..::Football II::..

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Simeone: Falcao deserves everything he is getting

Diego Simeone has heaped praise on his star striker Radamel Falcao, saying that the success Atletico Madrid's number nine is achieving is all down to his own making.

The former Argentine midfielder explained that by having the right frame of mind, being extremely determined and by constantly practising, Falcao has become one of the world's deadliest strikers.

"He deserves everything he is getting because of his hard work, character, ambitions and belief," said Simeone. "That's what's taken him where he is right now."

The former Argentina international has labelled Falcao as a player who is always "positive" and Simeone is happy to have the 26-year-old Colombian at Vicente Calderon.

"We are happy to have a striker like him among us because football is all about transmission and he transmits positive energy. I just hope he keeps on going."

Los Colchoneros sit joint top in La Liga along with Barcelona on 25 points each, with Atletico traveling to face Valencia on Saturday. And the 42-year-old tactician expects a tough fight against Los Che, who sit 11th.

"We are facing an opponent in need," he said. "Valencia lost their last game against Real Betis. They have obligations now and a huge hierarchy among their players. Hopefully we'll be ready for the fight because this will be a tough one."

 

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Di Matteo: Chelsea is vulnerable without Terry

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo believes the suspension of captain John Terry has left his side weaker in defense.


In the three matches Terry has missed, Chelsea has conceded nine goals, and Di Matteo is looking forward to being able to once again call upon the center back.

"He's obviously been an influential player for us, for sure, and a fantastic defender," Di Matteo told reporters. "When he plays, he's always played very well for us.

"The other players have done a fantastic job by coming in and playing when they've been in the team but, certainly, JT is a player that we miss. The last few games, we've conceded a few more goals than at the start of the season.


"Generally, it's been down probably to a few individual mistakes. But I think our track record is very good and, surely, will continue to be."

Terry has to sit out one more game before he can play again in the Premier League, but Di Matteo is hoping for improvement in the Blues’ next game against Swansea.

He added: "We have to improve but I don't think it's just as simple as that.

"You look at other teams and they're conceding goals, so we certainly have to improve, from the last few games, our defensive organization."

 

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Ballack fires his lawyer during speeding trial

Ex-Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack has parted ways with his lawyer on the first day of his speeding trial.

The 36-year-old, who retired from football in October, had earlier been arrested for speeding near Trujilo, Spain, and had already requested a reduction of the 10,000 euros required to pay the fine.

His lawyer then argued on Thursday that his client currently does not have a regular wage at his disposal and he therefore pleaded for a reduction of the fine to 1,000 euros.

Ballack told reporters: "The Spanish lawyer, whom I only let attend because he was appointed to me before the first day of trial, did not have the assignment to argue in the nonsensical way like he apparently did.

"Because of that, I immediately released him from his duty. Of course I respect the Spanish law, the Spanish court and their judgement," he continued.

The final judgement in the case is expected to be announced next week.

 

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Mata set to meet familiar faces when Chelsea takes on Swansea

Chelsea playmaker Juan Mata says he will come up against a number of familiar faces when his side take on Swansea on Saturday.

Having previously taken charge of Getafe and Mallorca, Swans boss Michael Laudrup used his extensive knowledge of La Liga to his advantage during the summer transfer window.

That led to moves to the Premier League for Pablo Hernandez, Michu and Jonathan de Guzman, all of whom have impressed early on this season.

And Mata, who joined the Blues from Valencia in 2011, has revealed that he is particularly close to Hernandez.

"Pablo is one of my best friends in football," he told Chelsea's official website. "I was with him three years at Valencia and I was sharing my room with him for two years. We used to go on holiday together and we used to play golf together. He is a better golf player than me.

"As a football player he is a right winger, he has pace, he has quality and can cross and score goals. He used to play in the national team as well, when we were in the Confederations Cup three years ago. He asked me how it was playing in the Premier League and I said positive things about this, and about this country, and I think he is very happy here. He is enjoying his life in Wales and has Spanish friends there as well and he is learning English. I think it is a very good step for him in his life."

The 24-year-old also had kind words for forward Michu who, like him, graduated from Real Oviedo's academy as a young footballer.

"He did really good things last season in the Spanish league, scoring 15 goals at Rayo Vallecano which was the best for a midfielder. So far he is doing very well at Swansea, he is scoring and is playing like a number nine. So he has settled down in the Premier League very well."

The midfielder went on to further discuss the Spanish influence on the Swansea squad, speaking of De Guzman, Angel Rangel and Chico Flores.

"Chico Flores is a central defender and I played with him in the Under-21 national team," he explained. "We played together in a playoff to be qualified for the European Championships and he has experience because he used to play in Italy as well.

"De Guzman used to play in Mallorca and when I played against him he was a very dynamic midfielder with the quality to play and to defend as well. Rangel has played for a long time at Swansea and knows this country very well and for me he is one of the most consistent fullbacks in the league."

Finally, the Spain international praised former Real Madrid and Barcelona star Laudrup, who has enjoyed a solid start to life as a Premier League manager.

