..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Arda Turan to take No.7 shirt at Barcelona

Barcelona have revealed Arda Turan will wear the No.7 shirt as he prepares to make his debut against Espanyol in the Copa del Rey.

The Turkey international has been forced to watch from the sidelines following his summer move from Atletico Madrid due to Barca's transfer ban, but is now eligible to play.

And the Camp Nou outfit have revealed the winger will take on the shirt vacated by Pedro after his move to Chelsea while fellow new signing Aleix Vidal will wear No.22.

Arda follows in the footsteps of David Villa, Luis Figo and Henrik Larsson, who have all worn the same jersey in recent years while Vidal takes the number left by Dani Alves after the Brazilian switched to No.6 for this season.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ban 1ken passe dan thamai Arda Turan & A.Vidal ta play karanna chance 1ka awith thiyenne

Good luck for Turan & Vidal​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Under him everything is top notch' - Krul backs under-pressure Van Gaal

Tim Krul has heaped praise on under-pressure Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal.

The 64-year-old has come under intense scrutiny at Old Trafford but a 2-1 win over Swansea City on Saturday ended a run of eight matches in all competitions without a win to provide some relief.

Van Gaal has been criticised for a bland style at United, but Krul, part of the coach's Netherlands squad that finished in third position at World Cup 2014, says he is yet to work with someone better than his compatriot.

"Under Van Gaal I experienced what is the highest level in professional football," Newcastle United goalkeeper Krul told De Telegraaf.

"Under him everything is top notch: the organisation, training, discipline, just everything. With Van Gaal at the helm, we went up a level.

"I had to train harder, and I did like a mad man. We went along a path and knew that we had all experienced a wonderful World Cup. I will not forget that."Following Van Gaal's departure, Netherlands failed to secure a place at Euro 2016.

 

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Neymar winning the Ballon d'Or only a matter of time - Kaka

Kaka believes it is only a matter of time until Barcelona star Neymar wins the Fifa Ballon d'Or.

The 23-year-old has been included in the three-man shortlist for the 2015 edition of the accolade alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have split the award between them for the past seven years with the Argentine claiming it on one more occasion.

Neymar is the first Brazilian to be included in the three Ballon d'Or finalists since Kaka's triumph in 2007 and the former AC Milan midfielder has no doubt his compatriot will break up Messi and Ronaldo's dominance and replicate his feat in the future .

"It had always been a rotation: Ronaldo and Zidane won it three times, but there was always some other player - names like [Luis] Figo, Ronaldinho, myself, Rivaldo, [Fabio] Cannavaro," he told Fifa's official website."Then comes this succession of Cristiano and Messi, only the two of them - and it is fair, for what they have been doing year after year.

"It's difficult to point out a single reason for this [lack of Brazilians in the final three in recent years], but it must serve to alert Brazilian football. And, truth be told, it's no easy task to forge a Ballon d'Or winner.

"Thankfully, Neymar has improved a lot since he's gone to play in Europe - his game is a lot more mature. Now it's a matter of time until he reaches first place."

 

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Klopp rules out Ter Stegen swoop

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has ruled out a January approach for Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The Barcelona goalkeeper has been linked with a possible move to Anfield after failing to dislodge Claudio Bravo from his first-team spot under Luis Enrique.
Cologne's Timo Horn has also been touted as a possible option, but Klopp insists he is happy with Simon Mignolet as his number one.

"No. They're good goalkeepers, but no," he replied on Monday when asked whether bids for Ter Stegen or Horn were on the cards."Our goalkeeping situation is absolutely okay. Simon Mignolet is a really, really good keeper."

Mignolet has been criticised for his form at times this season, with the Belgium international at fault for West Brom's opening goal at Anfield in December.Klopp also refused to offer any updates on Marko Grujic, with the 19-year-old having arrived on Merseyside ahead of a medical.

"You have to wait until the next press conference [for transfer updates], but that's only a few hours away," the German said.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bundesliga stars name Douglas Costa player of the season so far

Douglas Costa has been named Bundesliga player of the season so far in a poll conducted by German magazine Kicker.

