..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Mata has found 'natural habitat' at Man Utd - Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has claimed that Juan Mata has found his “natural habitat” at Manchester United following recent reports that the Spaniard is set to sign a new contract at Old Trafford.

Despite speculation in the summer that Mourinho could again offload the player he watched depart his former club Chelsea for United in January 2014, Mata has been a key member of the Portuguese’s outfit so far this season, prompting the club to undergo talks over a longer-term deal.

And Mourinho, speaking ahead of Thursday’s crucial Europa League fixture at home to Zorya Luhansk, insisted that Mata has the right qualities to deliver his best for his Manchester United side.

“[Chelsea] were playing in a defensive block when we won the title in 2014-15, and it’s one thing having players for that and another having players trying to play in a different way and we are trying to play in a different way," said Mourinho.“He is very adaptive with his qualities. He has found a very good natural habitat with us.”

Mourinho also defended his role in Chelsea’s decision to sell Mata to the Red Devils for £37.5 million in the winter transfer window in 2013-14.

"First of all, I didn’t sell him. My job is not to buy and sell. My job is to coach, to work on the pitch and to advise my board about the transfer policy.“Secondly, it was Juan that asked to leave and when a player asks to leave I think always you have to think twice.

“And the third point is that my idea for football with the squad and objectives we had at Chelsea is one thing, and the squad I have at Man United and the profile and what I try to do with this club is a completely different situation.“So Juan at Chelsea in my project was one player, and Juan in my project at Man United is another thing.”

Mata bagged a goal and an assist in Saturday’s impressive 4-1 victory over Premier League champions Leicester City at Old Trafford having been chosen in the number 10 position at the expense of club captain Wayne Rooney.

The 28-year-old attacker has 21 months remaining on his current contract, but a new deal could well see him remaining at Old Trafford well into his thirties.

 

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Mourinho: Man Utd cannot afford anything less than Zorya win

Manchester United "need to win" against Zorya Luhansk to get up and running in the Europa League, says Jose Mourinho.

United welcome the Ukrainian side to Old Trafford on Thursday desperately seeking their first points in Group A.The Red Devils lost their opener 1-0 at Feyenoord on matchday one, the second straight loss out of three in what proved a torried week for the club.

Though many expect the Europa League to take on secondary importance to United, Mourinho is fully focused on progressing in Europe as well. "It's very important," he told reporters at a press conference. "To be honest I think we have to win.

"If we don't win, we have four matches [left in the group] and I would say we have to all the last four matches, which is difficult. We need to win."Mourinho rested a number of first-team stars for the opening game of the group at De Kuip in a game that he was criticised over his tactical choices.

And the Portuguese has responded by stating he will change his approach against Zorya, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Anthony Martial both included.

"Zlatan starts," Mourinho confirmed, ruling out fears of fixture congestion for the veteran striker. "We have two matches and then he has two weeks without football.

"For him he just has to play tomorrow and then against Stoke [City on Sunday], then two weeks without football. Zlatan is one of the players who will have plenty of time to recover.

"He [Martial] is now recovered from the contusion - not a concussion. He has recovered and he is ready."

Mourinho nevertheless added that his side will be without Luke Shaw and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, stating: "Shaw is ill. [He has a] temperature, fever, bad throat. He arrived this morning and the doctor sent him home. "[Mkhitaryan] is not playing."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ibrahimovic helping nurture Man Utd youth – Lingard

Jesse Lingard has hailed Zlatan Ibrahimovic for taking Manchester United's young stars under his wing in his first few months at Old Trafford.

Ibrahimovic arrived at United in July following the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract and has settled in quickly.

The former Sweden international has scored five goals in nine appearances in all competitions, with his impressive form keeping the likes of Marcus Rashford out initially.

But claims that Ibrahimovic is stifling the growth of the club's youngsters has been shot down by Lingard, who stated the 34-year-old has something to teach all of them."He's been a leader for the team, especially when the captain's not playing," he said. "He's stepped up and he's really led the team.

