..::Football III::..

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Swansea City 1-2 West Brom: Mulumbu hands Mel first win at eighth time of asking

Pepe Mel recorded his first victory as West Brom head coach in a 2-1 Premier League win at Swansea City on Saturday.

The hosts went ahead at the Liberty Stadium within the opening two minutes – Roland Lamah cutting inside to bury the ball into the bottom right-hand corner.

Swansea dominated possession throughout the first half, but saw their lead cancelled out seven minutes into the second when Stephane Sessegnon found the net from 20 yards.

And the comeback was complete in the 85th minute when Youssouf Mulumbu guided the ball into the bottom right-hand corner to earn the visitors their first win in 10 in all competitions - eight of which were under Mel.

Victory lifts West Brom three points clear of the relegation zone, while Swansea still have just a four-point cushion.

Swansea were boosted by the return of Michu to the bench after three months out with an ankle injury and the Welsh side gave their visitors no time to settle, capitalising on some poor West Brom defending to surge into a second-minute lead.

Wilfried Bony threaded the ball to Lamah on the left wing and the Belgian cut inside, left Steven Reid for dead at the edge of the penalty area, before coolly slotting the ball beyond Ben Foster for his second league goal for the club.

West Brom posed little threat until Victor Anichebe got the better of Ashley Williams – making his 100th Premier League appearance – on 15 minutes, but he fired his effort straight at home goalkeeper Michel Vorm.

Moments later, Foster found himself in the right place at the right time to somewhat fortuitously deny Bony from a Lamah cross.

Lamah looked bright throughout the opening period and headed just wide of the right-hand post from a Jonathan de Guzman corner midway through the half.

Swansea may not have reproduced the scintillating performance that saw them hold a 3-1 half-time lead in this fixture last season, but West Brom were showing few signs of being able to get back into the game as the hosts continued to dominate possession and look the more threatening.

But the visitors came out with renewed energy after the break and pulled themselves level with a low 20-yard drive from Sessegnon in the 52nd minute.

De Guzman then forced Foster into a diving save from a free-kick as Swansea looked to re-establish their advantage, before having an effort blocked by the arm of Gareth McAuley in the West Brom area, but referee Martin Atkinson waved play on.

The match looked to be heading for a draw, until Mulumbu saw the Swansea defence open up in front of him, allowing him the time and space to find the bottom right-hand corner of the net five minutes from time.

 

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Fulham 1-0 Newcastle: Magath survival mission up and running thanks to Dejagah

Ashkan Dejagah grabbed a second-half winner as Fulham earned a vital win against Newcastle United on Saturday.

Magpies boss Alan Pardew missed the clash as he began serving his sanction for a headbutt on Hull City's David Meyler, having been given a three-game stadium suspension and four-game touchline ban by the FA.

Assistant manager John Carver took charge in Pardew's stead but he could not inspire the visitors to a third consecutive win.

And Pardew, reportedly watching the action from a hotel suite in London, will have been largely unimpressed with his side's display as bottom-club Fulham produced a dominant second-half performance to take the points.

It was a mistake from one of Newcastle's more dependable servants that proved to be the difference, goalkeeper Tim Krul allowing a seemingly harmless long-range effort from Dejagah to creep into the bottom corner to hand Fulham boss Felix Magath his first win since taking over last month.

Newcastle were boosted by the return of captain Fabricio Coloccini, while Papiss Cisse came in for the injured Loic Remy.

The early stages were scrappy with few goalscoring opportunities, although Fulham did enjoy the better start without really troubling the Newcastle defence.

But it was the visitors who eventually had the first real sight of goal, as Paul Dummett curled over from a free kick midway through the first half.

Krul was the first of the two goalkeepers to be called into action just after the half-hour mark, the Dutchman diving to his right to keep out Lewis Holtby's effort from the edge of the area.