The poll, which was voted for by 244 professionals from Germany's top flight, saw Costa beat Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to top spot, while Bayern Munich team-mates Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski finished in third and fourth place, respectively.

Costa has registered an impressive seven assists in 12 Bundesliga games since moving to Bayern from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer and has scored two goals.

Muller was also named the fourth-best player in the world with seven per cent of the votes, behind Lionel Messi (46.7%), Cristiano Ronaldo (23.8%) and Neymar (9.8%).

A whopping 96% of voters also expect Bayern to win the Bundesliga this season, while 40.6% believe that Pep Guardiola's side will win the Champions League.

Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was named the league's best shot stopper ahead of Timo Horn.

 

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Adidas get shirty with Van Gaal

Louis van Gaal has been booed by Manchester United fans and faced criticism from several of the club's former players this season and it seems he now has new doubters in the shape of Adidas.

The German sportswear brand agreed a £750 million, 10-year deal to replace Nike as United's shirt manufacturer last summer and have revealed bumper sales of the Premier League side's replica jerseys.

However, with the club enduring a disappointing season on the field, having already been knocked out of the League Cup and Champions League, they have failed to produce the attacking football that has been their trademark in previous years.

Van Gaal's cautious style of football has drawn criticism from several quarters and now Adidas have also stuck the boot into the Dutchman's tactics.

The corporation's CEO Herbert Hainer told Suddeutsche Zeitung: "Business with Man United is going very well, we sell more shirts than expected. "We are satisfied, even if the current playing style of Man United is not exactly what we want to see."

 

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Klopp: Henderson's bleeding heel is a good sign

Jordan Henderson has "bleeding around the heel", but Jurgen Klopp believes the Liverpool captain's latest concern is a positive one in providing relief from plantar fasciitis.

The midfielder’s condition is an ongoing one, however, it is understood that a rupture of the tissue might eventually alleviate the pain and Klopp is hoping that is the case currently.

Henderson had to be replaced in the victory over Sunderland due to the discomfort in his heel, and missed the weekend’s defeat at West Ham.

He will also sit out Tuesday's League Cup test against Stoke, with Liverpool hoping the skipper will be available again shortly.

"We don’t really know," Klopp said when asked when the England international could return.

"We have to wait each day, each hour, each minute because the thing that happened with his tendon is painful, but it’s good. We hope that when the blood is out of the foot then the problem is solved.

"But in this moment there’s blood around the heel so it’s not possible to train or to play. But we hope it’s not serious, that we only have to wait because we cannot do more than we are doing with the treatment to bring the blood out of the foot. You cannot rush it."

In December, Henderson explained that the period of recovery following such a rupture alters with every individual.

"There is nothing set in stone for this injury. A lot of people have said to keep having cortisone injections and eventually it may just rupture and that might be the relief that is needed but no one knows,” he said.

“It can vary. People have been out for months after a rupture and others have been out for a week or two."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

OFFICIAL: Real Madrid sack Benitez and appoint Zidane

Real Madrid have sacked Rafa Benitez and named Zinedine Zidane as his replacement.

The 32-time Spanish champions fell four points behind Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga after a 2-2 draw against Valencia on Sunday and Benitez was dismissed following a board meeting held on Monday afternoon.

Club legend Zidane, who has until this point managed Madrid's 'B' team, has long been linked with the top job and will now take charge.

Real president Florentino Perez said: "I am here to say that the board has just decided, in a difficult decision, especially for me, to end the contract of Rafa as first-team coach.

"I would like to make it clear that he is a great professional.

"Zinedine Zidane knows better than anyone what it is like to stand at the front and lead Real Madrid. Throughout his career he has always been able to face up to huge challenges.

"He is one of the greatest players of all time. Zinedine, this is your club, your stadium and you have all our support. Zidane you are, from this moment, the trainer of Real Madrid."