"Obviously the young lads look up to him and most of the older ones do as well. When you see the things he's done in his career [you can't help but be impressed].""He helps the young lads a lot. Especially me, Marcus and Paul Pogba. He's always there for us and always there for the team."

Lingard also had praise for Wayne Rooney, the England captain having been dropped for last weekend's Premier League win over Leicester City.Rooney may not return against Zorya Luhansk on Thursday in the Europa League as Jose Mourinho looks to protect the striker.

Nevertheless, Lingard is convinced the 30-year-old will come back stronger when fully fit."Wayne's a top-class player and has won plenty for Man United," added the midfielder.

"The manager changed the dynamic against Leicester and we did well but it's important we stay together."He's an advisor, a leader, he always gave me advice as I was breaking through and he's done the same with Marcus and Tim Fosu-Mensah.

"I think he's never going to change, [he will be] the same leader, [with] that aggression he's got. But like anyone he's got to bounce back and I think he'll do that."

 

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Mourinho feels sorry for Allardyce

Jose Mourinho says he feels "very sorry" for Sam Allardyce after his brief stint as England manager came to an end on Tuesday.

Allardyce's 67-day tenure was ended by mutual agreement following talks with Football Association (FA) chairman Greg Clarke and chief executive Martin Glenn on Tuesday, after the Daily Telegraph published footage from a meeting between a pair of undercover reporters and the 61-year-old.

In the video, Allardyce allegedly told the two men, who were purporting to be from a Far East investment firm, how they might "get around" FA regulations concerning the transfers of players under third-party ownership.

Allardyce and Mourinho have enjoyed something of a love-hate relationship over the years, but the Portuguese has expressed sympathy for 'Big Sam' in the wake of this week's controversy.

"I like Sam. I feel very sorry for him because I know it was a dream job," Mourinho told reporters at a press conference.

"It will not interfere in any way with my relationship with him. I liked him and respected him before and that is not going to change.
"It is between him and the FA."

Allardyce earlier conceded his actions had been "silly" and said: "Entrapment has won on this occasion and I have to accept that."

 

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Wenger has so much to offer English football – Schmeichel

Arsene Wenger still has plenty to offer English football as he approaches his 20th anniversary as Arsenal manager, according to Peter Schmeichel.

Wenger will celebrate two decades in charge of Arsenal on Saturday before they take on Burnley at Turf Moor in the Premier League a day later.

The Frenchman has come under criticism in recent seasons for lack of transfer activity and Arsenal's failure to win the league title since 2004, with fans enduring a series of near misses over the years.

But Schmeichel, who came up against Wenger's early Arsenal teams during the latter years of his spell as Manchester United goalkeeper, wants to see the 66-year-old remain in the English game.

"I think he has been fantastic, we owe him so much gratitude. I think he introduced better play which we all took inspiration off," Schmeichel told Omnisport. "The competition he had with Sir Alex Ferguson made Manchester United much better that's for sure.

"I think all in all he has made the Premier League so much better and I am not one of those guys who want him gone."I want to see him carry on because he has so much to offer English football."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal 2-0 Basel: Walcott at the double as Gunners cruise

Theo Walcott continued his hot streak with a first-half brace as in-form Arsenal eased to a 2-0 victory over Champions League rivals Basel at the Emirates Stadium.

England international Walcott headed home Alexis Sanchez's cross to open the scoring before taking his tally to four goals in three games with a right-footed drive from a tight angle.

The final margin of victory would have been even greater had it not been for a combination of poor Arsenal finishing and the brilliance of Basel goalkeeper Tomas Vacliik.

Still, Arsene Wenger's side have now gone eight matches unbeaten in all competitions and sit level with Paris Saint-Germain - who won 3-1 in Ludogorets - at the top of Group A on four points.

The result also means Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has bragging rights over his brother, Basel's Taulant, for a second time this year. The pair also faced each other in Switzerland's 1-0 win over Albania at Euro 2016.

Arsenal had lost 3-2 to Olympiacos in their European home opener a year ago, yet any potential for the visitors to record an upset of their own disappeared during a one-sided first half.Full-back Nacho Monreal had already forced Vaclik into a smart save before the hosts took the lead in the seventh minute.