The visitors gradually grew into the game and would have taken the lead before the break had David Stockdale not produced a fine reaction save to prevent Cisse from turning home Moussa Sissoko's right-wing cross.

Fulham did have the ball in the net almost immediately after the break but Pajtim Kasami's strike was ruled out, after John Heitinga was ruled to have strayed offside before heading the ball back for the Swiss winger.

Newcastle then crafted a good opportunity at the other end but Luuk de Jong could only shoot tamely wide after latching on to Yoan Gouffran's pass.

Magath's men quickly began to dictate play and Pardew will have been thankful as the offside flag denied Fulham's teenage striker Cauley Woodrow.

Woodrow looked to have netted his first goal for the club when he prodded home a rebound after Heitinga's rasping drive had crashed off the underside of the crossbar and out, only for the linesman to rule out the effort.

But Fulham were finally rewarded for their initiative after 68 minutes when a Krul error handed them the lead, just after Stockdale had denied Cisse for a second time.

Substitute Dejagah cut in from the left and fired in a low, right-footed effort, which Krul allowed to bounce under his grasp and into the bottom corner.

Newcastle, however, pressed in the final stages to try and find a leveller and were denied a penalty right at the death.

Referee Howard Webb refused to point to the spot when Heitinga appeared to handle from Krul’s effort after the goalkeeper had come up for a late corner, ensuring that Fulham held on - although the London club remain four points adrift of safety.

 

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Stoke City 3-1 West Ham: Odemwingie strikes twice to put Potters 10th

Peter Odemwingie's double inspired Stoke City to a 3-1 win over West Ham on Saturday.

Andy Carroll's first Premier League goal of the season had put Sam Allardyce's men in front after five minutes but Odemwingie ensured the Potters were level heading into the break.

After the restart, Marko Arnautovic put Mark Hughes' side ahead before the Nigeria forward wrapped up the victory with 11 minutes remaining.

West Ham had two penalty appeals turned away and a Kevin Nolan goal disallowed but have slipped to consecutive Premier League defeats for the first time since Decembe

The visitors made a strong start to the match with an early goal as Carroll rose above Asmir Begovic and Peter Crouch to head home Mark Noble's cross.

A minute later, Stoke were denied an equaliser after an excellent save from Adrian.

Neat interplay between Crouch and Odemwingie created an opening for Stephen Ireland, who replaced the suspended Jonathan Walters, but his first-time effort was tipped wide by the Spanish goalkeeper.

The game settled down after a frantic start with both sides enjoying good periods of possession before Stoke pulled level after 32 minutes through Odemwingie.

Crouch met a corner from Ireland, but his header was tipped onto the bar by Adrian. The striker reacted quickly to get the rebound and his acrobatic flick struck Odemwingie on his shoulder on its way over the line.

Having restored parity, Stoke should have gone into the break with an advantage as a neat passing move saw Arnautovic release Ireland in behind the defence, but his close-range effort was straight at Adrian and allowed him to make an easy save.

After a sluggish opening to the second half, West Ham had the ball in the net just after the hour, only for an offside flag to rule it out.

Begovic again failed to claim a ball into the penalty area, his punch dropped straight to Antonio Nocerino and his touch over the goalkeeper fell to Nolan, who promptly fired into the open net, but his effort was chalked off.

After surviving West Ham's pressure, Stoke grew in stature and took the lead with Arnautovic's third goal for the club.

Another good move from Mark Hughes' men saw Odemwingie find the Austrian on the edge of the penalty area, he bundled his way past a defender and fired low past Adrian – although the goalkeeper should have done better.

West Ham saw two penalty shouts turned away before Odemwingie sealed the win with 11 minutes left with an emphatic strike from the edge of the penalty area.

 

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Borussia Dortmund 1-2 Borussia Monchengladbach: Kruse & Raffael punish profligate hosts

Borussia Dortmund went close to a late comeback but were ultimately punished for their profligacy as Borussia Monchengladbach romped to a 2-1 win on Saturday at Signal Iduna Park.