Benitez had struggled to win over supporters after replacing Carlo Ancelotti in the summer and Madrid could fall five points behind Barcelona if the defending champions win their game in hand.

Real cruised through their Champions League group, winning five of their six matches and scoring 19 goals, but suffered embarrassment in the Copa del Rey when they were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player.

Benitez's position came under particular scrutiny in November when Madrid suffered back-to-back defeats against Sevilla and Barcelona, the latter a 4-0 humbling at home to their greatest rivals.

The former Liverpool and Napoli manager enjoyed an 8-0 victory over Malmo in the Champions League and a 10-2 thrashing of Rayo Vallecano but defeat to Villarreal and the draw at Valencia has cost him his position.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Zidane's statement after becoming Real Madrid's new coach

Zinedine Zidane has thanked Real Madrid president Florentino Perez for the opportunity to replace Rafa Benitez as coach.

The Frenchman was presented as the latest trainer of the Spanish giants by Perez, who removed Benitez from his post after less than a season.

And the former Castilla boss, who will move up to the first-team with immediate effect, expressed his delight at receiving the call.

“I want to thank the club and you, president, for giving me the chance to coach this great team,” Zidane told a press conference on Monday evening.

"Today is a very exciting day for me, even more so than when I signed as a player. I am going to give all my heart for this club."

In a short statement, Zidane added that he was determined to win a trophy in his maiden season.

“We have the best team and the best supporters in the world. I will do everything possible to win something this season," he told reporters.

“The most important thing is to be with the team tomorrow to start working."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations & Good Luck Zidane!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'For Zidane, impossible does not exist' - Perez defends decision to sack Benitez

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez showered Zinedine Zidane with praise at the Frenchman's official unveiling as Rafael Benitez's replacement as coach.

The former Liverpool, Napoli and Inter boss was shown the door on Monday after drawing 2-2 at Valencia in what proved to be his final match in charge, having twice relinquished the lead.

In a short press conference, Perez backed the former Madrid playing legend to succeed in his first top coaching appointment.

"We stand before a great professional and a magnificent person. We are grateful for his dedication in these months," the president said of Benitez, before unveiling the new man on the Madrid bench.

"[Zidane] is without a doubt one of the biggest figures in football history. He knows better than anyone what it means to be at the head of the Real Madrid squad.

"He knows how hard this bench is, he knows these players and with him as our assistant the 10th European Cup (Champions League) was achieved.

"The word impossible does not exist for you."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Has Cristiano Ronaldo's lack of big-game form cost Rafa Benitez his job?

As Rafa Benitez's unspectacular spell as Real Madrid manager comes to a premature end, the Spanish coach has been heavily criticised for his side's performances in big games - but is there someone else to blame?

Los Blancos failed to beat fellow title contenders Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, and also suffered defeat against Villarreal and Sevilla. There was one name conspicuously absent from the scoresheet on each occasion: Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese superstar may have scored 25 goals this season, but few were decisive and he went missing when his team - and manager - needed him most and on the biggest of stages.

Ronaldo's shot rate and accuracy plummeted against La Liga's top four, plus PSG in the Champions League, as he failed to net a single goal.

In La Liga, he has scored against just two sides in the top half of the table - with the average league placing of opponents a mere 13.6th - while his goals have directly resulted in just seven points; if you deducted his Liga goals, Madrid would only have dropped points against Real Sociedad.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

David Beckham sends message to Zidane after landing Real Madrid job

David Beckham claims Zinedine Zidane is "the best man for the job" after the former midfielder took over from Rafa Benitez at Real Madrid on Monday.

Beckham, who played alongside Zidane at Madrid for three seasons before the World Cup winner retired in 2006, claims his former team-mate is “someone with drive, passion and also doesn't accept failure on any level”.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Zidane was NOT Real Madrid's first choice to replace Benitez'

Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon claims that Jose Mourinho will be the club’s manager next season if Zinedine Zidane is a failure.

