..::Football III::..

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Blanc: Ibrahimovic record no surprise

Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc says that he is not in the least bit surprised that the "great" Zlatan Ibrahimovic has managed to become the club's all-time record goalscorer in just over three years at the Parc des Princes.

Ibrahimovic converted twice from the penalty spot as the Ligue 1 champions came from a goal down to defeat Marseille 2-1 in the French capital on Sunday, thus taking the Swede's tally to 110 goals in just 133 games in all competitions.

Previous record-holder Pauleta had taken five years and 212 matches to reach his tally of 109 but Blanc pointed out that Ibra is one of the game's most unique talents.

"This is a very good player, a great player," the PSG coach told Canal+.

"You just have to see the number of goals he scores. These are non-typical players, with non-typical statistics.

"It does not surprise me that he has managed to break this record in such a short time."

Michy Batshuayi had given the visitors the lead half an hour in at the Parc des Princes while Abdelaziz Barrada was denied an equaliser when his penalty was saved by Kevin Trapp.

Remy Cabella also had a late effort kept out by Trapp, with Blanc acknowledging his side did not have things their own way.

"We did not get to impose our game as we hoped," the World Cup winner added. "This was very difficult as Marseille had the guts to come and play in our half.

"Many teams say that but Marseille dared to do it. Marseille were very good during the first 25 minutes.

"We have not played a great match but we created chances and we could have had a third."

 

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Aguero on par with Messi and Suarez, says Zabaleta

Pablo Zabaleta feels Sergio Aguero is one of the best strikers in the world, on par with big names such as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

The Manchester City forward netted five times in his side's 6-1 Premier League win over Newcastle United on Saturday and Zabaleta feels the performance was further proof that Aguero is among the best out there.

"We've been talking recently about him being among the best strikers in the world and for sure, he is one of them," Zabaleta, 30, was quoted as saying by Manchester Evening News.

"We can definitely put him up there with the best there is, like Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Karim Benzema. He's at that same level."He's working 100 per cent to be the best. We know he has the quality and he's working really well. He's been doing well in the last games and hopefully now he can continue like that.

"He's a player who we know how good he can be in certain moments. He was outstanding on Saturday."Aguero, 27, has netted eight goals in 11 appearances in all competitions this campaign.

 

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Dybala calls for Juventus defensive improvement


Paulo Dybala has stressed that Juventus must improve defensively if they are to be successful this campaign.

The reigning Serie A champions recorded a 3-1 win over Bologna on Sunday as goals from Alvaro Morata, Dybala and Sami Khedira cancelled out Anthony Mounier's opening goal.

Nevertheless, Dybala was not impressed with his side's start to the clash and has urged his team-mates to step up their game.

"We need to continue working hard because we can't keep conceding from our opponents' first attempt on goal," the Argentine attacker told reporters.

"We responded strongly and quickly found the equaliser. In the second half we put in a convincing performance without giving Bologna a way back into the contest."

Dybala converted a spot-kick to take his Serie A tally for the season to three in six games, yet he was quick to stress that it does not matter who scores, so long as Juventus win.

"It was the coach's choice to let me stand up and take it," he said.

"There's a great togetherness in this group. We simply want to win, it doesn't matter who scores."

 

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Messi on track to make injury comeback v Real Madrid after coming off crutches

Lionel Messi has taken the first significant steps in his recovery from a serious knee injury, with Barcelona hopeful the Argentine will be fit and firing in time for the first Clasico of the season against Real Madrid on 22 November, Goal understands.

The 28-year-old spent the last week on crutches with his leg immobilised after suffering ligament damage in Barca’s win over Las Palmas at the end of September, but he abandoned them on Monday and moved on to the second phase of his rehabilitation.

He will now work with club physiotherapist Roger Girones for two weeks, with the plan to have him running in another fortnight, before slowly being integrated back into full training.

Barca’s initial diagnosis was that their all-time top goalscorer would be out for a period of seven to eight weeks, which would see him return to action just in time for the trip to the Bernabeu to take on Rafa Benitez’s Madrid.