The 25-year-old scored a fine solo goal at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday to give Germany coach Joachim Low a timely reminder of his talents ahead of the showpiece in Brazil later this year after losing his place in the squad for the last round of fixtures.

Earlier strike partner Raffael continued his hot streak, as coach Lucien Favre celebrated his new contract at Borussia Park with Gladbach's first Bundesliga win since before the mid-season break, a winless run that stretched seven matches.

Jurgen Klopp had witnessed his Schwarzgelben side hit the crossbar through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, before Raffael forced home his fourth goal in five Bundesliga matches.Kruse then turned full-back Lukasz Piszczek and goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller inside out before applying the simple finish.

Gladbach faced a nervy ending when Havard Nordtveit was sent off for two bookable offences, and Dortmund halved the arrears with substitute Milos Jojic's deflected strike.In a cagey opening, Jonas Hofmann had the first sight of goal on six minutes but could only fire straight at Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Patrick Herrmann then twice missed good chances for the visitors, angling a half-volley past the far post from the left-hand side of the box, before failing to threaten the home goal when he curled wide from 20 yards.

Having survived those scares, Dortmund settled into the game and almost moved ahead on 23 minutes from an unlikely source in the form of centre-back Mats Hummels, who showed neat footwork to enter the box before being foiled by the legs of Ter Stegen.

Shortly before the half-hour mark Aubameyang went even closer for the hosts, when he broke into the box and drove his shot against the crossbar.Dortmund were made to pay for their profligacy on 32 minutes. The lively Hermann was once again involved and his cutback was squirmed home at the near post by the in-form Raffael.

Five minutes before the break the situation worsened for Dortmund. Kruse was left free on the left-edge of the box and he twice feinted past Piszczek and Weidenfeller before passing into the unguarded net.The visitors continued to perform admirably after the break and Raffael fired wide from an acute angle on 48 minutes.

Shortly after the hour mark Herrmann went close a goal his performance would have warranted, showing good technique with a volley that flashed over the bar.
Dortmund had largely been frustrated in the final third of the pitch, but Ter Stegen had to be on hand with a fine one-handed save when Robert Lewandowski had a clear sight of goal in the box.The visitors were then made to play out the last 20 minutes with 10 men as Nordtveit was shown two yellow cards in quick succession.Dortmund soon made the most of the numerical advantage, Jojic's drive from the edge of the box taking a deflection past Ter Stegen and in.

Marvin Ducksch thought he had rescued a point in the closing stages, but Lewandowski had already been penalised for a foul, with Klopp's continued protestations seeing him sent off as Gladbach held on for a win that reignites their top-six hopes.

 

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Hull City 0-2 Manchester City: Dzeko & Silva keep Pellegrini’s men in title contention

Manchester City overcame the early dismissal of Vincent Kompany to beat Hull City 2-0 and keep up the pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea.

Captain Kompany saw red in the opening 10 minutes on Saturday after hauling down Nikica Jelavic as the striker looked set to race through on goal, but David Silva's superb curling effort handed the visitors the lead just four minutes later.


Pablo Zabaleta hit the crossbar before the break as Manuel Pellegrini's reorganised charges continued to underline their attacking prowess, but the hosts also had their moments.

Jelavic, restored to the starting line-up along with Shane Long after Hull's FA Cup exploits, was frequently a threat and David Meyler had an effort ruled out for offside.

Hull upped the pressure after the interval but were undone by Edin Dzeko's late goal, assisted by Silva, as their search for a home league win in 2014 continues.

Pellegrini may have seen his dreams of a historic quadruple go up in smoke this month, with his side's FA Cup and Champions League campaigns being brought to an end in the space of four days, but the top-flight crown remains within his reach.

Steve Bruce's side remain uncomfortably close to the bottom three but made a confident start, Jelavic seeing his pull-back cleared away by Gael Clichy before the Croatia international was denied by an offside flag as he raced clear of the visiting defence.

