..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Bayern wasting Gotze as a striker, says Beckenbauer

Franz Beckenbauer believes Bayern Munich are wasting Mario Gotze by playing him as a striker.

The former Borussia Dortmund star has featured as Bayern's lone front man on a number of occasions this term, including the 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach last month.

Guardiola often favoured a striker-less system during his time with Barcelona, but the club's honorary president is adamant the 21-year-old is better suited to a deeper role.

"It doesn't make much sense to play Gotze as a striker," Beckenbauer told Sky90.

"You are not doing the little guy any favours when you put him up front against three giant defenders. Gotze is nowhere to be seen any more when one of them coughs. It's simple as that.

"Bayern would be wasting his potential in this position. Of course, he could play there, but you don't get the best out of him in that position.

"I think he'd be at his best behind a striker. He is much more dangerous in that position."

Gotze has netted six goals in 14 Bundesliga appearances so far this term.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester United, Liverpool & Real Madrid sign up for International Champions Cup

Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool will compete in this year's International Champions Cup.

The pre-season tournament, which will take place across the US in the form of two groups of four teams, begins on July 26 and ends with the final at Miami's Sun Life Stadium on August 4.

Los Blancos won last year's competition, beating Chelsea in the final, while Milan finished in third place.

Both the Spanish and Italian giants will return to America this year, and will be joined by Premier League clubs Man United, Liverpool and Manchester City, as well as Inter, Roma and Olympiakos.

Liverpool's chief commercial officer Billy Hogan said the club were thrilled to be heading back to the country after enjoying a successful pre-season trip there in 2012.

"We were last in the USA in 2012 and thoroughly enjoyed our visit," he told the club's official website.

"So we are delighted to be invited to take part in the International Champions Cup and revisit again this year.

"This will be the club's seventh visit to North America, where we know we have a huge fan base, and being part of this tournament will allow us to bring the club closer to those supporters and engage with them once again."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester United announce United States pre-season tour

Manchester United have announced plans for a pre-season tour of the United States.

The trip marks the first time the club will return to North America following tours in 2010 and 2011 and is rumoured to be part of the 2014 International Champions Cup.

Last season's ICC involved eight teams - including the likes of Chelsea, Juventus, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy - facing selected opponents in America and Spain, with Madrid beating Jose Mourinho's side in the final.

Real Madrid will reportedly defend their crown this summer in a 12-team version, along with the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and United - though official participation is yet to be confirmed.

Richard Arnold, United's group managing director, said in a statement: "I'm delighted to announce that the team will be returning to the USA for our 2014 Tour, presented by Aon.

"Since the club's last visit in 2011, the appeal of football in America has grown rapidly. NBC reported that this season's Barclays Premier League opening weekend saw the average viewership rise by 78 per cent from the 2012-13 season, with Manchester United's match against Swansea being the most-watched game.

"Manchester United has over eight million followers in the United States and the 2014 Tour presents an exciting opportunity for these fans to get up close to the club they love."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

FA Cup 2014.02.05 Fixture

FA Cup 2014.02.05 Fixture

Preston Vs Nottingham​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Copa Del Rey 2014.02.05 Fixtures

Copa Del Rey 2014.02.05 Fixtures

Real Madrid Vs Atletico Madrid

Barcelona Vs Real Sociedad​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Coppa Italia 2014.02.05 Fixture

Coppa Italia 2014.02.05 Fixture

Roma Vs Napoli​

 

[doggy10000]

Bayern wasting Gotze as a striker, says Beckenbauer

Franz Beckenbauer believes Bayern Munich are wasting Mario Gotze by playing him as a striker.

The former Borussia Dortmund star has featured as Bayern's lone front man on a number of occasions this term, including the 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach last month.

Guardiola often favoured a striker-less system during his time with Barcelona, but the club's honorary president is adamant the 21-year-old is better suited to a deeper role.

"It doesn't make much sense to play Gotze as a striker," Beckenbauer told Sky90.

"You are not doing the little guy any favours when you put him up front against three giant defenders. Gotze is nowhere to be seen any more when one of them coughs. It's simple as that.

"Bayern would be wasting his potential in this position. Of course, he could play there, but you don't get the best out of him in that position.

"I think he'd be at his best behind a striker. He is much more dangerous in that position."

