riven by anxiety over his own form and the outlook for his club, as it happens. No matter the club records which have tumbled in his five years at Anfield or the glory of Spain's historic triumph in South Africa last summer, Pepe Reina is withering in his appraisal of his recent form. 'I'm not happy at all,' he says, with a furrowed brow and muted tone. Misfiring squad: Pepe Reina and histeam-mates have their backs to thewall in the league but the Spain WorldCup winner feels a couple of wins will see them back to their best 'I can be doing better in many ways. I'm disappointed because you always want to be really consistent and helping the team. I feel like there have been times so far this season when I haven't done that. I want to improve. 'I want to get back to the levels I was at last season. Always it comes down to the team performance. If the team are low on confidence, you can be low too. It's not a question of mistakes. It's about how you feel. I need to take a step back to take a step forward again and improve.' Never mind that Reina recently made another entry into Liverpool's history books by becoming the first man to keep 100 league clean sheets in fewer than 200 games, errors against Arsenal (in the Barclays Premier League) and Steaua Bucharest have shown all is not right. The dream: Reina is certain Liverpool can repeat their heroics Fortunately, help is at hand. While many sportsmen would rush to a psychologist to iron out their flaws, Reina simply picks up his phone within an hour of every game and calls home to speak to his father Miguel, the former Atletico Madrid and Spain goalkeeper. 'He's not just my Dad, he's my best friend,' Reina says. 'He is always someone I listen to. He is the first person I call. We always have a review of what has happened. There is nobody better to speak to, as he knows me better than anyone.' Mention of Miguel restores a smile to the 28-year-old's face and soon Reina is speaking enthusiastically on many different subjects, ranging from the unforgettable month during the summer when Spain's footballers created history to team-mate Dirk Kuyt's questionable golf swing. 'There are a few here who play; maybe seven or eight of us,' says Reina, who wishes he could play off 'much lower' than his current 18 handicap. 'Danny (Agger) is probably the best. Stevie (Gerrard) is OK. Dirk? He fancies himself but he is the worst.' There are also reflections on learning his trade in Barcelona's fabled La Masia academy, the bonds he formed with Xavi, Andres Iniesta and other illustrious graduates and how he led the celebrations when Spain returned to Madrid with the World Cup. 'You dream when you are young about being a world champion,' he recalls. 'It was an unforgettable day and the four that followed were equally amazing. But the Barcelona shirt being put on Cesc (Fabregas)? It had nothing to do with me!' It has not, however, been a year of relentless highs. Rafa Benitez leaving Liverpool in June hit Reina hard but not as much as the club's failure to maintain the kind of position in the table which they had once taken for granted, all played out against the backdrop of ownership problems. 'I was really worried and nobody knew what was going to happen,' says Reina, looking back on New England Sports Ventures' October takeover. 'But at the same time, there was nothing we could do. I just kept hoping that the best ending in Liverpool's interest would come along. On the ball: Reina believes Liverpool's new owners have restored positivity at the club 'Now the owners are bringing back the positivity. Hopefully we can develop something good. I haven't spoken to them much but you can see they are doing everything with a lot of thought. It is encouraging that they are thinking about what to do and when to do it. We have to give them time.' But will he? Manchester United and Arsenal would both like to sign him and Reina is not someone who would want to spend the best years of his career in a team that cannot compete but questions about his own future are met with the straightest of bats. Enlarge 'I have a contract for another five-and-a-half years,' he said. 'I am committed here and I want us to win titles. What else can I say or do? It is something the press talks about. All I want to talk about is Liverpool and hopefully finishing as high as we can. 'That is where Liverpool should be year in, year out. That is what we want and that is what we are all looking for. We will hope it can be that way again but, at the moment, it is not like that. We have to be realistic and at the minute we are fighting for different targets. 'I hope within a year, or a couple of years, we can be up there again. We want to be back competing with the top clubs again. That is how it should be. This is my sixth season here and I think I know something about the club now and how the supporters think.' Three wins over the Christmas holiday against Blackpool, Wolves and Bolton would certainly give Roy Hodgson and company a lift going into the new year but there would be no better fillip than winning at Old Trafford on January 9. A long run in the FA Cup is important for so many reasons. 'If we pick up and get some good results over the next 10 or 12 days, everyone will be that bit more excited and we will be back on track,' he says. 'But Manchester United in the FA Cup? Yeah, yeah. That is the big one. 'It could transform things if we win there. Our aim is to win every title we are involved in but we have to recognise it is not the best draw. But it is not the best draw for them. It is going to be a tough game. All we can do is aim to finish as high as we can. Maybe 2011 will be like a fresh start.'  Pepe Reina was speaking on behalf of Thomas Cook Sport, official travel partner of Liverpool FC. In the build-up to Christmas you can guarantee a seat at any Liverpool FC home game with a Thomas Cook Sport Match Break available online at: www.thomascooksport.com or by calling: 0844 800 9900.  Liverpool? I'd rather stay in Russia, insists Anfield target KerzhakovRoy Hodgson urges fans: Give me time to make Liverpool great againGo-vanovic! Milan Jovanovic set for Liverpool exit after just six months at AnfieldLIVERPOOL FC
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Jack Wilshere's England Under 21 call riles Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

Jack Wilshere is on course for club v country rows next year with England confirming their determination to take the 'strongest possible team' to the European Under 21 Championship.  