Argentina manager Gerard Martino has even suggested he could be back for the November internationals.

However, neither the club nor Messi’s brother, Rodrigo, who spoke to several Spanish radio stations last week, have been prepared to put a definitive date on the forward’s comeback.

Without Messi, Barcelona came through the game against Las Palmas in La Liga and then beat Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League thanks to late goals from Sergi Roberto and Luis Suarez.

But they were dealt a blow at the weekend when second-half efforts from Michael Krohn-Dehli and Vicente Iborra helped Sevilla get the better of Luis Enrique’s side, who replied late on through a penalty from Neymar.

Due to the international break, the Catalan side now have two weeks off before their next league game against Rayo Vallecano.

While that normally means the bulk of the squad head off with their countries, Messi will be able to count on some good company at the club’s training ground as he continues his recovery — both Suarez and Neymar are serving international suspensions and will not meet up with Uruguay and Brazil respectively.

 

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Cazorla: Arsenal's changed mentality made the difference

Santi Cazorla has voiced his delight with Arsenal's 3-0 Premier League win over Manchester United and feels it was crucial they changed their mentality and believed in themselves again after the surprise loss in the Champions League versus Olympiacos last week.

A brace from Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil's goal saw Arsene Wenger's men grab a three-goal lead within the opening 20 minutes and they were never really troubled in the remainder of the game.

Sunday's victory at the Emirates saw Arsenal climb to second spot in the table, leapfrogging United in the process and moving to within two points of leaders Manchester City

"We needed to believe after the loss against Olympiacos. We needed to change the mentality and the team was very compact and focused for the game against a big team," Cazorla told the official Arsenal website.

"This is the most important thing for the team. It was very important for us.Together we played very well. Three points is very important for us and we need to keep at the same level in the next game.

"We need to play together and in the first half we did very well and this is vital for us. United have very good players with [Michael] Carrick, [Juan] Mata and [Wayne] Rooney."

After the international break, Arsenal resume their league campaign with an away game against Watford.

 

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Pellegrini: Only Messi and Ronaldo are better than Aguero

Manchester City star Sergio Aguero is up there with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo among the best players in the world, according to his manager Manuel Pellegrini.

Aguero scored five goals in 20 minutes as City thrashed Newcastle United 6-1 in the Premier League on Saturday.

Last season's golden boot winner had made a slow start to the season, but his haul took his tally to six in the league.

Pellegrini believes only superstars Messi and Ronaldo are better than his 27-year-old forward.

"After what we have seen [against Newcastle] of course Kun [Aguero] is at that level," Pellegrini said.

"I have already said that, after Ronaldo and Messi, he is the best player in the world.

"But the important thing - not only for Kun but as a team - is that we must continue to improve.

"We need to win the Premier League again and to win the Champions League, because Messi and Ronaldo are always involved in that competition and that’s very important for a player.

"I'm very happy for us that in Kun we have a very important player. He always makes important things in competitions."

 

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Advocaat: Sunderland's squad was simply not good enough

Dick Advocaat decided he would leave his job as Sunderland manager before the West Ham game because the squad at his disposal was “simply not good enough”.

After squandering a two-goal lead to draw that game with Slaven Bilic’s side, the Dutchman announced his decision to part company with the Mackems on Sunday.

Speaking to Studio Voetbal, the 68-year-old explained that not even a resounding win would have forced him to change his mind.

"I already made my decision last week, but the club asked me to do the match against West Ham and I really wanted to finish this in style,” Advocaat said.

"The struggle against relegation is not my cup of tea. I think it was time for someone else to take over at Sunderland. I became negative and that didn't feel like myself."

After keeping Sunderland up last season, Advocaat agreed to extend his stay in England, a decision he still feels was the right one to make at the time.

"I don't regret signing my new contract, because it was a great experience,” he continued.

"Our squad was simply not good enough. The club knew that we had to strengthen ourselves, but the chairman never told me how much we could spend."