"Michael was one of the best European footballers in history and the way he used to play, he is trying to include it now in his teams," he stated. "They like to play with the ball from the back and not with the long balls.

"Last season at Swansea they played well against us, they moved the ball so quickly and nearly won. They changed players, changed manager but they are doing more or less the same this season."

 

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Pardew: Ba has 'good chance' of making Liverpool clash

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has revealed that Demba Ba could feature against Liverpool on Sunday, despite being withdrawn during the recent clash with West Brom due to injury.

The 27-year-old netted the opening goal of the game, which the Magpies went on to win 2-1, but had to be replaced by Shola Ameobi in the second half.

However, Pardew remains enthusiastic about the striker's chances of recovering in time for the trip to Anfield and expressed confidence over his squad depth regardless.

"Demba has a knock but he still has a good chance," he told reporters. "He will come into my thinking tomorrow. If he doesn't play we can still win."

The Tyneside outfit has failed to post victory at Anfield since 1994, a record that Pardew attributes to the ground's special atmosphere.

"This side have only been once," he continued. "Going to Anfield can be emotional. It is such an emotional start [in reference to You'll Never Walk Alone anthem]. You can get wrapped up in it. We need to play the game."

The 51-year-old agreed that the two clubs also share similar targets this season, but thinks that the Merseyside outfit has more pressure due to its past achievements.

"We are two clubs very similar at the moment," he added. "There is more pressure [on them] because of what they won. But both of us have ambitions of top six or top four."

 

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Pires: Arsenal can finish in the top three

Arsenal legend Robert Pires has insisted his former side can finish in the Premier League top three this season.

The Gunners have endured a mixed start to the season but ensured they remain two points behind fourth-placed Tottenham with a 1-0 win over QPR on Saturday.

And Pires, who was part of an Arsenal side which went an entire domestic season unbeaten to lift the title, believes the current crop have enough about them to finish near the summit.

“I see top three for them,” Pires told ZoneMixte.fr. “The comeback of Wilshere will be good, Arteta has progressed. Giroud, Podolski, Cazorla have experience at a high level. Therefore, I think, and i hope, they will make great things.”

The 39-year-old also hailed Arsene Wenger’s financial philosophy, believing it will reap rewards once UEFA’s new Financial Fair Play regulations come into play.

“Now, with the Fair Play system, Arsenal will be one of the only clean clubs in Europe. When Arsène explains that he wants to qualify in Champions League, he knows that it is an important competition at the economical plan.

“But I understand fans and players who want to win titles. The Premier League, the Cup, even League Cup are important, because it's a means to making a celebration, therefore the words are not the same and I understand that people could be angry.”

Pires went on to dismiss suggestions that the north London club are reluctant to invest in the transfer market, citing the recent arrivals of Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud.

“I think Arsène can spend money," he continued. "If it was not the case, Cazorla couldn't come, for example. Giroud is good. I ask people to be patient with him. It's not easy for Olivier, he has to score goals, in another country, with another language. But his second mission is to replace Robin Van Persie, so good luck!

“His relation with Belhanda in Montpellier for example, its the result of work. This kind of relation, he will have with players like Cazorla, Podolski or Walcott, because there are players who play in side and have to give him good pass. People have to remember that Thierry Henry didn't score when he arrived. Now he is a legend. Henry was very strong with Bergkamp, i don't know if he could become a great player without him.”

 

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Mourinho: Every player must improve

Jose Mourinho has warned his Real Madrid players that they all must improve their performance levels if they hope to retain their Liga title.



Los Blancos lie in fourth position in the table, with league leaders Barcelona eight points ahead of them, having played the same number of games.

Mesut Ozil attracted particular criticism for his performances earlier this season, but when asked whether the Germany international's form had picked up, Mourinho was adamant that he must do more."What? Has he? really? He's playing same as others, they all need to improve," he told reporters at a press conference. "To win we must play well. Because when we don't, we don't win. Other teams have more luck, in certain details, and can win without playing well."

Mourinho went on to confirm that midfield duo Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira are still missing through injury, but is confident he has enough depth in his squad to make do without them.
"I'd love to have Khedira and Xabi available to play but it's not a problem. We have other options."Finally, the former Inter coach defended his decision not to field more youngsters in recent matches by pointing out that the club's youth academy had not produced much world class talent in recent years.

"Only two players at most from the Real Madrid youth system participated in the last three Champions League finals."

 

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Manchester City boss Mancini: Seven or eight teams wanted me last year

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has revealed he was in talks with a number of clubs before reaffirming his commitment to the Premier League champions.

"Last year I was very close with seven, eight teams," he told reporters. "But I prefer to stay here because I have worked well here for three years.

Reports on Thursday claimed that the Italian had been in extensive negotiations with French side Monaco, but decided to remain with City after leading them to the title.

The 47-year-old has now admitted that several teams were interested in him but moved to reassure fans of his dedication to the club for the coming seasons.

"We have won three trophies in two years and now the next three or five years will be very important for us," Mancini said. "Now with Ferrano and Begiristain we can work very well and improve our team."

