..::Football IV::..

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1860 Munchen 1-0 Borussia Dortmund: Castro pays penalty as Tuchel's side lose

Gonzalo Castro missed a first-half penalty for Borussia Dortmund as Thomas Tuchel's side suffered a 1-0 friendly loss against 1860 Munich.A 36th minute goal from Levent Aycicek was enough to condemn last season's Bundesliga runners-up to a shock defeat.

Dortmund, who rested Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after the star forward netted a brace in Thursday's 3-2 win over St Pauli - made much of the running during the first-half but were let down by a lack of composure on the final ball before passing up a glorious opportunity to lead in the 34th minute.

1860 goalkeeper Jan Zimmermann took a heavy touch inside his own area and brought down Dortmund new boy Sebastian Rode in trying to atone for his error.

He would do so soon enough by plunging to his right to keep out a poor spot kick from Gonzalo Castro and 1860 were quick to make their visitors pay.Werder Bremen loanee Aycicek drove towards a flimsy looking Dortmund defence and smashed home confidently from the edge of the area.

Zimmermann continued his erratic afternoon by bringing down Ousmane Dembele after the break – he was punished with a free-kick on the right-hand corner of the area, although replays showed Thomas Tuchel's side should have been awarded a second penalty.

Dortmund were unable to find an equaliser and will fly to China next week to continue their pre-season preparations with friendlies against Manchester United and Manchester City.

 

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Mourinho: Man Utd stars are starting to think like me

Jose Mourinho is pleased with the style of football his Manchester United side played during the comfortable 2-0 friendly success at Wigan Athletic.

In his first match in charge of the club, second-half goals from Will Keane and Andreas Pereira proved the difference at the DW Stadium on Saturday.

Mourinho selected new signings Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in his starting XI for the clash, although the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney were not involved after their Euro 2016 exploits.

Speaking after the match, a satisfied Mourinho praised his players as well as lauding his new club’s supporters who sang his name during the match."I'm very happy, the result is obviously not the most important thing but it is always important," he told MUTV .

"I'm happy with things we tried in training, some principles of our play offensively and defensively, and I could see them there."It takes time, but I could see different things. We started thinking about football the way I think and that pleased me.

"Everybody played and had a positive performance so I'm happy, and best of all I never saw something like this, that so many supporters give their permanent support to the team and this is fantastic.

"So if this is like this in a friendly match, what I said in my presentation, if they wait for something from me I will try to give them everything and I'm sure they will give amazing support to the team."

 

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Allegri would welcome Higuain with open arms

Massimiliano Allegri would welcome Gonzalo Higuain with open arms if the Napoli striker were to join Juventus.

The Serie A champions agreed a four-year contract with Gonzalo Higuain worth €7 million a year, Goal confirmed on Friday.General director Giuseppe Marotta will meet with Napoli officials to discuss a potential deal in the coming days.

And Allegri believes the former Real Madrid forward would be a fine addition."Higuain? Great players are always welcome," Allegri told reporters when asked about Juventus' interest in the striker."We need champions with a lot of quality to compete at the highest level."

Paul Pogba, meanwhile, has been heavily linked with a move away from Juventus, with Manchester United supposedly keen to lure the Frenchman back to Old Trafford, but Allegri is hopeful the midfielder will stay put.

"The France internationals will return on August 7. Both Evra and Pogba? They are both Juventus players and I hope they will stay," Allegri added.
"I am counting on Pogba."

 

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Pjaca set to join Juventus, reveals agent

Serie A champions Juventus are closing in on the signature of Dinamo Zagreb star Marko Pjaca, according to representative Marko Naletilic.

The 21-year-old impressed for Croatia at Euro 2016 and his fine performances have not gone unnoticed in Italy.

AC Milan and Inter have also been credited with an interest in signing Pjaca, but Juventus are seemingly leading the race to sign the winger.

"It's not true that Marko has already signed for Juventus. Juventus and Dinamo must agree terms first. That has not happened as of yet," Naletilic told Sportske Novosti."But there is a desire to move to Juventus from our end. There is a verbal agreement on the condition that both clubs agree terms.

"Pjaca is close to joining Juventus, but I cannot say anything more until he has actually signed."I think negotiations will be concluded next week."Pjaca has a contract with Dinamo Zagreb until June 2019.

