..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Van Gaal sacked by Manchester United

Manchester United have sacked manager Louis van Gaal, Old Trafford sources have informed Goal.

The Dutchman led United to their first FA Cup triumph since 2004 on Saturday, with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, though celebrations were quickly overshadowed by speculation regarding Jose Mourinho's imminent arrival.

Van Gaal's two-year reign at Old Trafford proved divisive, with several fans and former players bemused by the Dutchman's playing style having seen United score just 49 league goals this season.

And after Van Gaal arrived at the club's Carrington training ground for work on Monday he was relieved of his duties. The 64-year-old remained cordial throughout the rest of the morning but his backroom staff were seen clearing their desks after being sacked along with the man who brought them to the club in 2014.Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward was also seen on site alongside one of the club's lawyer.

Mourinho has been out of work since he was sacked by Chelsea in December, but is poised to return at Old Trafford.Van Gaal's departure comes two years after his appointment, with the manager guiding the club to a fourth-placed finish in his first season.

However, United missed out on qualification for the Champions League - which they exited at the group stages this term - in his second campaign despite spending around £250 million on new players during Van Gaal's reign.
United have now failed to finish in the top-three since Sir Alex Ferguson's last season in charge, when they won the league in 2012-13.

Ryan Giggs was also on site on Monday morning, but he left around an hour later. The Welshman's future is unknown with Mourinho's appointment as manager on the horizon.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Good bye LVG!
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[Wolverine GTR]

lvg sacked!!

Anemanda bro.monawa unath podi dukakuth thiyanawa bro LVG sack karapu 1kataath karanna deyak naha.

Habai EPL 1ke weak performance walata LVG tama dos kiyalath baha.playerslageth loku balapamak thibba.ath a okkotama wada LVG 1ke waradi theerana thamai lokuwatama balapawe

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[Wolverine GTR]

අද පාන්දර තිබ්බද... දැන් දැක්කෙ වෙලාව...

Ohhh...aparade bro
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[Alucard_SxE]

Anemanda bro.monawa unath podi dukakuth thiyanawa bro LVG sack karapu 1kataath karanna deyak naha.

Habai EPL 1ke weak performance walata LVG tama dos kiyalath baha.playerslageth loku balapamak thibba.ath a okkotama wada LVG 1ke waradi theerana thamai lokuwatama balapawe

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hoda players la sell karapu eka thamai lokuma waradda..
specially Hernandez, Van Persi & di maria.
Performance adu unath okkoma competitions wala play karala hodata experience thibuna players la 3n denek.
Aluthin team ekak hadanawa kiyanne eka season ekakin karanna puluwan wedak nemeine.
Martial, Depay inexperienced. Rashford, Brothwith Jackson aluthinma.
Eyalage peformance hoda unath experience madi. develop karanna kal yanawa. aragollowa thiyagaththanam iwarai.
Ilagata usa players la ne. Ariel attacks waladi helpless. Fellani nam melo rahak ne.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Evra confirms two-year Juventus deal

Patrice Evra has confirmed he will sign a new two-year contract with Juventus.
The former Manchester United full-back has played a crucial role under Massimiliano Allegri since arriving on a free transfer in 2014, winning back-to-back Serie A and Coppa Italia titles.

The 35-year-old's consistent form has seen him retain his place as first-choice left-back for the majority of the campaign, despite the arrival last year of Alex Sandro from Porto for a reported €26 million fee.

And Evra looks set to stay in Turin until at least 2018 after announcing an agreement over a contract extension.

"Yes, I gave my consent to the club, I'll stay for another two years," he said after the Coppa Italia final win over AC Milan, as quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Evra has made 35 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring twice.

 

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Arsenal unveil 2016-17 home kit

Arsenal have unveiled their new home kit ahead of the 2016-17 season.

The Gunners posted a message on their official Twitter account showing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mesut Ozil and Hector Bellerin modelling the strip, which is again designed by Puma, on Monday morning.The shirt again features white sleeves along with a red body, while there is a darker stripe running down the centre.

The Gunners will hope it brings them a bit more luck than they had in 2015-16, as they were forced to settle for a second-placed finish behind Leicester City.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Alexis takes No.7 shirt at Arsenal

Arsenal unveiled their new home kit for the 2016-17 season on Monday and, with it, Alexis Sanchez picked a new shirt number.

Having donned the No.17 since arriving from Barcelona in 2014, the Chilean has taken advantage of Tomas Rosicky's imminent departure from the Emirates Stadium by picking up the vacant No.7 shirt.

Alexis wore No.7 at Udinese but, due to David Villa and then Pedro, took up No.9 at Barcelona. Alexis picked No.17 upon his arrival in the Premier League two years ago, with Nacho Monreal agreeing to change to No.18.

