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Where do you play?

By James Pearson Last updated: 19th September 2008

Serra Ferrer: Baldest ever?

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Barcelona's former manager did not know the position of a new signing while Liverpool have been likened to Duracell bunnies!

With all the scouting and research that goes into landing a modern day footballer, the last question you'd expect a coach to ask his new signing is 'Where do you play?'

However, that feat was achieved at the turn of the century when Emmanuel Petit left Arsenal for Liga giants Barcelona.

It proved an unhappy spell for the French midfielder and things did not get off on the right foot when then coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer had to ask through interpreter Richard Dutruel what position he played.

"The day I arrived the coach asked Dutruel, the other French player in the squad, to translate for me," explained Petit.

"Dutruel, visibly ashamed and trying not to laugh, said the coach wanted to know where I played. I could not believe it.

"I thought it was a joke. The coach was a clown and completely incompetent. I had never seen a head as bald as his."

Maybe a little bit of a low blow at the end there by Petit, but onwards and upwards.

Red bunnies

Marseille boss Erik Gerets clearly knew what he was in for when asked what type of match he was expecting against Liverpool in midweek.

The Reds are often noted for their work rate and determination and Gerets thinks they just keep running, and running, and running and running!

"I love watching Premier League football played at that pace. I really enjoyed watching Liverpool's game with Manchester United," he noted.

"Liverpool are like the Duracell bunnies - they are an example to the rest of the world for the effort they put in. You just wind them up and off they go."

A superb brace from Steve Gerrard helped The Reds secure a priceless 2-1 win in Marseille. Gerets was spot on!

Pop mayhem

It is not often pop star Madonna gets involved in the world of football, but she had a key part to play in the cancelled Bundesliga clash between Eintracht Frankfurt and Karlsruhe.

Fans attending the queen of pop's concert enjoyed themselves so much at the Commerzbank-Arena stadium in Frankfurt that the pitch was completely unplayable for the weekend game!

Stadium officials replaced the turf in the hope of getting the match go ahead as scheduled, but the playing surface failed to make the grade. American diva 1 Bundesliga 0.

On to more serious matters in Germany, where the residents of Berg have taken exception to Jens Lehmann's unusual method of travelling to training.

Queuing in traffic on the way to training? That's not for ex-Arsenal keeper Lehmann. The former Germany international opts for helicopter travel in order to be fresh and raring to go.

Despite shelling out around €1000 a time travelling to and from the office, Lehmann's means of transport has not gone down well with the citizens of Berg, who have even resorted to taking snaps of Lehmann's chopper.

Rupert Mann, the mayor of Berg, is now threatening to have a quite word with the Stuttgart shot-stopper should he try another commute through the sky!

"I truly hope that Mr Lehmann won't land in this area (near the stadium) again - if he does I'll go and speak to him myself," stated Mann.