Santi Cazorla's lofted pass picked out the run into the left channel by Sanchez, who produced a well-weighted cross that left Walcott with the simple task of nodding the ball into the net from close range.The same combination then ripped through Basel again to double Arsenal's advantage in the 26th minute.

Having worked a one-two with Sanchez to get beyond a high defensive line down the right, Walcott angled a low drive beyond Vaclik that found the far corner of the goal via the post.

Czech Republic international Vaclik twice blocked one-on-one opportunities for Sanchez before the break, while Mesut Ozil failed to even work the under-pressure goalkeeper by prodding wide when clean through.

Arsenal's profligacy continued into the second half - Sanchez failing to pick out Ozil in the middle after robbing Marek Suchy of possession before Alex Iwobi fired wide at the end of a powerful run.

David Ospina - picked for the second straight Champions League game following his heroics in the 1-1 draw in Paris - had been a spectator before Birkir Bjarnason's curling shot finally called the Colombian goalkeeper into action on the hour mark.

However, Ospina was fortunate not to concede shortly after, his failure to deal with a swinging corner going unpunished by a sliding Bjarnason at the back post.
Vaclik continued to be busy though to the final whistle at the other end – denying both substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sanchez again – as Arsenal coasted to a fifth victory in as many meetings against Swiss opposition.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Celtic 3-3 Manchester City: Nolito strike saves Guardiola's side in Champions League thriller

Manchester City's winning streak under Pep Guardiola came to an end in dramatic fashion as Celtic got their first Champions League point of the season from a thrilling 3-3 draw.

Guardiola's City went behind for the first time in the Spaniard's tenure when Moussa Dembele put Celtic ahead after just three minutes, despite appearing to have been in an offside position.

City hit back just nine minutes later through Fernandinho only for Raheem Sterling to steer Kieran Tierney's shot into his own net, but the England winger made amends with a superb turn and finish at the other end to level the match before half-time.

Dembele put Celtic ahead for a third time shortly after the restart to keep a roaring home crowd dreaming of a memorable victory, but Nolito equalised swiftly after when Craig Gordon parried Sergio Aguero's shot into his path.

The result marks an impressive response from Celtic - hammered 7-0 by Barcelona in their Group C opener - while City will hope the blip in their immaculate record under Guardiola is nothing more than just that.

Brendan Rodgers said before the game that Celtic needed to start brightly and they did just that when a free-kick found James Forrest in space in the box and he crossed for Nir Bitton to fire in a header that beat Claudio Bravo via a touch from Dembele's chest.

Bravo saved well from Kolo Toure soon afterwards but Celtic's impressive start was undone when Aleksandar Kolarov's shot found its way to Fernandinho, who controlled the ball before sliding a low shot past Gordon into the corner of the net.

But Celtic maintained their high-tempo attacking football and restored their lead when Tomas Rogic broke down the middle and fed Tierney, whose angled shot hit Sterling's outstretched leg and flew in at the near post.

As an enthralling first half continued, City looked threatening with every attack and Celtic were sliced open when David Silva's threaded pass found Sterling, who beat Tierney with instinctive skill before side-footing the ball past Gordon to equalise.

Within 72 seconds of the second half, the ball was in City's net again when Kolarov made a terrible mess of Tierney's cross and Dembele, with his back to goal, scored by hooking the ball over his shoulder and past Bravo.

Just as in the first half, City were quick to draw level again and it was another Silva pass that opened Celtic up before Aguero's shot was saved and Nolito tucked home the rebound.

After an hour of end-to-end football played at a frenetic pace, Celtic put men behind the ball in the final half hour to ensure they did not let a vital point slip, and Gordon made a good save to prevent Kolarov's cross from finding Fernandinho as it flashed across the face of goal.