Alexis now joins a list of famous former Arsenal players to have worn the No.7 shirt, including the likes of Liam Brady, David Platt and Robert Pires.

Elsewhere, Francis Coquelin is still listed as No.34 when pre-ordering the club's new shirt despite speculation Granit Xhaka could take up the number when he completes his move from Borussia Monchengladbach.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho to make Old Trafford bow for England XI

Jose Mourinho is set to make his debut in the home dugout at Old Trafford on June 5, managing a charity England XI for Soccer Aid.

The Portuguese coach is expected to become Manchester United manager within days, with Louis van Gaal on the verge of the sack following the club’s failure to reach the Champions League.

And Mourinho is scheduled to take charge of his first match at the Theatre of Dreams within a fortnight thanks to a prior agreement to lead an England selection against a Rest of the World side led by Leicester City’s Premier League-winning boss Claudio Ranieri.

Mourinho took charge of the visiting side in the 2014 Soccer Aid match, leading the Rest of the World to a 4-2 win, but this time around will lead out home side England for the sold-out fixture.

Names such as One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson and comedians Paddy McGuinness and Jack Whitehall will join ex-pros including Sol Campbell and Robbie Fowler in the England XI, with ex-Take That star Robbie Williams due to be Mourinho’s assistant manager.

The charity event coincides with the 53-year-old’s expected arrival at United five months on from his sacking as manager of Chelsea. The Premier League holders slumped to 16th place in the league table in December, prompting the Blues’ board to fire Mourinho for a second time in eight years.

Mourinho has since been constantly linked to the Old Trafford hot-seat despite Van Gaal remaining in post until the end of the season, whereupon he led United to FA Cup glory with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.

But an announcement is expected on Monday confirming the Dutchman’s sacking, with Mourinho likely to take his place within 24 hours.

 

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Ancelotti: We lost my first Champions League final because we were sure we would win

Carlo Ancelotti's long association with the European Cup and Champions League began in earnest in 1983-84, when he reached his first final with Roma as a player.The Italian side faced Liverpool on home turf at the Stadio Olimpico but injury ruled Ancelotti out of the match 11 days before his 25th birthday.

He was missed - after a 1-1 draw, Roma suffered defeat on penalties. Goal asked the next Bayern Munich coach for his memories of the clash in the capital and he revealed exactly what went wrong...

 

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Neville still unsure over Valencia future

Phil Neville is still unsure whether he will remain in his position as Valencia assistant manager.

The former Manchester United player and coach served under three managers over the course of a tumultuous 2015-16 season which saw the club employ Nuno Espirito Santo, his brother Gary and current incumbent Pako Ayestaran.

Valencia eventually finished the campaign in 12th position, a major slump from their top-four berth in the previous season, and Neville revealed the hierarchy are taking their time to make a decision following a poor year at Mestalla.

"We are still in training until Friday and Pako's contract finishes on May 30, but no decision has yet been made by the club," he said to Sky Sports."After what we have been through this season, the club is taking its time.

"They have got to find the right man - whether that is Pako or somebody else - but a new manager brings in his own staff, so my position will not be found out for another week."Neville acknowledged the results of his brother Gary were not good enough, but felt he did make important improvements to professionalism at Valencia.

He added: "The results were not good, you can't hide away from that fact, but when you look back - and it has probably taken a month to digest what actually happened - Gary actually left the inside of the club in better shape than when he first came in.

"It was more professional, he introduced certain things that needed to be done. But the thing with football is it's all about results and we just could not get the results that meant he could continue until the end of the season.

"It was always going to be for the short term, but it was just shorter than the short-term level it was going to be until the end of the season."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ancelotti: Why I love the Champions League


Carlo Ancelotti is the only manager to have won the Champions League three times and has reached the final of Europe's top competition on seven occasions as a player and a coach.

Having worn an AC Milan jersey for their back-to-back triumphs in 1989 and 1990, Ancelotti led the Italian side to victory in the dugout in 2003 and 2007 and then guided Real Madrid to La Decima in 2014.

Ahead of the latest Champions League final in Milan, he tells Goal what makes the competition so special - and reveals some of the secrets of his remarkable success.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

AC Milan to terminate Mihajlovic deal in June

AC Milan have reached an agreement with Sinisa Mihajlovic to terminate his contract at the end of next month.

The former defender was appointed as head coach on a two-year deal last June but was sacked in April after failing to sustain a challenge for the Champions League places.

Mihajlovic is reported to have met with Milan CEO Adriano Galliani in Rome last week to negotiate the finer details of his contract termination, and the club announced on Monday that a deal had been struck to end his deal a year early.