Sunderland now have two weeks until their next Premier League game against West Bromwich Albion, by which point they hope to have a new manager in place.

 

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Ibrahimovic: I'll keep making history with PSG


After dethroning Pauleta as the club's all-time leading goalscorer, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is determined to keep making history at Paris Saint-Germain.

The Sweden international netted twice to help PSG to a 2-1 win over Marseille on Sunday, taking his tally for the Ligue 1 champions to 110 goals in 137 appearances in all competitions.

Ibrahimovic was delighted to break Pauleta's record, but he has stressed that he has no intention of resting on his laurels.

"It is a great feeling. Every time you break a record, it feels fantastic and amazing," Ibrahimovic told the official PSG website.

"But I don't stop here. I continue and want to keep doing well for this club.

"You never know what happens in the future, but what I have achieved at PSG is amazing and I feel very happy.

"Hopefully, I can continue on this path and make more history, just like I have been doing so far."

The 34-year-old, who has a contract until June 2016, was heavily linked with a return to AC Milan ahead of this season, but a move never materialised.

 

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Carrick: Manchester United will come back stronger

Michael Carrick is confident Manchester United will come back stronger after their 3-0 Premier League defeat at the hands of Arsenal on Sunday.

Alexis Sanchez scored twice and Mesut Ozil also netted as United were blown away in the opening 20 minutes at the Emirates Stadium.

"We are bitterly disappointed and will probably beat ourselves up about it over the next few weeks, but we'll come back looking at the bigger picture," Carrick told MUTV .

"It's a setback, but we're still up there and just need to take this one on the chin, take whatever criticism comes our way and come back stronger.

"It was certainly a bad day, but as players and coaching staff we'll analyse it and come back better.

"I am hoping it's a one-off, as there’s been no sign of that recently. We've been pretty good consistently, which is why we're in this position in the table.

"We've had a decent start to the season. We have got plenty of time to put this right and there's still a long way to go."

Manchester United have dropped to third place in the table following this weekend's results, with rivals City leading the way.

 

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Carrick: Manchester United will come back stronger

We must​

 

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Juventus want to seal €20 million deal for Chelsea's Cuadrado

Juventus are hoping to agree a €20 million (£14.8) deal with Chelsea for the outright purchase of winger Juan Cuadrado.

The Colombia international joined the Italian titleholders on a year-long loan deal just before the close of the summer transfer window.

The former Fiorentina attacker has unsurprisingly had little trouble settling back into Serie A, quickly becoming a regular in Massimiliano Allegri's starting line-up, and Juve now want to make the move permanent at the end of the 2015-16 campaign.

Indeed, the Old Lady is readying a €20m offer for Cuadrado, though Chelsea are believed to be looking for closer to €25m for a player that they only signed from Fiorentina for £23.3 million (€32m) in January.

Regardless, the Blues are not presently willing to start negotiation a fee, as they have more pressing on-field matters to contend with at the moment, with Jose Mourinho's future as manager in doubt after a dismal start to the Premier League champions' title defence.

However, Chelsea are keen to offload the 27-year-old, who managed no goals and just one assist in 15 appearances for the club before sent to Turin.

Consequently, Cuadrado's agent, Alessandro Lucci, is expected in London in the coming weeks to discuss his client's long-term future.

Juve are keen to wrap up a deal for the South American as quickly as possible, as the ex-Udinese ace is not short of admirers, particularly in Spain.

Cuadrado, though, is happy in Turin and is hoping that his stay will be made permanent as soon as possible.

 

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Liverpool confident of Klopp appointment


Liverpool want Jurgen Klopp to replace Brendan Rodgers and the German has indicated his interest in becoming the club’s new manager, Goal understands.

Official talks between Liverpool and Klopp will take place this week with the club confident of appointing a new manager ahead of their next fixture away at Tottenham on October 17.

Klopp won two Bundesliga titles during seven years with Borussia Dortmund and is considered by Liverpool owner Fenway Sports Group as an ideal fit to take over at Anfield.