And the Brazilian almost gave one of the Champions League's most entertaining encounters a final twist when he hit a dipping drive just over from 25 yards, and Gordon rescued Celtic in injury time with a fine reaction save from Ilkay Gundogan to ensure a share of the spoils.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Atletico Madrid 1-0 Bayern Munich: Carrasco goal secures home win

Atletico Madrid took control of Champions League Group D with a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich at the Vicente Calderon, as Carlo Ancelotti suffered his first defeat in charge of the club.

Diego Simeone's side beat the German champions by the same scoreline in the first leg of last season's semi-final clash in April, and they followed that up with a deserved victory thanks to Yannick Ferreira Carrasco's pinpoint finish.

Bayern went into the game off the back of eight wins in a row in all competitions, but struggled to find any attacking cohesion despite enjoying the majority of possession.

Indeed, Atletico could have led by more before Carrasco's 35th-minute strike, with Fernando Torres twice spurning good opportunities and Manuel Neuer saving well to deny the goalscorer again.

Franck Ribery dragged a shot wide from close range and Thomas Muller missed a good chance from a header, but Bayern rarely had goalkeeper Jan Oblak concerned during what proved to be a fourth successive defeat in the competition on Spanish soil.

Antoine Griezmann spurned the chance to make it 2-0 when he blazed an 84th-minute penalty against the crossbar, but Atletico now top the group on six points, three ahead of Bayern, who sit in second place above Rostov and PSV following their 2-2 draw.

Atletico's defensive masterclass kept Bayern at bay in the last-four clash at the Calderon earlier this year, but Simeone's side had plenty of early pressure and only a smart block from Javi Martinez - following a loose touch - stopped Torres from opening the scoring from close range.

Oblak made a stunning reaction save to deny Muller on the volley after the Germany forward beat the offside trap, before Neuer sprung low to his left to block Carrasco's effort from the edge of the area.

Torres missed a glorious chance to break the deadlock after 22 minutes, heading against the post from just three yards out following Saul Niguez's flick, and Robert Lewandowski nodded a presentable opening into Oblak's grasp at the other end.

But Atleti got the lead they deserved after 35 minutes. Sloppy play from Xabi Alonso saw the ball break into Carrasco's path, and he drilled a low finish past Neuer and in off the base of the post from 20 yards.

Ribery scuffed a shot past the near corner after finding a rare pocket of space in the Atleti area, and Muller headed wide when unmarked at a corner just after half-time as Bayern looked for a decisive response.

Ancelotti introduced Arjen Robben just before the hour mark in a bid to inject some attacking verve, but Neuer was called upon to keep his side in the match when he dived to his left to parry Carrasco's drive from distance.

Bayern set up camp in Atleti's half in the closing stages, Lewandowski glancing a header just past Oblak's right-hand post, before Robben arrowed a low shot narrowly wide, but their attacking efforts remained largely laboured against a home defence brilliantly marshalled by Diego Godin.

Griezmann then squandered the chance to make the last few minutes comfortable, crashing his spot-kick off the woodwork after Arturo Vidal had barged Filipe Luis to ground, but Atleti held firm to extend their run to 26 wins in 31 European games on home turf.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Borussia Monchengladbach 1-2 Barcelona: Arda & Pique seal comeback win

Gerard Pique netted a second-half winner as Barcelona came from behind to beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 in the Champions League after Arda Turan cancelled out Thorgan Hazard's opener.

Gladbach were thrashed 4-0 by Manchester City in their Group C opener earlier this month, while Barca hammered Celtic 7-0 on matchday one, but the Bundesliga side appeared to be on their way to a shock win following Hazard's goal after a quick counterattack at Borussia-Park.

However, Arda restored parity with a powerful volley just minutes after coming off the bench, before Pique took advantage of some poor goalkeeping from Yann Sommer to make the difference, thus ending a three-game winless streak for the Liga champions in Germany.Barca made it two wins from two games without injured star player Lionel Messi after previously seeing off Sporting Gijon 5-0.

Luis Enrique opted to give Rafinha the nod at the weekend, but Paco Alcacer had the chance to prove his worth this time around. The former Valencia star failed to impress, though, and was taken off after the break.

