..::Football III::..

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Xabi Alonso: I want to win titles with Real Madrid

Xabi Alonso is keen to guide Real Madrid to silverware in 2014 as los Blancos prepare for the second half of the season.

The experienced midfielder has played a key role in the Santiago Bernabeu side's return to form after his comeback from injury and has set his sights on a successful 2013-14 campaign.

Real Madrid currently sit third in La Liga with 41 points from 17 games, while they are still in the race for the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.

"What I want most in 2014 is to win titles with Real Madrid. That's the biggest thing on my mind," Alonso told El Mundo Deportivo.

Alonso, 32, then went on to insist that he is happy with life at Madrid as his future at the club remains uncertain.

"Playing for Madrid is a very intense experience, for the good things and the bad things," he said.

"There's a lot of pressure and responsibility. You have to be very aware of your surroundings. Fortunately, I have always felt loved by the club and fans."

The midfielder's current deal with Madrid is due to expire at the end of the season.

 

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Madrid tabled 'immoral' Lewandowski offer, claims agent

Robert Lewandowski's agent Maik Barthel has claimed that Real Madrid attempted to hijack Bayern Munich's move for the Borussia Dortmund striker.

The Poland international signed a five-year deal with the Bundesliga champions on Saturday to bring a protracted transfer saga to an end.

However, Barthel has revealed that Madrid were keen to sign Lewandowski, too, and were willing to go far for the 25-year-old.

"There was an immoral offer from Real Madrid," the striker's representative was quoted as saying by Spiegel Online.

Madrid were reportedly willing to offer Lewandowski an annual salary of €9.5 million plus an additional €10m signing fee, but Barthel has made it clear that they never considered breaking their promise to Bayern.

He added: "We listened to their offer out of respect for such a big club. But breaking our word never crossed our mind."

Lewandowski has been in sublime form for Dortmund this season, scoring 11 goals in 17 Bundesliga appearances.

 

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Benitez seeking January additions

Rafa Benitez has hinted that he is eager to add some fresh blood to his Napoli squad in January, despite being pleased with the players already at the club.

Napoli currently sit third in the Serie A table, having lost only three league games so far this season, but Benitez is keen to further strengthen his team in an attempt to challenge Roma and Juventus for the title.

"The first thing I have to say is that I am very satisfied with the team we have available. Another thing is that we can improve, something that we always have to evaluate," the Spaniard told reporters.

"We have to analyse the market, because we have economic capacity and the added advantage for any signing.

"But any new arrival has to be better than what we already have in our side."
Benitez added that he has kept an eye on the Premier League, but stressed that he did not feel there were defenders in the English top flight who could sufficiently boost his squad.

"I've been following the Premier League and have been watching many games in that competition. I have to say that I have not seen, for example, players of the level of Raul Albiol," he said.

"In the same way, it is difficult to find players such as Miguel Angel Britos and Fede Fernandez in the market.

"In any case, we work closely with [sporting director] Riccardo Bigon and we are looking for a player who could be suitable for us. We are on it."

 

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Manchester United 1-2 Swansea City: Late Bony strike dumps Moyes' men out

Wilfried Bony struck a late winner as Swansea City dumped Manchester United out of the FA Cup and piled more Old Trafford misery on David Moyes.

Wayne Routledge put the visitors on course for a famous upset when he lobbed Anders Lindegaard on 12 minutes, only for Chicharito to convert Alexander Buttner's cross and pull United level within four minutes.


But Moyes' frustration was compounded when substitute Fabio was shown a red card 10 minutes from time and as both sides pushed forward, Bony headed in Routledge's cross to win it.

Rio Ferdinand also hobbled off injured during another disappointing afternoon for the Premier League champions, while Swansea can now look forward to a fourth-round tie against either Birmingham City, Crawley Town or Bristol Rovers.Moyes handed starting spots to goalkeeper Lindegaard and defenders Ferdinand and Buttner, while Danny Welbeck and Chicharito led the line in the absence of injured pair Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie.

There were five changes from the Swansea side that lost to Manchester City in the Premier League on Wednesday. Captain Ashley Williams was on the bench with manager Michael Laudrup forced to contend with an injury list featuring the likes of Michu and Michel Vorm.

The hosts began the brighter and should have gone ahead after 11 minutes, but Hernandez failed to connect with an effort from inside the area after good link-up play between Welbeck and Chris Smalling.

United were made to pay soon after, when Alejandro Pozuelo played in Routledge, who produced a delightful lob over Lindegaard to put Swansea ahead.Four minutes later, United were level, Chicharito making amends for his earlier miss to prod home Buttner's cross inside the six-yard box.After the early goals, chances dried up for both sides before Jonathan de Guzman and Buttner threatened from set-pieces for either side.