The club sounded out the 48-year-old over the summer but kept faith with Rodgers after being told that Klopp was not yet ready for a new job after leaving Dortmund at the end of last season.

Now Klopp is ready to return to management and is attracted by the prospect of fulfilling his ambition to manage in the Premier League at a historic club like Liverpool.

Former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is also out of work and under consideration by Liverpool chiefs.

But Klopp is the clear first choice following Rodgers’ sacking on Sunday after a 1-1 draw in the Merseyside derby against Everton.

The availability of Klopp and Ancelotti is believed to have been prominent in Liverpool’s considerations when they decided to sack Rodgers ahead of the two-week international break.

Rodgers was sacked via telephone by FSG president Mike Gordon, with some suggestions that the decision was made on the Northern Irishman’s future over a week ago.

The Reds still have to agree a compensation package with Rodgers, who leaves the club 10th in the Premier League table with 12 points from eight matches.

Rodgers’s fate was sealed by a string of poor results including heavy defeats to West Ham and Manchester United as well as home draws with Norwich and Sion.
Liverpool spent £88 million on new players over the summer and FSG believe another manager would get more out of the squad and challenge for a top four finish.

Rodgers’s replacement would be expected to work with the transfer committee in recruiting players, a system that has caused considerable friction within the club.

Rodgers, 42, felt that his hands were often tied in the transfer market by the need for a full consensus on transfer targets and the club’s focus on signing young players whose market value would increase.

The former Swansea City boss joined Liverpool in 2012 as replacement for Kenny Dalglish and almost led the club to their first league title since 1990 in the 2013-14 campaign as they finished second in the table.

He came under pressure after finishing sixth last term in a season that included a limp FA Cup semi-final defeat to Aston Villa and an embarrassing 6-1 loss at Stoke on the final day of the season.

Rodgers held on to his job in the summer following an internal review led by Gordon but was unable to improve results after winning just four of Liverpool’s 11 games so far this season.

 

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Liverpool lata pattama manager kenek set wenna yanneKlopp onema big team 1kak manage karanna hoda manger kenek​

 

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'Guardiola and Luis Enrique success is no surprise'

Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique were always destined to be great coaches according to former Barcelona team-mate Simao, who has lauded them as students of football.

Simao, 35, played alongside the current coaches much earlier in his career, during his two-year stint at Camp Nou between 1999 and 2001.

The ex-Portugal international – who now turns out for Indian Super League side NorthEast United – believes the duo's different styles of coaching could be predicted before they had hung up their boots.

"Luis Enrique was a great team-mate and a very meticulous individual," Simao told Goal. "I was not surprised at all with the success he had with Barcelona.

"When I was at the club, I could see that both he and Pep were students of the game.

"Pep is an intense and methodical individual, it reflects in his philosophy while Luis is one who experiments and centres his philosophy around the team he coaches."

Simao also rejected the notion that Portugal have struggled to find a star No.9 since Pauleta retired from international duty, pointing out Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo as having become less of a winger in recent years.

"We have produced some good strikers over the years," he retorted when asked why the Seleccao have failed to find Pauleta's successor. "If you notice, Cristiano is more of a No.9 these days."

Simao has been playing in India since becoming a marquee signing for NorthEast United in June, parting ways with La Liga side Espanyol.

 

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Chelsea offer Mourinho 'vote of confidence'

Chelsea have offered manager Jose Mourinho and his squad a vote of confidence following their 3-1 defeat at home to Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Blues claimed the Premier League title last season but have won just two of their first eight games of the 2015-16 campaign and sit 16th in the table.

Mourinho insisted after the defeat to Southampton that he would only walk away from Chelsea if the players no longer trusted him, and the club has released a statement offering their public backing to the Portuguese.

The statement reads: "The club wants to make it clear that Jose continues to have our full support.

"As Jose has said himself, results have not been good enough and the team's performances must improve. However, we believe that we have the right manager to turn this season around and that he has the squad with which to do it."