And the game appeared to swing in the hosts' favour when Kompany resorted to bringing Jelavic down following a physical tussle 30 yards from goal.

Referee Lee Mason opted to send the Belgian off despite his protestations that he had been fouled first, with Kompany kicking out at a wall as he stormed down the tunnel.

But Silva turned Manchester City's frustration into joy when he seized on the opportunity to shoot from 25 yards and produced a glorious effort that swerved inside Allan McGregor's right-hand post, ending his 17-game goal drought.

The goal buoyed Pellegrini's men but they still had defending to do when Long's searching right-wing cross almost found Jelavic, with Martin Demichelis doing just enough to snuff out the danger.

Zabaleta struck the underside of the crossbar with a dipping volley at the other end on the half-hour mark, the ball bouncing on the line and out to safety.

Meyler saw an effort ruled out for an offside in the build-up and Jake Livermore flashed a low, skidding effort narrowly wide of Joe Hart's upright on the stroke of half-time as Hull sent a timely reminder that they were still very much in the contest.

Jelavic was again involved early in the second half, making poor contact with half-time substitute Sone Aluko's dangerous free-kick to leave Hart with a simple save.

George Boyd, on for Meyler just before the hour, took a tumble in the box with Hart in close attention but Mason awarded a goal-kick and booked the goalkeeper for his part in the confrontation that followed.

Dzeko put the game to bed in stoppage time after wasting an earlier effort as the visitors went some way to avenge defeat on their last trip to the KC Stadium and put the bitter disappointment of Champions League elimination behind them.

 

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David Silva niyamai!

 

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Atletico Madrid 1-0 Espanyol: Clinical Costa keeps Rojiblancos in title race

Atletico Madrid kept up the pressure on Liga leaders Real Madrid with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Espanyol on Saturday.

After los Blancos had battled to victory over Malaga earlier in the day, a solitary Diego Costa strike was enough for Diego Simeone's side to close the gap at the top of the table and put pressure on Barcelona ahead of their match on Sunday.

 

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Ancelotti hails Real Madrid resilience after Malaga win

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti hailed the defensive resilience of his side as they ground out a hard-fought 1-0 win at Malaga.

Cristiano Ronaldo's solitary strike at La Rosaleda was enough for the Liga leaders to stretch their unbeaten league run to 18 matches.

Malaga played their part in frustrating Madrid and piled on the pressure late in the second half, and Ancelotti was thrilled with the way his side had maintained concentration in defence throughout the 90 minutes and restricted the hosts' opportunities in front of goal."The match was very difficult because Malaga pushed hard," he said. "We had opportunities for a second but had no luck.

"We didn't score the second and then we suffered. It was not a great match, but we showed defensive strength. We did not concede many chances. The result is very good and important."You cannot always win 2-0 or 3-0. We have worked hard and I'm happy. It was not the worst game. It was not spectacular. We missed the last pass."

Striker Karim Benzema was withdrawn after 32 minutes to be replaced by Angel Di Maria, with the Frenchman set for further tests over fears he could miss the Clasico next week.Ancelotti, however, was not too concerned with the knock, simply stating: "He has a bruised thigh and could not continue."

The win means Madird head into next weekend'sencounter with Barcelona in buoyant mood, and Ancelotti says his side are well prepared for the showdown.
He added: "We had a great attitude and are ready to play the Clasico."

 

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It is not important when Bayern win title, insists Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has insisted that is does not matter when Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga after edging closer to the title on Saturday.

Defending champions Bayern moved 23 points clear at the top with a 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen that followed nearest rivals Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 defeat at home to Borussia Monchengladbach earlier in the day.

Mario Mandzukic and Bastian Schweinsteiger scored to put Bayern in control at the Allianz Arena before Stefan Kiessling netted a consolation in injury time.