The away side could have gone a goal up via Neymar early on after a sublime team move. Luis Suarez reached Jordi Alba down the left, who immediately set up Neymar with a low cross after an intelligent dummy from Alcacer, only for the Brazil international to fire his attempt straight at Sommer.

Suarez was next to threaten for the Catalans when he made the most of some poor defending from Nico Elvedi after a long ball from Pique, but the former Liverpool star's wild volley went just wide of the far top corner.

Gladbach seemed to be happy to sit back and try to hit Barcelona on the break and that tactic paid off in the 34th minute when Hazard opened the scoring somewhat against the run of play.

Sergio Busquets recklessly lost possession in midfield and the hosts immediately charged forward with three men, Raffael setting up Mahmoud Dahoud down the left, who in turn laid the ball off for Hazard and the Belgian winger coolly slotted home from close range to beat former Gladbach goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen on his homecoming.It was Hazard's seventh goal in 10 appearances in all competitions, already one more than in 36 outings last term.

Shot-stopper Sommer showed his class minutes later to maintain his side's lead with a brilliant save to keep out Suarez's volley from close range after a fine pass from Rakitic, with Andreas Christensen clearing the rebound before a Barcelona attacker could get to it.

Luis Enrique opted to bring on Arda for Rakitic after the interval and his decision immediately paid off as the Turkey international levelled the scoring in the 65th minute. Neymar opened up the Gladbach defence with a clever ball over the top and Arda blasted a volley past the helpless Sommer to make it 1-1.Barcelona immediately started pushing forward and Pique netted the winner eight minutes later after some unconvincing goalkeeping from Sommer.

The Switzerland international failed to hold on to Suarez's shot after a corner and Pique was on hand to dispatch the rebound, Barca holding firm in the closing stages to secure all three points.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Napoli 4-2 Benfica: Mertens double proves the difference

Napoli consolidated their position at the top of Group B as goals from Marek Hamsik, Arkadiusz Milik and a Dries Mertens double secured an impressive 4-2 victory over Benfica at Stadio San Paolo.

Maurizio Sarri's side were allowed to run riot at the start of the second half, scoring three goals in the space of just seven minutes to turn what had been a closely-fought contest into something of a rout.

Hamsik gave the hosts the lead on 20 minutes when he nodded home a Faouzi Ghoulam corner before Mertens curled home a sublime free-kick early in the second half.

Milik then added the third from the penalty spot and Mertens bagged his second from close range, with Goncalo Guedes and substitute Eduardo Salvio netting nothing more than consolations for the visitors.The victory extends Napoli's unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions, while for Benfica, it was a first defeat of the season.

The result also maintains Napoli's 100 per cent start to their Champions League campaign, while Rui Vitoria's men are still searching for their first win having been held at home by Besiktas on matchday one.

The tone for an entertaining first half was set in the opening minute when Milik latched on to a fine long ball from Ghoulam but Julio Cesar comfortably gathered the Pole's toe-poke finish.

Benfica responded almost immediately as Kostas Mitroglou just failed to scramble home the loose ball after Pepe Reina could only palm away a Nelsinho cross.

And the Greece international then saw his 15-yard strike parried by the Napoli goalkeeper after excellent approach work down the left from Alejandro Grimaldo.
But it was the home side who took the lead on 20 minutes as Hamsik took advantage of the visitors' failure to position a man on the near post by meeting Ghoulam's pinpoint corner and glancing a header past Cesar.Milik came close to doubling his side's advantage just short of the half-hour, narrowly failing to slide home a low free-kick whipped into the box by Jorginho.

Napoli were not to be denied at the start of the second half, however, as Mertens made it 2-0 by bending home a superb free-kick after being fouled on the edge of the box by Lisandro Lopez.Jose Callejon was then clumsily upended in the box by Julio Cesar, allowing Milik to fire home his seventh goal in eight games from the spot.

And Mertens claimed his second from close range when Julio Cesar failed to deal with a cross, Milik deflected the ball back across goal and the Belgian nudged it home.Substitute Guedes then took advantage of some sloppy home defending to pull one back for the visitors.