Prior to the defeat to Southampton, Mourinho described Chelsea's slump as the worst period of his career.

But the Chelsea boss displayed his defiance in the face of criticism following the shock loss at Stamford Bridge.

"If the club sacks me, they sack the best manager this club had," he told reporters. "And secondly, the message is again the message of bad results. The manager is guilty. This is the message, not just these players, the other ones before, they got [the message] during a decade.

"This is a moment for everybody to assume their responsibilities. To stick together. This is what I want."

 

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Neymar plans new diet to recover his best form in Messi's absence

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has struggled to break into a smile recently, at least in public.

After losing to Sevilla on Saturday, his only comfort is that he now has 10 days to hit the refresh button as the Catalan club wait for Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi to recover from their injuries. Without those two, Barca lacked reference points as they tumbled at the Sanchez Pizjuan, although they did fight until the death in search of a late equaliser.

Luck wasn’t on their side, though, as they hit the woodwork three times, one of which was courtesy of a free-kick from Neymar, who is still struggling to hit the heights he managed last season.

The Brazilian missed out on pre-season because he was suffering from a bout of mumps. That spell on the sidelines ran into the start of the season, too, and he missed all three Super Cup games and the first game of the Liga season against Athletic Club at San Mames. Barca’s lack of efficiency in attack obliged Luis Enrique to bring Neymar back into the side against Malaga in the second game of the season, playing him for 87 minutes on the back of very little training. Since that point, Neymar has been the only Barcelona player who has not been rotated by Luis Enrique, starting every game in every competition.

It would be unfair to go overboard when criticising his statistics this season, they’re not disastrous, but his goals ratio has dropped. Last season he was averaging 0.76 goals per match; that is currently 0.5 in the current campaign. Meanwhile, his shot conversion rate has dropped from 27.9 per cent to 16.

However, in the absence of Messi, the Barcelona fans are demanding more from the 23-year-old. It has be pointed out that he is still a long way from his best physical condition - missing pre-season was not ideal.

“This international break will be good for Neymar,” Luis Enrique said before the Sevilla defeat at the weekend.

Neymar still has two more games to run on his international suspension after being sent off at the Copa America in the summer. For that reason, after the Court of Arbitration rejected an appeal from the Brazilian Football Confederation, he has not travelled with his country for the games against Chile and Venezuela - Brazil’s first qualification games for the World Cup in Russia in 2018.

It means he can stay in Barcelona and take part in his own mini pre-season, with the objective to catapult him back to his best ahead of a difficult run of games in November and December, with Real Madrid, Valencia and Bayer Leverkusen all to come away from home. Then comes the Club World Cup in Japan.

The former Santos forward, therefore, will follow a very specific plan over the coming days which will include work at the club’s training ground and also at his own home. He has given orders to his personal chef to prepare a more balanced diet on the back of advice from the specialist nutritionists who work at Barcelona, similarly to how Messi tinkered with his eating habits after the World Cup last year.
This is Neymar’s third season in Spain and after the injury to Messi, Barca’s No.11 has been handed the chance to shine as their No.10. If he can manage that, Luis Enrique may be able to break into a smile once again.

 

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Deco: Mourinho playing games with the media

Former Chelsea midfielder Deco has hailed Jose Mourinho's ability to use the press to his own advantage.The 52-year-old has made headlines on more than one occasion this campaign with controversial comments about match officials, fellow managers and players.

Mourinho again grabbed the limelight on Sunday when he launched a seven-minute rant after Chelsea's were beaten by Southampton, but Deco believes the former Real Madrid coach knows exactly what is he doing."Mourinho is probably the only coach that knows the press really well and he manages to use them to his own advantage," Deco told ESPN.

"He thinks about what they are going to talk about and he uses this. Then the whole thing becomes a game, a marketing stunt.