Chicharito wasted another opportunity a minute before the break, volleying Jonny Evans' lofted ball wide of Gerhard Tremmel's right-hand post.The sides cancelled one another out in the early stages of the second half, with Swansea perhaps enjoying greater possession, without causing any problems.

Bony's swerving effort had Lindegaard worried on the hour before it whistled wide, while Swansea's resolute defending at the other end stifled United's forward line.

United's cause was not helped by the loss of Ferdinand to a suspected knee injury and the dismissal of his replacement Fabio, who was shown a red card for a late challenge on Jose Canas 10 minutes from time.

And Bony compounded Moyes' misery late on to secure Laudrup a first win in eight matches.

 

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Another defeat!anemanda mona welada kiyala

Fabio nam thanikarama pissek​

 

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Moyes: January signings unlikely for Manchester United

Manchester United manager David Moyes says that it is unlikely that he will make any signings in the January transfer window.

After failed moves for several players in the summer, Marouane Fellaini was the Red Devils' only major incoming transfer and the Scot's side sit seventh in the Premier League after a testing start to life after Sir Alex Ferguson.

Goal understands that the club have sent a delegation to Spain with a view to securing Koke from Atletico Madrid but Moyes is reluctant to speculate on additions.

"I don't think so," he told reporters when asked if he would buy. "I think most of the business will be more towards the summer rather than January."

The United boss also confirmed that he had been interested in Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi in the close-season.

The Italian noted on Friday that he was glad to have avoided a switch to Old Trafford, claiming it would have been "suicide", but Moyes says that the transfer was not so close to happening.

"We did certainly think about bringing him in the summer time," the ex-Everton manager stated. "[but] I don't think it went as far as a bid."

Youngster Gustavo Varela was the Red Devils' only other acquisition in Moyes's first transfer window.

 

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Moyes....Moyes....Moyes

Ow ow playersla ganna one naha.Manchester United 1st place neh inneMoyes mona kiyawanawada mandaSummer 1ke kiwwa Juanuary wala playersla ganawa kiyala.dan kiyanawa Next Summer 1ke kiyala

Next Summer transfer window 1ka gana hithanna kalin aduma tharamin First Class MID playersla 2nnek wath aran EPL season 1ka beraganna 1ka ganai hithanna one.Aduma tharamin next season Champions leage select wennawath.

meh thiyana widiyata top 4 newei season 1ka iwara wenakota Top 10 wath idida kiyana 1kai mata thiyana baya

 

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Manchester United 1-2 Swansea City: Late Bony strike dumps Moyes' men out

 

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Sanchez

 

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Moyes....Moyes....Moyes

Ow ow playersla ganna one naha.Manchester United 1st place neh inneMoyes mona kiyawanawada mandaSummer 1ke kiwwa Juanuary wala playersla ganawa kiyala.dan kiyanawa Next Summer 1ke kiyala

Next Summer transfer window 1ka gana hithanna kalin aduma tharamin First Class MID playersla 2nnek wath aran EPL season 1ka beraganna 1ka ganai hithanna one.Aduma tharamin next season Champions leage select wennawath.

aniwa sign tikak karaganna wenawa

 

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Juventus 3-0 Roma: Champions leave Giallorossi unbeaten run in tatters

Juventus swept aside main Serie A rivals Roma with a 3-0 win over the visitors for their 10th league victory in a row.

Arturo Vidal and Leonardo Bonucci had put the champions and league leaders 2-0 ahead before second-placed Roma received two dismissals in quick succession with around 15 minutes remaining.First, Daniele De Rossi saw red for a high challenge on Giorgio Chiellini before Leandro Castan was dismissed for handball on the goalline.

Former Roma man Mirko Vucinic applied the third from the penalty spot as Juve started 2014 in the same ominous fashion they ended last year, ending Roma's 19-match unbeaten league record in the process.The win sees Juventus open up an eight-point gap on the Giallorossi at the top of Serie A, strengthening their hopes of claiming a third consecutive title.

Pirlo returned to Conte's team for the first time since the start of December after recovering from a knee injury, while Roma named a familiar front three with Adem Ljajic and Gervinho assisting Francesco Totti.The Bianconeri initially struggled to impose themselves in the game, but went ahead with their first effort on goal after 17 minutes.

Tevez received a pass inside the area and flicked a smart throughball into the path of Vidal, who squeezed home past Morgan De Sanctis at the near post.