"AC Milan will terminate Sinisa Mihajlovic's contract with the club from 30/06/2016," a club statement read. "Everybody involved at AC Milan wishes him the best for his future."Mihajlovic is tipped to take over at Torino, with Giampiero Ventura rumoured to be the favourite to succeed Antonio Conte as Italy head coach.

The future of interim boss Cristian Brocchi remains in question, with the former Privamera boss having failed to steer Milan into the European spots in Serie A before losing the Coppa Italia final 1-0 to Juventus on Saturday.

President Silvio Berlusconi indicated that Brocchi's future will depend on the demands of the Chinese investor group currently in talks to buy the club."We'll see how the whole issue of the sale goes," Berlusconi told Ansa."I was convinced that I was doing the right thing by putting Brocchi there. He is a reliable and capable person."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Van Gaal 'stunned' by Man Utd sacking

Louis van Gaal has been left 'stunned' by his dismissal as Manchester United manager on Monday.

The 20-time English champions parted company with the Dutchman two days after his side had clinched a first FA Cup win in 12 years, bringing to an end months of speculation regarding the former Bayern Munich boss' future.

But Goal understands that Van Gaal has revealed to members of his inner circle that the developments have come as a huge shock to him, and the usually stoic leader was said to have been left crestfallen by his sacking despite having earlier presented a brave face around the Carrington training complex.

The 64-year-old also claimed that the lack of warning from the board had led him to believe he would be allowed to continue as manager into the third and final year of the contract he signed in 2014.

Jose Mourinho, the former Chelsea boss who was Van Gaal's assistant coach at Barcelona during the Dutchman's first spell in Catalunya, is expected to be confirmed as United's new manager on Tuesday after spending five months out of the game.

During that time, his name has been regularly linked with the Old Trafford hot-seat. However, Van Gaal has regularly insisted that he sought no assurances regarding his future from the club's board and that they had made no indication that they were unhappy with his work.
As recently as Saturday, Van Gaal and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward were seen congratulating each other after the FA Cup final victory over Crystal Palace, with the manager still seemingly in the dark over the club's plans to replace him.

Van Gaal was eventually told he was to be sacked on Monday morning after he had arrived at the Carrington training ground for work as usual, but Woodward's confirmation of his exit has come as a huge personal blow to the Dutchman, one year shy of his intended retirement date.

And on Monday afternoon, a black people carrier arrived to whisk Van Gaal away from United's premises for the final time, with an official statement on the sacking expected to arrive from the club in the coming hours.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Gotze: I look forward to new season in Munich

Mario Gotze has signalled his intention to remain at Bayern Munich ahead of Carlo Ancelotti's arrival.The Germany forward endured a difficult, injury-hit 2015-16 campaign, struggling to establish himself as a first-team regular under Pep Guardiola.

Gotze had subsequently been linked with a close-season return to former club Borussia Dortmund and a reunion with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

But, speaking to Bild on Monday, the 23-year-old appeared to rule out a departure from the Allianz Arena."I look forward to the new season in Munich and will do everything possible to compete in top shape during my first training session under Carlo Ancelotti," he said.

Speculation over Gotze's future intensified earlier on Monday when he parted company with agent Volker Struth, whose company SportsTotal represent a number of Germany and Bundesliga stars, including Real Madrid's Toni Kroos and Dortmund forward Marco Reus.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'I'll win titles at Bayern' - Renato Sanches reveals reason for Man Utd snub

New Bayern Munich signing Renato Sanches has revealed the reason why he opted to sign for the Bundesliga champions over Manchester United.

The Red Devils were reportedly keen on signing the Portugal international from Benfica and were rumoured to have had a series of offers rejected.

And Sanches has now revealed that he chose to join the Bavarians in a deal that could be worth up to €80 million because they are more likely to win silverware than the Old Trafford outfit.

"Manchester United made an offer. I think it was well known," the teenager told reporters at a promotional event. "But I had other offers as well."

"I chose Bayern Munich because it’s a great club. They have a 65,000 seater stadium and an atmosphere similar to Benfica. I’ll win titles."

 

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Guardiola era has been sensational - Neuer

Manuel Neuer dismissed any notion that Pep Guardiola's time at Bayern Munich has been a failure and has labelled the Spaniard's spell in charge of the Bavarians "sensational".

Guardiola led Bayern to three consecutive Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Pokal triumphs, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup, but failed to deliver Champions League glory.Nevertheless, Neuer feels the 45-year-old has helped Bayern forward in all aspects.

"The three years under Guardiola have been sensational," Neuer told Kicker.

"We should acknowledge that our coach did not fail in any area, including the Champions League, even if he did not win it with Bayern. Winning the double definitely was a happy ending to his time at Bayern."Working with Pep was sensational. We played the best football out there both in the Champions League and in Germany, better than all other teams. Guardiola deserves credit for that.