The Bavarians can seal a record 24th Bundesliga crown next weekend if Guardiola's side overcome Mainz and both Dortmund and Schalke fail to win.

But Guardiola is not concerned with how early Bayern make sure of yet another domestic triumph.

"It's not important when we win the league, it's important to keep our performances levels high," Guardiola said after the match.

"In the first half we were lucky. Now we need one or two more games to defend the title, but we must continue to focus and uphold our concentration."

The Spaniard was far from completely satisfied with his side's performance, criticising his players for not playing with enough width.

"We should have played more on the wings and not so much through the centre," he added.

Thomas Muller accepted that the hosts lacked quality in the final third and, after helping Bayern to a 50th straight Bundesliga game without defeat, the Germany forward is keen for Guardiola's men to maintain momentum.

"We controlled the game from the start, even if we were missing a bit of spark going forward," Muller said.

"We want to keep winning and stay in our rhythm in order to do well in each competition."

 

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Benzema facing fitness battle ahead of Clasico

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is facing a race to be fit for next weekend's Clasico with Barcelona after picking up an injury against Malaga.

The France international accidentally collided with Cristiano Ronaldo following a cross from Gareth Bale during the first half of the meeting at La Rosaleda.

Benzema was unable to continue and had to be replaced by Angel Di Maria, with the Frenchman suffering clear discomfort in his right leg.

Early indications suggest the damage was a minor impact injury, though Benzema will undergo further tests upon returning to Madrid to see whether or not he could miss next Sunday's home clash with Barcelona.

Ronaldo, who scored the opening goal for his side, was also left nursing a knock but was able to continue.

Speaking after the match, coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed Benzema had suffered "a blow to the muscle" as the striker now faces an anxious wait ahead of next Sunday's encounter.

Madrid won 1-0 on the night against Malaga thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half strike.

 

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Klopp left dumbfounded as Gladbach punish Dortmund

Jurgen Klopp was left flabbergasted after Borussia Dortmund fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.Goals from Raffael and Max Kruse gave Monchengladbach a two-goal advantage at half-time, with Milos Jojic reducing the deficit late on.

Klopp thought that his side had levelled when substitute Marvin Ducksch fired home, but Robert Lewandowski had been penalised for a foul in the build-up.That decision left Klopp irate and he was sent to the stands for his protestations, compounding a miserable day for the Dortmund coach.

"I have rarely seen a first half like this one," he said after the match. "We didn't do much wrong and shouldn't really have been 2-0 behind."We just lost three crucial duels that led to the two goals like Patrick Herrmann's chance when we let him go through at the second post, we should have been stronger.

"Nevertheless we had the feeling in the second half that we could sort things out.
"We leave empty handed but there were a lot of positive aspects today."I will always tell the team in private when I think they didn't do enough but today, that wasn't the case."

The loss was Dortmund's seventh in the Bundesliga this season as rivals Bayern Munich moved 23 points clear at the top thanks to their win over Bayer Leverkusen.

 

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Rivaldo announces retirement aged 41

World Cup winner Rivaldo has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 41.

The Brazilian, who scored 34 times in 74 appearances for his country between 1993 and 2003, played for the likes of Barcelona and AC Milan at the peak of his powers but prolonged his career with short stints at lesser clubs like Olympiakos and AEK Athens.

Following stints in recent years at the likes of Bunyodkor and Sao Paulo, Rivaldo signed on with Mogi Mirim for the third time in his career at the end of 2013 with the deal set to see him stay until 2015.

However, the forward finally called an end to his "miracle" two-and-a-half decade career on Saturday and hopes his time on the field has set an example for future players to follow their hearts despite being advised otherwise.

"With tears in my eyes, I would like to thank God, my family and everyone else for their support and love I have received during my 24 years as a professional footballer," Rivaldo wrote on his official social media outlets.