The news will not be well received by Arsene Wenger, because the 18-year-old is expected to be involved in Fabio Capello's senior squad in the second half of the season, and Wenger has long argued that players should be in either one international team or the other - although he was forced to concede defeat in a power struggle with Stuart Pearce over Theo Walcott's appearance in the last Under 21 finals, in Sweden. Walcott, 21, is still eligible for next year's tournament in Denmark, but is likely to be excused as he does not need the experience to develop, as some others do. Club v country: Arsene Wenger is not happy with Jack Wilshere's potential England Under 21s involvement Wilshere will be expected to make himself available for the two-week tournament, which starts on June 11, a week after Capello's team play a Euro 2012 qualifier with Switzerland at Wembley. The same goes for Manchester City's Micah Richards, Sunderland's Jordan Henderson, Kieran Gibbs and any other eligible players who have already broken into the senior ranks. Sir Trevor Brooking, the FA's director of football development, said: 'If there was anyone Fabio wanted, we'd like to feel they could play and then join up with the Under 21s.' Held back: Walcott was hampered by injuries after Under 21s duty Wenger believes Walcott's injury problems at the start of last season, which robbed him of his form and cost him his place in the World Cup squad, were rooted in the fact he was unable to rest properly in the summer when he played for the Under 21s. But the FA are prepared to take a tough stance, prioritising the event above the Under 20 World Cup in Colombia in July and not asking players to feature in both. 'We would like to try and get as strong a side as possible for that tournament,' said Brooking. 'We've got a shocker of a draw, with Spain, Czech Republic and Ukraine. 'It will be a really good test but we will need our best players. Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere, Blackburn's Phil Jones, Everton's Jack Rodwell, Danny Welbeck, Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge, Jordan Henderson. 'Sometimes, there's a suggestion that once you've played for the seniors, you shouldn't be involved in the Under 21s. It happened with David Bentley, where he played in a B international and suddenly his club thought he was a senior player and he pulled out of the Under 21s. It didn't help David and it didn't help us. 'Theo Walcott has been in the senior squad for quite a long time now, so his involvement would be up for discussion. The other lads haven't been regulars. When you're a young player you should play when the opportunity is there.' Brooking can be encouraged by the fact that James Milner, Joe Hart, Adam Johnson, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Walcott, Gibbs and Richards have all been capped by Capello since playing for Pearce in Sweden, when England reached the final before losing 4-0 to Germany. Capello's men had a terrible 2010, but the Under 17s won the Euros, the Under 19s reached the last four and the Under 21s recovered from a seemingly hopeless position to qualify for Denmark. We need you: England Under 21s boss Stuart Pearce intends to pick his strongest side available for the European Championships next summer It is the Under 17 European title winners, featuring Josh McEachran and Connor Wickham, who have been hailed as the next 'golden generation'. Most have now moved up to the Under 19s and will be part of the Under 21 team of 2013, when England hope to host the Euros. These players will be in their mid-20s for the World Cup in Russia and some may play in an Under 23 Great Britain team at the Olympics.  Arsenal power games continue as Usmanov aims to top Kroenke's stake Lazio ready to rescue Bendtner from Arsenal as striker hints at exitEmpty handed: Wenger refuses to splash the cash on big namesARSENAL FC
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