Roma were somewhat unfortunate to find themselves behind and pushed for a leveller, with Gianluigi Buffon on high alert to fend off Dodo's low long-distance strike.The champions finished the half brightly, though, with Fernando Llorente coming close with a fierce 25-yard strike that went narrowly over the crossbar.

Juve's momentum continued into the second period, and it took just three minutes for their advantage to be doubled as Bonucci side-footed home Pirlo's teasing back-post delivery.

The home side were then dealt a blow when Tevez had to be replaced by Vucinic on the hour mark after appearing to tweak his hamstring.But Roma's loss of discipline helped them, as De Rossi was sent off for scything down Italy team-mate Chiellini, before Castan was shown a straight red for handballing on the goalline from the resulting free kick.

And Vucinic duly wrapped the match up on 77 minutes by finding the bottom corner from the spot.

 

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Robben: Lewandowski a super Bayern signing

Arjen Robben says Robert Lewandowski is "one of the world’s best strikers" ahead of the Pole's summer move to Bayern Munich.

One of the worst kept secrets in football was finally let out of the bag on Saturday as Lewandowski's future switch from Borussia Dortmund to Bavaria was confirmed, and Robben believes his addition will only see die Roten grow stronger.

"I think Lewandowksi is a super player," the Dutchman, 29, told Sport 1. "He is really good, he's one of the world’s best strikers.

"Our squad will be even better and we are already really strong at the moment, so this can only be a positive thing."

The former Chelsea winger also chatted about his current recovery - having picked up an injury at the start of December - and he is hopeful that a return to the pitch can coincide with a new contract, as his current deal ends in 2015.

"My recovery from injury is going well," Robben added. "The winter break was great, I was able to recover and, at the same time, it allowed me to grow stronger.

"I’m starting with individual training, then we’ll see from day to day how it goes. I can be patient and will try to increase my workload every day.

"I await patiently [on new contract discussions]. Discussions could start in a week or even in a few months."

 

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Roma not out of title picture - Garcia

Rudi Garcia has refused to give up on any title ambitions, despite watching his Roma side succumb to a 3-0 defeat at league leaders Juventus.

The leaders and reigning champions sent out a statement at the Juventus Stadium on Sunday with a comfortable victory, while the Giallorossi finished with nine men after an ill-disciplined end to the match.

The capital side are now eight points behind the Bianconeri but Garcia insists all is still up for grabs, although Scudetto success is not top of the agenda at the Stadio Olimpico."There are another 60 points available," the former Lille boss told Sky Sport Italia. "But the title is not our objective.

"Our objective is to get back into Europe, so we are now second and that is a good place to be in. After that, we'll see what happens."

A combination of poor defending and a ruthless streak in front of goal exhibited by Antonio Conte's side left Garcia ruing a feeble surrendering of Roma's undefeated start to the Serie A campaign and the lack of discipline shown towards the final whistle clearly rankled with the 49-year-old."I don't know if this was the worst way to lose our unbeaten record, but it is bad to end with nine men," the French coach continued.

"At 2-0 we still had the chance to get back into the game, but we were unlucky to concede the two goals in bad moments of the match."Unfortunately, they scored at the first chance and we didn't take ours. It hurt to concede straight after the restart. Juve did well on set-plays and we have to work on some issues.

"In my view it is a problem of efficiency. Neither side had that many chances, so you've got to take them when they arrive. We know this is football and Juve have a ruthless team, so we must learn to be ruthless too.

"It is always difficult to play away to Juve and keep a clean sheet. They have very strong strikers, but I have no doubt that in the first half we played the right game. In order to win you also need luck in important moments and the luck was more with Juventus than with us."

 

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Bonucci: Juve dominated Roma again

Leonardo Bonucci was proud with the way that Juventus "dominated" Roma as they won 3-0 over the nine-man side at the Juventus Stadium.

The reigning Serie A champions looked set to face their toughest test of the season as they came up against the only side yet to taste defeat in Italy, but the hosts were rarely threatened after Arturo Vidal opened the scoring and ran out comfortable 3-0 winners as the visitors lost their discipline, along with their unbeaten record.

Bonucci also got on the scoresheet and the defender felt his side’s performance was the perfect riposte to a week of constant soundbites from the Giallorossi camp.

"We let Roma talk and we did our talking on the pitch," the Italy international, 26, told Sky Sport Italia after the game.

"In recent years when Roma have come to the Juventus Stadium we dominated them and it proved to be the case this time too.

"We knew we had to take control on our ground to keep at the top of the table. Despite sitting a little deeper than usual to avoid Roma counterattacks, we still scored three goals and got an important victory.

"It was an intelligent performance, as we couldn’t let Roma make the most of their main strength, which is the pace of players like Gervinho and Adem Ljajic on the counterattack."