"My history as a player has come to an end today. My entire career was built upon a miracle, I've left my hometown Paulista without any financial resources, no agent, disbelieved by doctors and coaches and I saw a distant dream come true.

"With persistence, dedication and, mostly, by the hand of God, I've achieved to be recognised as the best player in the world, to be a world champion, among many other awards and honours.

"In a land where everything is for consumption, I exit as part of history, maybe an example, as testimony for sure that it's worth fighting and believing for what you want."

The striker has pondered retirement in the past but subsequently moved back from playing in Angola in 2012 to his native Brazil where he has played lower league football.

 

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'Kompany was fouled first' - Pellegrini disagrees with captain's red card

Manuel Pellegrini questioned the call not to give Manchester City a free-kick in the incident that saw Vincent Kompany sent off at Hull City.Kompany was given his marching orders in the 10th minute after he hauled down a goal-bound Nikica Jelavic at the KC Stadium.

The visitors shrugged off the setback to win 2-0 courtesy of David Silva's stunning first-half effort and Edin Dzeko's last-minute strike.Pellegrini conceded that Kompany's foul on Jelavic was worthy of a dismissal but he felt that the Hull striker should have been punished prior to that.

"It is clear that before Vincent's foul there is a foul from Jelavic that the referee didn’t see and didn't whistle for," the Chilean said."Of course Vincent's foul is a red card but there was a foul from Jelavic before."The result provided the visitors with the perfect tonic following a week of woe that saw them dumped out of the FA Cup and Champions League in the space of four days.

"We won the game and we played very well - it was a very good response in a very difficult week," Pellegrini added."We just lost against Wigan and against Barcelona and we needed to win today. Playing with one player less was very difficult.

"It was a good performance because we defended well with the ball and without the ball, and we also had three good chances to score. It was a very professional response from the players."

 

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'Villas-Boas told me he's going to Zenit' - Jesus

Zenit St Petersburg have lined up Andre Villas-Boas to fill the vacant head coach position, according to Benfica boss Jorge Jesus.

The ex-Chelsea manager has been out of a job since Tottenham fired him in December after a mediocre start to the season in which a number of expensive summer signings failed to click under the Portuguese's system.

However, he has been heavily linked with a return to the footballing fray with the Russian giants and Jesus, a compatriot and friend of Villas-Boas, reluctantly revealed that he is set to fill the recently-fired boots of Luciano Spalletti.

"What I know, and what I probably should not say as I do not know if it's definite," Jesus told reporters teasingly on Saturday, "is that yesterday we talked for several minutes and he told me he was going to Zenit."

Spalletti was let go earlier in March from Zenit after spending a little over three years with the St Petersburg club, with Sergey Semak appointed interim coach while the Russian giants searched for a replacement.

If Villas-Boas is hired it would reunite him with former Porto star Hulk, who has been off the radar somewhat since his mega-money move to Zenit last season.

He will also have Portuguese compatriots Danny and Luis Neto in his charge, as well as ex-Benfica midfielder Axel Witsel.

 

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Neymar's form hit by transfer fallout - Martino

Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino thinks that Neymar's form has been hit by the fallout from his transfer revelations.

The 21-year-old's move from Santos to Camp Nou was subject to a lot of scrutiny in January, resulting in the resignation of Barca president Sandro Rosell amidst fraudulent tax claims from the Spanish government and threats of legal action in Brazil.

Although Martino thinks that part of the reason for Neymar struggling is his recovery from a sprained ankle, the Argentine coach thinks off the pitch issues have impacted the Brazilian but still defended his performances in 2014."His position on the pitch hasn’t changed much since his return," he told reporters."As a left winger or centre forward his performances have been very good.

"Against Manchester City he played out right and he was very good. He’s fine playing in any of the three positions up front. Coming back from a month out it’s always hard to get your rhythm back and then all the difficulties with his signing came up.

"If I had to choose a reason I’d say it was from things off the pitch."

