Club vs country

After another lacklustre transfer market and few reinforcements, AS Roma's squad is looking a little threadbare when it comes to mounting a credible title challenge in Italy and performing well in the Champions League. So it was a shock to see John Arne Riise, one of Roma's best players of the past two seasons, on the front page of Norwegian newspaper VG after suffering serious concussion in training for a Euro 2012 qualifier against Portugal. Riise could be out for up to a month. The sub-heading is the Norwegian team doctor saying that only heart failure would have been more dramatic, underlying the seriousness of the injury. Apparently Riise was unconscious for several minutes and is unable to remember the clash of heads with a teammate.