Gianluigi Buffon kept his 11th cleansheet of the season against Rudi Garcia's men but the goalkeeper was impressed with the opposition and stated that, despite the Bianconeri building a sizeable lead in the Scudetto race, the job is far from done.

"The statistics are impressive and now we can say that we fully deserve to be top of the table, casting aside any doubt," the veteran shot-stopper stated.

"To analyse the match honestly, Roma caused us many problems in the first half and we won thanks to the individual incidents, which we made the most of. The Giallorossi are a really good side and showed that tonight.

"It’s a very important victory, but Roma really impressed me for an hour tonight, so we cannot afford to let our concentration drop."

Juventus have now won each of their last 10 league matches and have an eight-point lead at the top of Serie A.

 

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Rinaudo: I tried to apologise to Rossi

Livorno defender Leandro Rinaudo insists he did not deliberately try to injure Giuseppe Rossi and says he attempted to apologise to the Fiorentina forward after the match.

Rossi had to be replaced in the second half after Rinaudo caught the Italy international's knee with a robust challenge - the same knee which has twice required surgery to repair damaged ligaments.

Fiorentina president Andrea Della Valle labelled Rinaudo a "scoundrel" after the match while Vincenzo Montella slammed the 30-year-old for not apologising for his actions, but Rinaudo has stressed he was stopped from doing so outside the dressing rooms.

"It was a normal foul in the game. On the pitch, I didn't apologise because I was protesting with the referee," he told Sky Sport 24.

"I wanted to go to talk to Rossi in the dressing room but there was a wall of people who blocked me and I couldn't. I'll do so in the coming days.

"I hope his injury isn't serious."

Fiorentina secured a 1-0 win in Sunday's meeting courtesy of Gonzalo Rodriguez's second-half strike.

 

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Mourinho in denial over Chelsea diving

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho insists his players do not dive but say eradicating it from the English game could hurt Premier League teams in Europe.

Ramires became the second Chelsea player in as many games to be cautioned for simulation when he was handed a yellow card by referee Andre Marriner during a 2-0 win over Derby County in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.

Fellow Brazilian Oscar received the same punishment from Martin Atkinson against Southampton in the Premier League on New Year's Day, and while Mourinho backs calls to stop diving in the English game he believes there could be repercussions in European competition.

"I maintain it [Chelsea players do not dive], they [the incidents involving Ramires and Oscar] are isolated episodes," Mourinho said after Chelsea's win at Pride Park.

"This time I didn't watch on TV but Marriner was so close, so if he made that decision it is because he is right.

"The last time [on] Oscar just was completely correct; this time I didn't speak yet with Ramires but if the referee was there then perfect.

"The reason [the two players were booked] was the referees were very good. In other clubs there are divers and they are not booked; we had two of the best referees in the country and in Europe.

"I don't know [if others encourage diving] - we do the opposite, but I am worried about the European competitions.

"I know English teams will be punished in European competitions because we are all fighting against it, but in the Champions League and Europa League we will get referees from other countries, players without the education that we are trying to do, and in the Champions League and Europa League something against English teams will happen for sure.

"The referees are attacking it [diving]; the managers supporting the referees; we are doing well; let's see if the others do the same as us."

 

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Messi may return for Atletico clash, says Martino

Gerardo Martino has revealed that Lionel Messi may be fit in time for Barcelona’s top of the table clash with Atletico Madrid.

The three-time Ballon d'Or winner was back in training last week as he continued his recovery from a hamstring injury that has kept him out of action since November 10 and admitted he felt "great" to be back on the pitch.

However, the forward was left out of the squad that beat Elche 4-0 but, after the game, Martino admitted that the crunch tie at the Vicente Calderon may be the right time for the Argentina international to return.

"Messi has to recover from his injury then he could be able to play against Atletico,” Martino told reporters. "Not because they're our main rivals, but because it is time."

"He has trained well, and looks good physically and mentally.

"I haven’t decided on the team for the Copa del Rey game yet, let alone next weekend. We know what’s important is our shape.

"I can’t say for sure if we’ll rotate in the week, but I think it makes sense to try to peak towards the end of the season"

The Blaugrana coped well without the No.10 as they cruised past Elche on Sunday, thanks largely to an Alexis Sanchez hat-trick, and the 51-year-old could hardly fault any aspect of his side’s performance as they regained La Liga's top spot.

"It was good from us," he continued. "Apart from one occasion in the first half, we didn’t give them any options.

"We played well going forward and looked good in defence. I thought our second half performance was one of total control.

"We are having a good time at the moment. But there is still a lot we can do to improve – especially as we enter this part of the year."