Barca have lost ground in the race to defend their title after recent defeats to Real Sociedad and Real Valladolid, with next weekend's trip to leaders Real Madrid now looking like a game they cannot afford to lose.And Martino is glad to have a full week to prepare for the Clasico following Sunday's clash with Osasuna and thinks victory this weekend is essential to prevent a potential seven-point gap opening up between them and Carlo Ancelotti's men.

"To have the whole week off good bad that we've got a full week available, it's how you prepare for it," he added. "There aren’t any magic words or magic talks, there are reasons to keep fighting though things are no longer in our hands.

"Tomorrow’s game is very important in terms of what’s coming up next week. Osasuna is key if we’re still to have a chance against Madrid."

 

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Tottenham need no motivation for Arsenal, insists Adebayor

Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor is confident he and his team-mates will require no added motivation for Sunday's derby clash with Arsenal.

The north London neighbours will go head-to-head at White Hart Lane on Sunday with Spurs coming off the back of humbling defeats to Chelsea and Benfica in the past week.

Those losses have seen Tim Sherwood's side drop away from the Premier League top four and move closer to Europa League elimination with the Spurs boss blasting his players' poor showing at Stamford Bridge a week ago.

Sherwood has demanded his players show more desire and hunger to win, but Adebayor insists there are no words that could make them any more motivated for the visit of Arsenal."On Sunday I don't even think we will need a team meeting," he told the Daily Mirror.

"There are some games where you have to give a little bit of motivation to the players. But we know how good we are at home when it comes to Arsenal and we won't have to motivate anybody for this game."This the game that everybody will be talking about in London from this point: Tottenham v Arsenal, the north London derby."So I cannot see anybody telling me, 'Manu, you have to run. You have to give 100 per cent'.

"No one will need to tell me that. I know."And people like Aaron Lennon, who has been here for ages, you won't have to tell players like him anything either. He knows how big it is for the club and the fans. To be honest with you, we are all looking forward to it.

"Arsenal are going through a difficult moment, just like us. They are not playing that well. So it will be the same for both of us."

 

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Wenger vows to investigate Arsenal injury crisis

Arsene Wenger has pledged to try to find the cause of the injury crisis that is threatening to derail Arsenal's season.

Theo Walcott will miss the rest of the campaign with a ruptured cruciate ligament in his knee, while Aaron Ramsey has not featured since picking up a thigh problem on Boxing Day.

Jack Wilshere fractured a bone in his foot during England's friendly win over Denmark, while Mesut Ozil could be out for up to six weeks with a hamstring injury sustained against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

All four are out of Sunday's crucial north London derby clash with Tottenham as the Gunners look to breathe life into a faltering title challenge, and Wenger admits the injuries are a worry.

"I am concerned that this happens," he told reporters. "If you look at our overall injury list going into such a decisive part of the season, we have not Wilshere, not Walcott, not Özil, not Ramsey and we went to Bayern without [Kieran] Gibbs and [Nacho] Monreal.

"We are analysing very deeply why it happened and to see if there is a link between all these injuries.

"For Walcott, it's completely bad luck. Wilshere – I don't think it is linked with the other injuries; it's more linked with his history and the kick he got.

"But the rest, maybe we have to find why it happened. It's very difficult to find any obvious reason why.

"For example, a player like Ozil –he was rested against Stoke, then he goes to Germany and he trains different, sometimes on a different ground with different sessions.

"He played the whole game [for Germany against Chile] and the whole game for us against Everton and he produced on that day, doing more physically than usually and he paid for it the next day. Why? I don't know."

Wenger revealed he is particularly concerned about Ramsey. The Welshman was Arsenal's star performer in the first half of the season but is still two weeks away from making a return.

"That's our worry at the moment, Ramsey is taking longer than expected," the Frenchman admitted.

"He had a first setback and then he planned to join in [training] on Thursday but he had recurring pains in his thigh. Of course, he's now a little apprehensive because of the setback.