 

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Bohemians 0-6 Newcastle United: Benitez's men stroll to friendly win

Newcastle United got their pre-season preparations off to a good start with a 6-0 win over League of Ireland side Bohemians on Saturday.

Bohemians rested their first XI following Friday's 3-1 derby defeat to Shamrock Rovers, and their rotated squad proved no match for Rafael Benitez's men.

New signing Matt Ritchie opened the scoring on the 15 minute mark, curling the ball past Shane Supple in the Bohs goal. The Magpies doubled their lead soon after when Supple fouled Aleksandar Mitrovic in the area and the Serbian striker dusted himself off and converted from the penalty spot.

The hosts held out until half-time, but two goals after the restart ended the match as a contest. Dwight Gayle and Florian Thauvin were among the six half-time substitutes, and both had found the net by the 54th minute.Rolando Aarons extended Newcastle's lead after an hour before Georginio Wijnaldum completed the rout with a well-taken finish.

Newcastle return to England to face Doncaster Rovers in their next friendly on July 20, while Bohemians will return to domestic league action on Friday, July 22 against Derry City.

 

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Mourinho on Mkhitaryan debut: It's sweet how he touches the ball!

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho was impressed with Henrikh Mkhitaryan's first game for the club, insisting his performance in the 2-0 win over Wigan was "very positive".

The summer signing from Dortmund started at the DW Stadium and looked bright in his position behind lone striker Will Keane, creating one gilt-edged chance that Memphis Depay missed from close range.

Mkhitaryan was withdrawn at half-time, with Keane and substitute Andreas Pereira grabbing second-half goals to seal the win, but Mourinho was happy with the Armenian's contribution.

He told MUTV: "[Henrikh] Mkhitaryan is a top-class player and currently at the best stage for a footballer – 27/28 years old. He is magnificent the way he thinks about football, he thinks very quickly and it’s so sweet how he touches the ball."He can play in different positions behind the striker. He doesn’t have the sharpness yet but his performance was very positive.

"With Eric [Bailly] the way the fans showed how much they liked his performance when I changed him is enough. Of course he is a very young boy coming from a very different environment, but you could see what he is at this moment.

"I will give him everything to try to make him better and better like I did with other central defenders I’ve had in my hands. He has showed the potential we saw when we decided to buy him."

 

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Mkhitaryan: No.10? I'll play anywhere for Man Utd!

Manchester United attacker Henrikh Mkhitaryan insists he is happy with any role given to him by Jose Mourinho after making his debut at Wigan Athletic.

Mkhitaryan lined up in the number 10 role behind James Wilson during the first half at the DW Stadium, before being replaced at the interval with the game scoreless.
The former Borussia Dortmund man set up a golden chance which was wasted by Memphis Depay, before missing a presentable opportunity of his own.

United went on to win 2-0 in Mourinho's first game in charge thanks to second-half goals from Will Keane and Andreas Pereira, and Mkhitaryan was encouraged by the start made by both himself and the team.

"It was a good game, the first half was difficult because we couldn't score but we made a good game and thank you to my team-mates for today," he told MUTV.

"I was trying to be comfortable, so I think day by day it will be better."It doesn't matter where [I play], the most important thing is to play and help the team win the games and that is the main thing for me."

 

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Mourinho: I only needed 10 minutes to realise Tuanzebe's potential

Jose Mourinho says he only needed 10 minutes to be convinced of Axel Tuanzebe’s quality.

The Portuguese secured his first victory in pre-season with a 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium on Saturday.

Will Keane and Andreas Pereira scored the goals, while Mourinho’s summer signings to date, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly, impressed against the Championship club.

Tuanzebe was brought on for Bailly after the 80th minute but Mourinho is adamant that the 18-year-old centre-back impressed during that short cameo.

“You can play 90 minutes or one minute, sometimes one minute is enough,” the United boss told MUTV.

“With Axel, 10 minutes is enough.

“I only needed 10 minutes to know his potential, you can see it immediately.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Chelsea need MUCH more than Kante as Conte era gets off to frustrating start

Antonio Conte may be just six days into his reign as Chelsea manager, but the Italian will already be convinced that his side needs a great deal more investment than just N’Golo Kante if they are to compete for the Premier League title.