With the points in the bag, the Italian side switched off again four minutes from time, allowing Andre Almeida to pick out Salvio who chested the ball down and calmly fired past Reina, but the damage had already been done.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ludogorets 1-3 Paris Saint-Germain: Cavani on form as visitors recover for victory

Edinson Cavani put his woes from Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League opener with Arsenal behind him with a double in a 3-1 win over Ludogorets on Wednesday.

Cavani netted in the opening minute of PSG's first Group A game this month but became the scapegoat for fluffing a simple finish later in the game as Arsenal equalised late on to claim a point.

And it looked for long periods as if PSG would have to settle for another disappointing result at the Vasil Levski National Stadium, Ludogorets opening the scoring in the 15th minute through full-back Natanael's free-kick.

Unai Emery's men offered little in way of a reply in the first half until they levelled shortly before the interval thanks to Blaise Matuidi's first goal of the season.

PSG were then rewarded for an improved start to the second half, Cavani completing the turnaround 10 minutes after the restart, but survived a major scare when Cosmin Moti's penalty was saved by Alphonse Areola soon afterwards.
The visitors then ensured their would be no way back for Ludogorets as Lucas Moura set up Cavani for a close-range second goal.

Cavani was presented with an excellent chance to break the deadlock in the fifth minute as Ludogorets conceded possession deep inside their own half, however, he only succeeded in lashing the ball well wide of the right-hand post.PSG struggled to break down the hosts in the early stages, though, and fell behind against the run of play as they were caught on the counter from a corner.

Thiago Motta hacked down Svetoslav Dyakov on the edge of the area, allowing Natanael to curl the free-kick through a hole in the wall and beyond Areola.

The initial response from PSG was meek, though Thiago Silva did waste a golden opportunity to level on the half-hour mark, heading Angel Di Maria's corner wide from point-blank range.

PSG had a huge appeal for a penalty then waved away by referee Pavel Kralovec when Cavani went down after being shoved in the back off the ball by Moti.
But PSG did draw level in the 41st minute as Matuidi latched on to an incisive pass from Marco Verratti and slotted home with a cool left-footed finish.

Di Maria curled wide on the turn after the break and then hit a weak finish straight at Vladislav Stoyanov from Cavani's lay-off following more sloppy play in possession from Ludogorets.But the Argenintian atoned for those misses as Cavani met his free-kick with a header that proved too powerful for Stoyanov to handle.

Ludogorets were handed a lifeline two minutes later when Motta gave away a penalty, bundling over Marcelinho in the area, however, Moti failed from 12 yards as his tame spot-kick was easily saved by Areola.Cavani immediately punished Moti's profligacy with his second on the hour mark, converting at the near post from Lucas' cut-back.

The Uruguayan almost turned provider as PSG pushed for a fourth, but his cross with the outside of the boot was turned wide by Matuidi with the goal at his mercy.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ancelotti frustrated by slow, toothless Bayern

Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti felt his side paid for a sluggish performance in their 1-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

The Bundesliga title-holders had won all eight of their matches so far this season before Wednesday, but a solitary strike from Yannick Ferreira Carrasco sealed a deserved win for the home side at the Vicente Calderon.

Bayern created few meaningful chances despite dominating possession, and Ancelotti was left frustrated by their slow use of the ball and a lack of "bite" when trying to win it back.

"We controlled the game, but the bottom line is that today we had no bite in the tackle, we weren't determined enough. We lost too many balls and played too slow," he said.

"It was a tough game, as we expected. We could have played better. We lost some balls and got hit on the counter."They scored and then I think we tried to get back into it but we were too slow, and that's why I do not think we had too many chances to get back into it.

"Losing is always sad. You never want to lose. We need to evaluate the game, look at what we did well and did not do well and go forward. We are at the start of the season. We still have the chance to top the group and we will need to beat Atletico in the return game to do so."Against Atletico, you have to be faster and take your chances. It was not a good performance, but it was just a game. Next time, it will be better."