"Guardiola has moved Bayern forward in all aspects. I have learned a lot from him both as a footballer and as a human being."If I had to give Bayern's season a grade, it would be a one."

 

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Bayern will never sign a Messi or Ronaldo - Hitzfeld


Bayern Munich will never sign a global superstar such as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo as it goes against the club's philosophy, according to former coach Ottmar Hitzfeld.

Departing Bayern boss Pep Guardiola bemoaned the lack of a player who "who scores 50, 60 goals like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi" after a 3-0 win over Schalke in April.

But Hitzfeld, who led Bayern to five Bundesliga titles and one Champions League success across two spells in charge, believes Bayern will continue to sign younger players and develop them at the Allianz Arena, rather than sign big names.He told Omnisport: "Bayern regularly buy good players and they also improve their team by extending contracts early.

"Buying a big name like Messi, Ronaldo, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, Neymar or [Luis] Suarez… that's something Bayern would not do. It's not the philosophy of Bayern to pay colossal wages or to pay maybe €100million and upwards for a top player. That wouldn't be Bayern's style."

Bayern recently signed Portuguese teenager Renato Sanches from Benfica for €35m - a fee that could rise to €80m depending on success-related bonuses.And that is the kind of deal Hitzfeld believes they will continue to make under new boss Carlo Ancelotti.

He added: "Bayern can improve within strong financial limits which you can see in the case of Renato Sanches. "Bayern is a club that plans in the long term and that wants to give young players a chance to develop like Kingsley Coman or Douglas Costa. Those players were bought and they have delivered good performances.

"Before the Champions League match between Bayern and Benfica a lot was written about Renato Sanches. He has already played a lot of games, scored goals, assisted many goals. He has an extraordinary technique, he can keep the ball in a small space, can pass the ball. He's a huge talent."I watched him there and he fulfilled expectations.

"He also convinced Bayern during these games, so it was a logical consequence that Bayern bought him. €30-€35 million for a top player... that's the price you have to pay these days.

"That's how the market is. And if he's a raving success at Bayern, he will be worth double that soon."

 

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Atletico Madrid are the worst opponent Real Madrid can face, says Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti believes Atletico Madrid are the trickiest opponent for Real Madrid but backs his former club to win the Champions League final.

The two Madrid clubs face off in Milan on Saturday, with Real aiming for their 11th European trophy and Zinedine Zidane’s first since taking charge in January.

“I will send all the best to him before the game,” Ancelotti said in an exclusive Q&A for Goal.

“I hope he will be able to win the competition. It would be fantastic for him to win the trophy, he’s already done a fantastic job, he’s changed the attitude of the players. He was fighting for La Liga, now he has a really fantastic possibility.

“I think they are playing the worst team they could play because Atletico are a really, really tough team. They are team that concede nothing, not one opportunity. Every final is tough.”

Diego Simeone is targeting is first Champions League trophy after missing out to Ancelotti’s Real in 2014, and the 56-year-old believes Atletico have consistently been one of the best teams in the tournament in recent years.

“I knew Simeone as a player. He was a tough player, really concentrated, and it’s the same as a manager,” said Ancelotti. I think he’s really focused on the little details, so he was able to build a defensive organisation.

“Also, he has a really fantastic relationship with his players.
“He’s showed this during the matches, also you have to consider all the supporters from Atletico are really close to each other, the supporters with the players, the the supporters with the manager, that’s the strength of Atletico Madrid. This is the job of Simeone.

“The past year in Champions League they’ve done really, really well, they’ve got close to winning it. The last two or three years, Atletico have been one of the best teams.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wilkins backs Mourinho appointment

Former Manchester United midfielder Ray Wilkins is confident Jose Mourinho is the "right person" to succeed Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal's uninspiring two-year spell at United is expected to come to an end on Monday just two days after winning the FA Cup with a 2-1 defeat of Crystal Palace at Wembley.

And Wilkins, who also played for Chelsea and worked as assistant boss under Gianluca Vialli, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Carlo Ancelotti and Guus Hiddink at Stamford Bridge, says Mourinho is the ideal replacement should United firm up their reported interest in the Portuguese.

He told Sky Sports News: "He's the right person to carry them forward."If they were to go for Jose it would be a good choice. He will bring winning days back to Manchester United, that's a certainty."

Mourinho's reluctance to blood young players – something United are renowned for – in his previous jobs has caused concern among some United fans but Wilkins is optimistic he will look beyond the transfer market for new talent."Hopefully he will bring through some young players," he added.

"They blooded seven or eight young players last year and every one of them showed that they can play at the level required of Manchester United."A homegrown player will also be given a chance by the supporters and Jose would have noticed that.

"When he brings in players, he will bring in players of quality."