Gotze has netted six goals in 14 Bundesliga appearances so far this term.

yes gotze is better when he is playing as a Attacking center or left midfielder..

very good thread machan

 

[charitha chandi]

Mourinho the key to Chelsea victory over Manchester City, says Matic

Chelseamidfielder Matic has praised manager Jose Mourinho for his part in the Blues' 1-0 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.Manuel Pellegrini's men suffered their first home Premier League defeat of the season on Monday thanks to a single Branislav Ivanovic goal as Chelsea ran out 1-0 winners.The victory means that the west Londoners moved level with Manchester City in the table, two points behind leaders Arsenal, and Matic says that the boss must take credit for the win. "We prepared very well. The coach showed us some videos of Manchester City and, of course, they were the right videos to show the quality but also where they make mistakes," he told reporters.

"We cannot say what [exactly] we prepared because it is only for us but the preparation was very good and a big quality.

"To play in a game like this [Mourinho] prepared us very good, like you saw on the pitch. Everyone knew what they were meant to do which is why we got the result."

Chelsea also hit the woodwork three times in the game and the 25-year-old feels that the Blues could have won by an even greater scoreline.

"We played good football, we played very well and the team was at the top level. We won and we deserved to win," he added.

"It was very important for us, we have more confidence after that because it is not easy to play Manchester City.

“They are strong and they play quickly but we can prepare against every team. We scored one goal but we could have scored more.

“We had great opportunities and sometimes one goal is enough to win."​

 

[charitha chandi]

Mourinho the key to Chelsea victory over Manchester City, says Matic

what a signing for Chelsea, he manged Yaya Toure perfectly..! hope he will keep his form in every match..!
"Comment from YouTube" Luiz and matic CDM = TITAN WALL

 

[unicornx]

FT: Real Madrid 3-0 Atlético Madrid (17' Insúa, O.G., 57' Jesé, 73' Miranda, O.G.).

AND

 

[unicornx]

 

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Gomez nears Fiorentina return

 

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Arsenal do not fear February run-in, says Szczesny

 

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[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona 2-0 Real Sociedad: Elustondo howler hands hosts upper hand

Barcelona did their part in setting up a potential Copa del Rey final with Real Madrid after beating Real Sociedad 2-0 on Wednesday.

Having watched on as Real completed a comprehensive 3-0 win over city rivals Atletico earlier in the evening, Barca were similarly impressive in their semi-final first leg.

Sergio Busquets' opener a minute before the break set them on their way to the victory, before a comical own goal from Sociedad goalkeeper Enaut Zubikarai put the Catalans in the driving seat ahead of the return clash.

Despite early pressure from Antoine Griezmann in particular, Sociedad never looked like ending their 23-year winless run at Barcelona.

Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez both missed opportunities from close-range for the hosts, while a Lionel Messi free-kick also hit the crossbar before the breakthrough eventually arrived from Busquets' tap-in.

Inigo Martinez’s red card near the end of the first half ensured that Jagoba Arrasate’s men were in for a tough second period, and they were the masters of their own downfall for Barca's second as Ion Ansotegi blasted the ball in off the hapless Zubikarai.

The 26-time Copa del Rey champions searched for a third goal towards the end and Dani Alves saw a headed effort go over, but the hosts cruised to victory nonetheless and will take a good lead into the second leg.

Coach Gerardo Martino was without Neymar once again due to his thigh injury, while new Real Sociedad signing Sergio Canales took a place on the bench.

The visitors' dynamic front two terrorised the Barcelona defence as early as the third minute when Carlos Vela latched on to Javier Mascherano’s failed clearance and teed up Griezmann on the edge of the area, but Jose Pinto punched his powerful half-volley away.

With 12 minutes on the clock, Fabregas wasted a glorious chance of his own as he hit Alves' low cross straight at Zubikarai four yards from goal, and from the resulting corner Sanchez somehow missed the target after pouncing on a rebound.

Messi went even closer when he struck the crossbar with a curling free-kick 37 minutes in, before Vela had a penalty claim turned down after being hauled down by Mascherano.

The half ended with controversy as Busquets turned in Pedro’s pass to give Barca the lead and during the celebrations Sociedad’s Martinez received a straight red card for dissent.

Barcelona’s pressure was unrelenting and they kept their visitors penned inside their own area for prolonged periods before finally doubling the lead on the hour.

After collecting Fabregas’ delightful throughball, Sanchez hit the post when on-on-one with Zubikarai and Sociedad looked to have escaped once again, but Ansotegi’s bizarre attempted clearance smashed against his goalkeeper and went in.