A 2-0 defeat to Rapid Vienna in the Italian coach’s first game in charge showed that the flaws in the Blues squad are plentiful and cannot be masked by the signings of Michy Batshuayi and Kante, who was confirmed as their latest arrival ust two hours before kick-off.

As Conte ranted and raved from the sidelines, Nemanja Matic and John Obi Mikel will feel their positions in midfield could be under threat as the duo heavily underwhelmed against the Austrian side.Lining up in a 4-2-4 with plenty of width, Chelsea reverted to a 4-4-1-1 formation when they lost the ball.

However, their attack was heavily stinted as Ruben Loftus-Cheek was anonymous in the No.10 role, as he failed to supply Diego Costa with proper support as the Blues advanced forward.

Eden Hazard will likely take over an important role in attack, but Loftus-Cheek’s performance will not have impressed the new boss and the visitors improved a lot after Oscar’s introduction at half-time.

Saturday’s clash was Chelsea's first in 60 days, while Rapid Vienna have played in six pre-season games and even a competitive match in the Europa League - their first domestic league match, meanwhile, is just one week away.

Having only officially started working with the Premier League side on Monday, Conte is yet to properly stamp his mark on this team, so it was understandable they were losing out in 50-50 tackles and looked rather disjointed when in possession.

Victor Moses and Papy Djilobodji were surprise inclusions in Conte’s first starting XI, while Ola Aina, Nathaniel Chalobah and Cristian Cuevas emerged from the bench.Moses had Conte in his ear for the whole game, but was one of Chelsea's better players, with his dangerous drives forward at the hosts’ defence.

Oscar looks to have earned himself a start in the next match, performing well in the attacking midfield role when he came on and he found far more space than Loftus-Cheek and came close to making something happen.

Chelsea were much improved in the second half. Aina saw one cross hit the post and both Diego Costa and Oscar saw clear-cut chances scuppered by team-mates who got in their way.Conte's search for a new centre-back will re-enter his thoughts as Djilobodji does not look up to the required standard when on the ball.

The importance of the result is miniscule and there is no reason to panic, but the former Juventus boss will want to step up his search for defenders, while another striker will help strengthen the side he is tasked with rebuilding.Costa was offered a pat on the back as he left the field but grew frustrated in the match due to a lack of service, with Rapid paying special attention to stopping him.

One of the 28,000 people in attendance at the brand new Allianz Stadion was Roman Abramovich, who was able to analyse his team's problems with his own eyes.

The Russian may well have to dig deep financially to give his new manager the resources to compete in the 2016-17 season - a lack of more new arrivals and the Blues risk being left behind.

 

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Bayern discussing Gotze deal with Dortmund, admits Rummenigge

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has confirmed the Bundesliga champions are in talks with Borussia Dortmund over the sale of Mario Gotze.

The Germany international joined Bayern from BVB in 2013, but has thus far largely failed to live up to the high expectations at the Allianz Arena and struggled for first-team football under Pep Guardiola last season.

The 24-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from the Bavarians in recent months, but he initially dismissed talk of a return to Signal Iduna Park or a switch to Liverpool, where he would be reunited with former BVB coach Jurgen Klopp.

However, it now appears that Gotze may be on the move, with Bayern in talks with their German rivals over a transfer."I can confirm that talks with Borussia Dortmund have taken place," Rummenigge told Sport1.

"There have also been talks with his agent, but the deal is not done just yet. Both clubs will have to reach an agreement over a transfer fee first."Gotze has been at Bayern for three years and it did not work out for him. I am not surprised that Gotze wants to leave. He is 24 years old and needs to play regularly."

Bayern have reportedly set a €27 million asking price for the attacking midfielder, whose contract runs until June 2017.

 

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Pogba could start new era of success at Manchester United - Ferdinand

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes the arrival of Paul Pogba from Juventus could signal the start of a new era of success at Old Trafford.
Pogba featured for United between 2009 and 2012, but opted to leave when his contract expired due to his lack of playing time.

The 23-year-old has since developed into one of the most sought-after midfielders in world football and recent reports suggest United are willing to pay a world-record €120 million to lure him back to Manchester.And Ferdinand believes Pogba could prove worth the hefty outlay.