The victory was Atletico's second against Bayern this year, following their 1-0 win in the first leg of last season's Champions League semi-final in the Spanish capital.
Arjen Robben, who came on as a second-half substitute, has called on his team-mates to take on board the lessons of those two defeats ahead of Saturday's Bundesliga match against Cologne."This was a big game for the group stage. It was the semi-finals last season, and we saw why," said the Netherlands international.

"We started quite well, we were aggressive and we had chances - you need to take them in a game like this, just as Atletico did. We must learn from it. On Saturday, we want to win again."

Atleti now hold a three-point lead over Bayern at the top of Group D after their two victories to date, with Rostov and PSV further behind on a point apiece following their 2-2 draw.

 

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Wenger flattered by England link but focused on Arsenal


Arsene Wenger has reaffirmed his commitment to Arsenal after once again being linked with the England job but admitted the links were flattering.

Sam Allardyce's stunning departure on Tuesday, after just one game in charge, leaves the Football Association searching for a new manager, with Under-21 boss Gareth Southgate taking charge of the senior team for their next four matches.
Wenger, who celebrates 20 years at the helm at Arsenal this weekend, has been linked with the position before and his current contract at the Emirates Stadium expires at the end of the season.
Walcott double downs Basel

Speaking after Arsenal's 2-0 win over Basel in the Champions League on Wednesday, the Frenchman admitted to being flattered to be talked about as a potential candidate for the vacancy - but insisted he was only focused on his current employers for now.Wenger said: "It's a huge surprise what happened - who could have predicted that 48 hours ago? Nobody, but the English game is always full of surprises.

"Look, of course [I'm flattered] but my priority has always been this club. Until the end of this season I am here and completely focused on that."I said many times my priority was towards Arsenal Football Club, I will have to assess how well I do until the end of the season."

Arsenal extended their unbeaten run to eight games with a routine victory over Basel at the Emirates Stadium thanks to two Theo Walcott goals."I would like to congratulate my team for the quality of football they produced," Wenger told the club's official website. "The first half was top, top class.

"We have to be ambitious but also keep our feet on the ground. We know how we want to play but we still want to get better."Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are locked together on four points at the top of Group A.

 

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UEFA Europa League Group Stage Fixtures 2016.09.29

UEFA Europa League Group Stage Fixtures 2016.09.29

Astana Vs Young Boys
Qabala Vs Mainz 05
Ajax Vs Standard Liège
Celta de Vigo Vs Panathinaikos
Zurich Vs Osmanlıspor
Steaua Bucuresti Vs Villarreal
Sparta Praha Vs Internazionale
Hapoel Vs Southampton
Gent Vs Konyaspor
Shakhtar Donetsk Vs Sporting Braga
Fiorentina Vs Qarabag
Slovan Liberec Vs PAOK
Schalke 04 Vs Salzburg
Krasnodar Vs Nice
Athletic Club Vs Rapid Wien
Genk Vs Sassuolo
Austria Wien Vs Viktoria Plzen
Roma Vs Astra
Zenit Vs AZ
Dundalk Vs Maccabi Tel Aviv
Olympiakos Vs APOEL
Fenerbahce Vs Feyenoord
Manchester United Vs Zorya
Saint-Etienne Vs Anderlecht ​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Good Luck Manchester United!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester United Vs Zorya

Manchester United Starting Line-up

Romero
Fosu-Mensah
Bailly
Smalling
Rojo
Fellaini
Pogba
Lingard
Mata
Rashford
Ibrahimovic

&

Zorya Starting Line-up

Shevchenko
Sivakov
Chaykovskiy
Kamenyuka
Petriak
Kulach
Forster
Karavaev
Ljubenovic
Grechyshkin
Sobol
​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Good Luck Manchester United!
​

 

[Alucard_SxE]

quality is so poor in these europa league matches
both utd & fener games are pretty boring

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Half Time

Manchester United 0 Vs 0 Zorya

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[Wolverine GTR]

quality is so poor in these europa league matches
both utd & fener games are pretty boring

Manchester United Vs Zorya match 1ke Manchester United full try 1ka denawa score karanna.ath finishing madi
​