"Sometimes he uses the press as a channel through which to motivate his players. I think he can perhaps go a bit too far with this, but he knows exactly what he's doing and he plays with the press all the time."I remember when we were at Porto and there was the rivalry with Benfica. He was a master in using the press in an unbelievable way."

Deco worked under Mourinho at Porto and Chelsea and has nothing but praise for his former mentor, although he feels things went wrong for the Chelsea boss at Real Madrid.

"He was not someone who talked a lot with the players," Deco added. "He just used to talk a bit during the week and then on matchday there was not much more to say.

"If you were to speak to all the players up until Real Madrid, everyone would have something good to say about him. They all loved him. But I'm not sure after Madrid. I don't think Real was good for him."

 

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Beckenbauer: Lewandowski success due to Robben and Ribery absence

Bayern Munich icon Franz Beckenbauer believes the absence of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery has helped Robert Lewandowski flourish.

Ribery hasn't featureed for Bayern yet this season, while Robben picked up a knock early on in the campaign and has made just five appearances.The absence of that key duo has by no means hurt Bayern's ambitions, though, as Lewandowski has stepped up instead.

The striker has already netted 12 goals in seven Bundesliga appearances in 2015-16, nine of which came in his last three outings, and Beckenbauer feels he has used the absence of Robben and Ribery to his own advantage.

"Lewandowski is getting much more involved than before. Robben and Ribery always dribbled and then went for a shot," Beckenbauer told Sky Deutschland."They only went looking for Lewandowski when they did not know where to go."He is much more integrated into the team now."

Robben is expected to make his comeback after the international break, while Ribery is also on his way back to fitness, but Beckenbauer predicts they could face a tough task to win back their starting berths."Robben and Ribery will have to push pretty hard," he added.

"Ribery will have to get back to his former best if he is to displace Douglas Costa. But he is already in his thirties and has been injured for a long time. He will need time."

 

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Pauleta: Ronaldo & Mourinho perfect for PSG

Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho would be ideal Paris Saint-Germain signings, according to club legend Pauleta.

Ronaldo has been tentatively linked with PSG for years, while Mourinho's future at Stamford Bridge hangs in the balance due to the reigning English champions' shockingly poor start to 2015-16.

Pauleta, 42, has suggested his Portuguese compatriots as potential targets for the Ligue 1 title holders, arguing that former international team-mate Ronaldo would love life at the Parc des Princes.

“Cristiano and Mourinho at PSG – that would be a good idea,” he told RTL. “PSG would be an ideal team for Ronaldo to spend two or three seasons at.

“PSG would be delighted to have a player of his quality. And it would be great for the Portuguese in Paris.”

Pauleta was the club's all-time record goalscorer until Sunday, when Zlatan Ibrahimovic's double against Marseille propelled him above the retired forward and onto 110 goals.

When asked who he would pick if forced to choose between Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic, Pauleta responded: “I'd stick with Cristiano Ronaldo - he's the captain of Portugal, my homeland.”

 

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Beckenbauer: Bayern and Guardiola belong together

Bayern Munich honorary president Franz Beckenbauer believes Pep Guardiola should stay at the Bavarian club because they are a perfect fit for each other.

Guardiola inspired Bayern to a 5-1 humbling of supposed title-challengers Borussia Dortmund on Sunday with the win maintaining the defending Bundesliga champions' 100 per cent start to the new season and moving them seven points clear at the top of the table after eight games.

Former Barcelona boss Guardiola's contract expires in June 2016 and he has yet to commit his future to Bayern, but Beckenbauer believes their working relationship is close to perfection.

He told Sky : "You should never separate what belongs together.

"He's very talkative and witty. His training sessions are like a show. His players could get a pass to their team-mates with a blindfold on."

Bayern executive board chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge reiterated that the club and Guardiola would sit down between now and Christmas to discuss an extension to his contract.

He told Sport1.de : "I've always said that we would sit down in the second half of 2015 and that leaves us still a few months.

"There's a lot on the table which is pro-Bayern and a game like this one against Dortmund is bound to make the coach happy too."