"I think €120 million is a lot of money, for any player. You'd expect 40-plus goals per season for that figure," Ferdinand told Copa90."But Pogba is going to be the best midfielder in the world in the next couple of years. He is a leader, who will grow into an even better leader.

"He could be the start of a new generation of football at Manchester United, given that opportunity."Manchester United have a strong attack. It's the midfield and the defence that needs strengthening."

 

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Shaw lost for words after first Man Utd appearance in 10 months

Luke Shaw returned to the pitch for the first time in 10 months as Manchester United eased to a 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.

The defender has been out since suffering a double fracture of his right leg in a Champions League clash against PSV last September and played the first-half against the Championship side.And judging by his tweets, the 21-year-old was clearly delighted to be back in action.

"Can't describe how I felt today being back out on the pitch again. But thank you to all the fans for the support I received today," the England international Tweeted.
"Great being back."

Will Keane and Andreas Pereira were both on target in the second half as Jose Mourinho's reign in charge of the Red Devils got off to the perfect start.

 

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Conte: Kante is the type of player I like

N’Golo Kante will be a ‘very important’ signing for Chelsea, according to his delighted manager Antonio Conte.

The France international midfielder's switch from Premier League champions Leicester City to Stamford Bridge on a five-year deal was confirmed on Saturday, with the fee reported to be in the region of £32million.

Conte went on to oversee a 2-0 friendly defeat at Rapid Vienna in his first game at the helm but was still beaming afterwards over the prospect of working with his 25-year-old new recruit.

"I am very, very happy the club have bought this player," he told a post-match news conference at the Allianz Stadion. "He is a good player with good technique, fantastic stamina and I like this type of player."I think when you want to win you need these players - Kante, [Nemanja] Matic, who work hard for the team."

"Kante can give a lot to Chelsea to enforce and so on, [he can be] very important for us if we want to play with two central midfielders. He showed in last season he is able to play with another in midfield."

Conte, who will welcome new arrival Michy Batshuayi into his first-team group on Monday, is pleased with Chelsea's recruitment efforts during the early days of his tenure.

"I am very happy because together we are working to improve the squad. We know we have to improve but we prefer to wait and take the right player, rather than to go for a player with emotion that doesn’t adapt to our idea of football."

Goals from Joelinton and Tomi Correa ensured Conte's tenure got off to a losing start and the former Italy boss saw his players feeling the effects of three days of double training sessions but also, he believes, bearing the scars of last season's shambolic Premier League title defence. "This first game for us, I know it was very difficult after three days of training double every day," he explained.

"The physical aspect, strength aspect - I think it is a bit normal to meet these difficulties in this game but I don’t like to lose and it is the same for my players."I think I saw some situations that I saw last season and I think this game is very important because we can learn a lot from this.

"It's important to switch our mind to change because the past is not important. The future is important. We must work for our present and our future."

 

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Conte: I can make Hazard & Chelsea's stars great like Ronaldo & Messi

New Chelsea manager Antonio Conte believes he can help the likes of Eden Hazard reach the level of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.The 2015-16 season was a campaign to forget for Chelsea, who finished 10th in the table as they surrendered their Premier League crown to Leicester City.

Hazard was significantly off the pace compared to the previous title-winning season, when he won numerous individual accolades, though the Belgium star did end the term with four goals in his final five matches.

And Conte, who oversaw a 2-0 defeat to Rapid Vienna in Saturday's opening pre-season friendly, insists Chelsea have men who can become "top, top, top players".
"These players, with work, can still improve a lot," said Conte. "Because now we have players, fantastic players, who have great talent but in this moment the world doesn't think they are the same level as Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo or Paul Pogba."But in our squad there are players who, with work, can improve a lot and reach this level. I'm sure about this.

"It's important that the players understand they must work to show that 'Now I am a top player, but I want to become top, top, top, top and want to stay there'.

"The mentality is important. The heart is important. Patience and the will to improve is very important. And in this case it's important for the manager to take the best players and try to improve them."

Conte added: "Last season was bad for all the players, it's incredible that Chelsea finished 10th in the table."The habit of Chelsea is to win the title or to stay until the end of the season fighting to win the title, to play in the Champions League.