Zidane replaced Benitez, who was sacked after just seven months in charge, on Monday, but Calderon insists the World Cup winner was not Florentino Perez’s first-choice replacement.

"I wish Zidane all the best but I'm sure it's going to be very difficult,” Calderon told BBC 5Live.

“He is not the one that the president [Perez] wanted.

"He was trying to sign Mourinho and he didn't want Zidane. That is the truth. I don't know if he [Zidane] will be successful but if he is not, Mourinho will be on the bench in June."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Ronaldo is unhappy when he sees Bale's transfer fee'

The extent of Cristiano Ronaldo’s obsession about the £85 million transfer fee Real Madrid paid to sign Gareth Bale has been revealed.

Over the past year, speculation over the relationship between Ronaldo and Bale has intensified, with the Portugal international refusing on some occasions to celebrate when his team-mate scores a goal.

And in an interview with BBC 5Live, Sunday Times football correspondent Jonathan Northcroft claims that Madrid are keen to keep Ronaldo sweet by telling journalists not to mention Bale’s transfer fee in any high-profile interviews with the player.

"Real Madrid are a club so worried about image that when I interviewed Bale it was requested to me, ‘don’t put in the transfer fee, don't put in the article how much Gareth Bale cost’,” said Northcroft.

"The reason for that is because it was a world-record transfer fee but Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't like to see that someone else cost more than him.”

Asked if he mentioned the transfer fee in his published article, Northcroft replied: “No.”

 

[Alucard_SxE]

OFFICIAL: Real Madrid sack Benitez and appoint Zidane

Real Madrid have sacked Rafa Benitez and named Zinedine Zidane as his replacement.

The 32-time Spanish champions fell four points behind Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga after a 2-2 draw against Valencia on Sunday and Benitez was dismissed following a board meeting held on Monday afternoon.

Club legend Zidane, who has until this point managed Madrid's 'B' team, has long been linked with the top job and will now take charge.

Real president Florentino Perez said: "I am here to say that the board has just decided, in a difficult decision, especially for me, to end the contract of Rafa as first-team coach.

"I would like to make it clear that he is a great professional.

"Zinedine Zidane knows better than anyone what it is like to stand at the front and lead Real Madrid. Throughout his career he has always been able to face up to huge challenges.

"He is one of the greatest players of all time. Zinedine, this is your club, your stadium and you have all our support. Zidane you are, from this moment, the trainer of Real Madrid."

Benitez had struggled to win over supporters after replacing Carlo Ancelotti in the summer and Madrid could fall five points behind Barcelona if the defending champions win their game in hand.

Real cruised through their Champions League group, winning five of their six matches and scoring 19 goals, but suffered embarrassment in the Copa del Rey when they were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player.

Benitez's position came under particular scrutiny in November when Madrid suffered back-to-back defeats against Sevilla and Barcelona, the latter a 4-0 humbling at home to their greatest rivals.

The former Liverpool and Napoli manager enjoyed an 8-0 victory over Malmo in the Champions League and a 10-2 thrashing of Rayo Vallecano but defeat to Villarreal and the draw at Valencia has cost him his position.

Athiyantham danwath winning streak ekak thiyaganna puluwan unoth hodai. Poor teams walata ambanata gahala hoda teams ekka gon widihata play karanawata wada.. Defence nam hodatama madi. Clean sheet ekak anthimata gaththe koi kaleda

 

[Alucard_SxE]

Zidane ma hitiyoth hodai. Murinho nam epo!!! Team moral bassai anthimata

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Zidane ma hitiyoth hodai. Murinho nam epo!!! Team moral bassai anthimata

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[Wolverine GTR]

Athiyantham danwath winning streak ekak thiyaganna puluwan unoth hodai. Poor teams walata ambanata gahala hoda teams ekka gon widihata play karanawata wada.. Defence nam hodatama madi. Clean sheet ekak anthimata gaththe koi kaleda

Ow bro Benitez wa gannakotanam mata hithuna success wena 1kak naha kiyala Real Madrid wala.
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