"We have to be very cautious with him. When will he be back? I believe it's two more weeks now."

 

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Magath 'convinced' Fulham will survive Premier League relegation battle

Felix Magath earned his first win as Fulham coach, 1-0 against Newcastle United, before reaffirming his belief that the club will stay up.

Ashkan Dejagah's second-half strike ended a nine-match winless run in the Premier League for the hosts, handing a much-needed boost to their survival hopes.

And Magath, who has taken charge of just four games, wants to now build on a crucial three points as the race to avoid the drop heats up.

"I told you before the game I am convinced we can manage it and stay in the league, and after this victory I am even more convinced," he told reporters.

"It is a good feeling to have a win at the end of the game. I think the atmosphere was tremendous the fans supported us very well."If you begin a new job you know you need a win, it's extraordinarily important that you have a win as the players are not confident and they need confidence."

With rivals West Brom, Sunderland and Crystal Palace also picking up points, the win was even more important for Fulham - who remain four points adrift of safety with eight games remaining.But Magath is focussed on his own side's form, rather than looking at what those around them are doing.

"I don't care much about the other results because we have to do our work and get our results," he added. "It's not only the result today, it's the game we played, we were the better team.

"It will give us the confidence that we can avoid relegation and stay in the league."
Newcastle assistant manager John Carver, who took charge of the visitors due to Alan Pardew's stadium ban, could not hide his disappointment at the result.

"It's been a difficult day, I can't fault the lads for their effort, but we lacked quality," he told reporters. "The game hinged on a few key decisions.

"[In the build-up to Fulham's goal] Luuk De Jong gets caught from behind, we defend poorly, he [Dejagah] cuts inside and we lose the game.

"I am disappointed with the decision on Luuk but that's how it is. "I certainly counted to 10, but we have to, we have to be on our best behaviour.

"I had a conversation with Howard Webb, he explained his reasons to me and I accepted that."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mazzarri: Inter must play to win every game

Walter Mazzarri insists that he is taking one game at a time as Inter continue their quest for a European spot.

Rodrigo Palacio and Jonathan found the net as Inter recorded a 2-0 victory at Verona on Saturday to climb to fourth in Serie A and two points clear of Fiorentina, who face Chievo on Sunday.

But coach Mazzarri will not get carried away after a run of form that has seen Inter go six games unbeaten.

"We talk the way we always have done, that every game has to be played the same way whether home or away, then at the end we'll see where we are," he is quoted as telling Sky Sport Italia. "That's the objective for this season.

"I've tried to drill into these players from the start that they must go for the win from the very beginning and maintain the same mentality no matter where they are playing. That means winning back possession as quickly as possible and seeking the victory every time.

"You can see that in recent outings the team has indeed taken that approach.

"In the past when we've taken the lead, we have settled down and the players know I don't want them to have that attitude when the game is still open. I therefore told them to act as if it was still 0-0."

Hernanes and Mauro Icardi both hit the crossbar for Inter and Mazzarri revealed he had long been an admirer of the former before signing him from Lazio in January.

"If we wanted him, it's because the club asked me who could be useful and I'd already asked for him at Napoli," he continued. "I always liked this player and I think he can do even better, as he's not at 100 per cent yet.

"He keeps calm and controls the ball with characteristics we had been lacking."

Mazzarri also moved to address doubts surrounding his future that surfaced during the week.

"Next season I will certainly be the coach, as I have a contract until 2015," he added. "Someone tried to twist my answer this week, as I was discussing contracts and said there was time until June to extend or discuss, but it's the last of my worries right now because we have to focus on the team.

"It is only by getting results that we can plan a bright future and that includes any discussions over my contract extension. That's all I said."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

BDW Last weeks wala Man Utd elatama play kala..ada hoda game ekak denna puluwan wei...Good luck Arsenal and Man Utd against Pool and Spurs

Aniwa kohomahari dinaganna one Match 1ka