Martino’s men continued to press as they sought to put the tie completely beyond doubt and although Alves missed a headed opportunity late on, the win was never in doubt.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Olympique Lyonnais 2-1 Troyes: Lacazette and Gomis seal final date with PSG

First-half goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Bafetimbi Gomis sealed a 2-1 win for Olympique Lyonnais in Wednesday's Coupe de la Ligue semi-final with Troyes.

Les Gones's No.10 swept home after 16 minutes and his attacking partner doubled the advantage following a clever team move, but Thiago stabbed home from a corner to give the Ligue 2 side hope.

However, there was to be no further giant-killing for the visitors, as Lyon booked their place in the final to face Paris Saint-Germain where they will search for their second Coupe de la Ligue triumph after winning the trophy in 2001.

Lyon controlled the tempo in the early stages and were rewarded with the opening goal after 16 minutes.

Right-back Zeffane received the ball on the overlap and had time to pick out Lacazette, who duly side-footed home from 12 yards.

Briand was a constant menace for Lyon on the left and he was influential in the second goal on 27 minutes.

The winger received Lacazette's neat throughball in the box and crossed to the near post, where Gomis applied the finishing touch from inside the six-yard box.

Soon afterwards, Gomis flashed an effort across goal from a tight angle as Lyon piled on the pressure.

Home goalkeeper Anthony Lopes had to be alert at the other end, however, producing a fine fingertip save from Benjamin Nivet's volley.

But there was nothing he could do to prevent Thiago halving the deficit after 35 minutes.

The Lyon defence failed to deal with a corner from the left and the Brazilian was on hand to smash the ball home from close range.

The match followed a similar pattern after the break with Lyon largely dictating play, while Troyes continued to threaten at set-pieces.

Lyon had the ball in the net for a third time on the hour mark when Briand guided a header over Matthieu Dreyer, but the celebrations were cut short by the offside flag.

Kone also thought he had increased the advantage with 15 minutes remaining when he flicked home Gomis' header, but he too was ruled offside.

Lacazette then forced a smart stop from Dreyer in the closing stages, as Lyon saw out the remaining minutes despite a spirited late effort from the visitors.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Roma 3-2 Napoli: Last-gasp Gervinho hands Giallorossi advantage

Gervinho's late winner gave Roma a dramatic 3-2 win over Napoli in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final on Wednesday.

Roma's push for a 10th Coppa Italia title looked to be gathering pace when Gervinho and Kevin Strootman scored in the first half to set them on their way.

But an own goal from Giallorossi goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis and substitute Dries Mertens' equaliser brought Napoli back into the contest.

Gervinho – Roma's top scorer this season – had the last laugh though, scoring with two minutes left to give his side the advantage heading into the return fixture.

Rudi Garcia's men's Serie A clash against Parma on Sunday was abandoned after just nine minutes due to a deluge of rain at Stadio Olimpico but the pitch held up on this occasion.

As a result, the hosts entered the match fresher than Napoli – who were stunned by Atalanta on Sunday, losing 3-0 – and after a slow start, Roma found their rhythm.

Gervinho scored from his side's first meaningful attack when he timed his run to perfection following an excellent ball from Francesco Totti.

The ex-Arsenal forward cut inside Anthony Reveillere and avoided Raul Albiol, showing great composure to dink the ball over the onrushing Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina before tapping into an empty net.

Napoli then failed to close down Totti and his fierce shot from distance stung the palms of Reina, while Reveillere limped off with an injury, to be replaced by Faouzi Ghoulam.

Roma continued to force the pace and they doubled their lead in stunning fashion, as Strootman took advantage of the free space before lashing a fierce 25-yard left-foot effort into the top corner in the 32nd minute.

Napoli had a penalty appeal turned down on the stroke of half-time as Christian Maggio failed to get a shot away under the attention of Vasilis Torosidis, but they did pull a goal back two minutes after the break.

Gonzalo Higuain's attempted cut-back deflected off Mehdi Benatia and was spilled onto the post, and then in, by former Napoli goalkeeper De Sanctis for an unfortunate own goal.

Adem Ljajic then forced Reina to tip behind before shooting wide twice, and the keeper also moved well to keep out a deflected Torosidis effort.

Roma were made to pay for their missed chances as Mertens levelled for Napoli with 20 minutes left.