"And last season it was incredible, not only for Hazard but for other players also. It's important for us to recover Hazard in the best condition: technique, tactical, physical, overall and with the good mentality."But I spoke with him and I'm very happy. I'm pleased to train a fantastic player like him and also the other players.

"It's important for me, I repeat, next season to create the right spirit in the team and with great organisation, a great physical condition we can have a good season."

 

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Mourinho on Mkhitaryan debut: It's sweet how he touches the ball!

Absolutely Iye wigan match eke patta

 

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Absolutely Iye wigan match eke patta

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Higuain has not asked to leave, insist Napoli

Napoli have insisted that Gonzalo Higuain has not asked to leave and have also confirmed Juventus are yet to put in a request to sign him.

The Argentina international, who has a release clause worth €94million (£79m), has been heavily linked with both Serie A champions Juve and Arsenal this summer.

Higuain's brother and agent Nicolas said last month that his client would not be renewing his contract with last season's Serie A runners-up Napoli, which has two years left to run.

But despite the frenzied links with domestic rivals Juve, Napoli have stressed that little has changed regarding the 28-year-old striker, who scored a stunning 36 league goals in 2015-16.

"Gonzalo never said he wanted to leave," Napoli's head of communications Nicola Lombardo said at a Q&A with supporters at the club's training base in Dimaro.

"Juve have never asked for him and [President] Aurelio De Laurentiis does not want to sell him."We are talking about rumours that are fuelled by the press, who write story upon story. But he will be here in Dimaro to start pre-season on July 25."

Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri did little to dampen rumours of a swoop for Higuain when asked about the former Real Madrid star on Saturday, saying that "great players are always welcome" at his club.

The Turin side's director Fabio Paratici, meanwhile, hinted a move could be possible but stressed that no offers had yet been made.

 

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Mourinho: Bailly needs more pre-season minutes than most Manchester United players

Jose Mourinho admits he is keen to give Eric Bailly more minutes than most players during Manchester United’s pre-season campaign so that the defender can improve his communication on the pitch.

The 22-year-old was the Portuguese’s first signing at United, joining in a £30 million deal from Villarreal.

The Ivory Coast international impressed in United’s 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic on Saturday but Mourinho says it was just the start of what will be a very active pre-season campaign for the defender due to his inability to speak English.

"It is the first time he wears a heavy shirt like the United shirt is," the United boss told MUTV.

"He can't speak English, he just communicates with the ones that are French-spoken or Spanish so for him step by step that's the reason why I will give him more than 45 minutes.

"He's one of the players who I want to give 65, 70 [minutes] because more than others [he] needs to play, needs to feel it and needs to start communicating.”

Mourinho also revealed he will try and mould Bailly in a similar way to how he developed Raphael Varane during his time at Real Madrid.

"I will give him everything to try to make him better and better and better like I did previously with other very young central defenders I had in my hands, like for example [Raphael] Varane,” he added.

"I will try to make him the best I can but the reality is that he showed all the potential that we saw when we decided to buy him."

 

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Mata reveals the biggest positive from Manchester United's first pre-season game

Luke Shaw is back in a Manchester United shirt and Juan Mata is delighted at the defender’s return to action.

The 21-year-old missed the majority of last season after suffering a broken leg against PSV in September.

But after returning to pre-season training early, Shaw made his comeback in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium.

And Mata, who ominously started the game on the bench in Jose Mourinho’s first game in charge, paid tribute to his team-mate.

The Spaniard posted on Instagram: “Lots of positives from our first game, but seeing @lukeshaw23 back a it, was the best! Well done my friend.”

 

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Renato Sanches reveals Bayern Munich shirt number ahead of new season

Renato Sanches has revealed his squad number at Bayern Munich - and it pays homage to his huge transfer fee.

The 18-year-old heads into the new season off the back of an impressive Euro 2016 campaign with Portugal.

And now Sanches, who was signed for an initial €35 million fee from Benfica before the tournament, has been handed number 35 ahead of Bayern’s upcoming campaign.

Sanches only made his first-team debut for Benfica in November and wore No.85 for the duration of last season, while he wore No.16 for Portugal at Euro 2016.