Higuain had been fouled but the advantage was played, and Mertens skipped past Leandro Castan before lashing beyond De Sanctis with his right foot.

There was still time for more drama though, as Gervinho – who got the winner in the quarter-final against Juventus - finished a move that involved substitutes Mattia Destro and Alessandro Florenzi with a neat near-post finish.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Real Madrid 3-0 Atletico Madrid: Hosts stride towards Copa final

Real Madrid avenged last season's Copa del Rey defeat to city rivals Atletico by beating them 3-0 to put one foot in this year's final.

Atletico came into the encounter full of confidence after going three points clear at the top of the Liga table at the weekend, but they were no match for their neighbours in Wednesday's semi-final first leg.

It did not take Real long to forge ahead, as Pepe's effort struck Emiliano Insua and flew past Thibaut Courtois after 17 minutes, delighting the home fans.

Pepe endured a bruising duel with Atletico's Diego Costa throughout the first half, but the defender came out on top and Real doubled their lead in the second half when Jese Rodriguez placed a clever finish under the goalkeeper.

The hosts wrapped up the win and went a long way to securing their final berth as Angel Di Maria saw his long-range effort deflect off Miranda before beating Courtois with 17 minutes left.

Defeat for Atletico ended their unbeaten run in all competitions at 23 matches, while Real have now not lost for the same number of games.

Despite being declared fit on Tuesday, Gareth Bale missed out for the hosts with a calf strain, while Atletico were unable to call upon David Villa – suffering from a hamstring problem.

Diego Simeone’s men looked nervous at the back in the opening stages, but the match’s first opportunity fell to them as Arda Turan met Juanfran’s cross near the penalty spot, only for Iker Casillas to parry the Turk's header away.

Real made the most of that let-off as Pepe helped to open the scoring in the 17th minute, the Portugal international’s shot from 25 yards taking a wicked deflection off Insua before flying past the helpless Courtois.

After a hotly contested first half-hour, Atletico's Belgian goalkeeper then denied Real a second goal twice in quick succession in the 32nd minute. First, Jese cut in from the left and stung Courtois' palms with a driven effort, before Luka Modric hit a volley straight at him from the edge of the area.

Carlo Ancelotti's men exerted some pressure again at the start of the second half and Cristiano Ronaldo tried his luck after running at Juanfran, but his low shot was saved by Courtois, who continued to keep Atletico in the contest.

The shot-stopper's luck ran out eventually, however. Di Maria's delicate pass with the outside of his left foot dissected the visitors' defence with 57 minutes played and Jese squeezed the ball under the goalkeeper with a deft flick.

Di Maria was involved again in Real's next attack, as his 30-yard effort was saved nervously by Courtois, before a tackle from the Argentinian drew a petulant reaction from Costa, earning the forward a yellow card - which rules him out of the second leg.

Real completed the victory in the 73rd minute as Miranda deflected Di Maria's 30-yard strike past Courtois, putting last year's runners-up a giant step closer to sealing a final place.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Messi's lack of goals does not worry me, insists Martino

Barcelona head coach Gerardo Martino insists he is not worried by Lionel Messi's recent lack of goals.

The Argentina star has only scored once since the end of October and was denied again in the Blaugrana's 2-0 win over Real Sociedad on Wednesday, despite hitting the woodwork with a free kick.

Martino, however, maintains he was happy with the way the 26-year-old created chances during the match and is fully confident he will soon recapture his lethal touch in front of goal.

"It doesn't worry me that Messi isn't scoring goals," he told reporters after the match. "He had three clear chances today, he'll soon be back among the goals."

Martino went on to admit he was concerned there could be an effect on the team following their defeat to Valencia at the weekend, adding: "We were concerned with the hangover of Valencia. When I thought we might find more space we lost our speed.

"It seemed to me that, except at the start, the team was fluid. We scored two goals as a result of incidents rather than our own play. It was the correct response but the setbacks against Valencia made us think at certain points."

Martino also defended supporters after a low attendance for the Camp Nou meeting, and stressed he would not yet be tempted to look ahead to a possible final against Real Madrid, who won their first leg 3-0 against Atletico Madrid.

"I'm not condoning anything, but if I were a Barcelona fan and I had to work on Thursday, I wouldn't come," he added.

"I'm very cautious about being somewhere I'm not. We have to go to San Sebastian and a few years ago Barca suffered there. We have to keep working."