Mancini went on to insist that he is enjoying his time with City and described the Etihad Stadium as the "best place" for him.

"I signed a contract for the next 5 years because I believe in this squad and I work with really serious people like the chairman," he said.

He added, "To work with people like this is fantastic because it's difficult in football to find people who work well with the manager and for me it’s a fantastic situation.

"The best place at the moment is here because I have worked heard for three years to build this team and for the next five years my work and my job is here."

 

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Martinez urges Di Santo to sign new Wigan deal

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has urged Franco Di Santo to keep his feet on the ground and sign a new deal at the club.

The 23-year-old Di Santo recently earned his first call-up to the Argentina squad and could feature alongside the likes of Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi in an upcoming friendly against Saudi Arabia. The striker's Latics contract expires at the end of the season, but Martinez is sure he can convince Di Santo to stay at the club for the foreseeable future.

“We haven’t even looked into it yet in detail, but both parties know what to do next. I’m pretty confident,” Martinez told reporters. “Franco needs to carry on fulfilling his potential with Wigan. We don’t want this call-up to break his development and all of a sudden put things into people’s heads.

“His next step is to be an important player for Argentina. We’re all looking forward to seeing him achieve that transformation while he is at Wigan. One day I’m sure Franco will be ready to challenge in a team to win the title or win the Champions League, but he’s not there yet. At the moment we’re only talking potential. He has absolutely everything but now is the time he wants to show it consistently. We don’t want to upset his development.”

Wigan paid 4 million pounds for Di Santo after he had struggled to make an impact in England with Chelsea and then Blackburn, a gamble that Martinez believes paid off.

“It’s been an incredible journey for Franco," Martinez said. "He arrived as a 21-year-old after a couple of different roles for two clubs in the Premier League, and now he’s found stability at Wigan. It’s been fascinating to see his transformation from a young boy with great potential to a proper footballer.

“We paid 4 million pounds for Franco when he was 21. In the last year of his time at Blackburn he never played for six months so he was a real investment for us. Only time will tell (how much he is worth now). I told Franco that if he can replicate what he did in the last nine games of last season for the whole 10 months of the season it will be a top value in world football But you can only put a value on a player when you want to sell him, and we don’t want to sell him.”

 

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Shaqiri: I want to prove my worth to Bayern

Xherdan Shaqiri has stressed he does not want to hide behind his relatively young age and is determined to make an impact at Bayern Munich as soon as possible.

The 21-year-old Switzerland international joined Bayern from Basel in the summer transfer window and has since impressed with a number of fine displays for the Bundesliga giants.

"Things can go pretty fast in football. A lot of people would have thought I'd need more time. I don't want to hide behind anything, though. I want to add something to the team," Shaqiri told Goal.com.

He added, "I was obviously hoping to get this much playing time. You'll have to perform first, though, and impress the coach. I'm on the right path at the moment."

Shaqiri is one of a number of promising youngsters at Bayern, and the attacker is confident fellow talents such as Mitchell Weiser and Emre Can can progress at the Allianz Arena side.

"We have a lot of very good young players. There's Emre, Mitchell, and I'm still pretty young as well. That's why we have a lot of fun both on and off the pitch," he said.

"These two in particular will find their way at Bayern. The competition for places is stiff, though, so they might need some time."

Shaqiri has scored one goal in 13 appearances for the Munich side so far this season.

 

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Carzola: We need to control the game to win at Old Trafford

Arsenal midfielder Santi Carzola thinks the key to victory over Manchester United on Saturday will be keeping control of possession.

The Spain international has become a key figure in the Gunners' midfield since his summer move from Malaga, and he says a win at Old Trafford will install huge self-belief within the players, but recognizes they will have their work cut out for them.

"I think the key to modern football is having possession. The more you have the more you control the game. At Old Trafford we need to control the game and keep hold of the ball," Cazorla told the club's official website. "Therefore, as well as the three points you can hopefully take from those games, you can come out stronger and take away more confidence too.

"[A win] would be great for the team's confidence. To beat such a strong side at their own ground makes you stronger in all aspects. Let's take the example of our match against Manchester City, which was a difficult game against a tough side. The team showed incredible quality and could even have won the game, so we came out of that match much stronger than before.

The 27-year-old says the game at Old Trafford is one of the matches that he's been looking forward to ever since he made his switch to Arsenal.

"It's a great fixture," Cazorla said. "It's a great stadium, they're a good side and it's a big game. It will be a brilliant experience. They've got brilliant players like Robin [van Persie], [Wayne] Rooney and many more who are first class, so it will be very difficult to beat them.

"But all the players in our squad have played against some of the biggest teams in the world so it's nothing new for us."

 

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Milito pumps brakes on Mourinho-Stramaccioni comparisons

Inter Milan forward Diego Milito feels it is premature to compare hishttp://www.goal.com/en-us/teams/italy/2/internazionale-news coach Andrea Stramaccioni to Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho as the two are at different stages in their career, although the Argentine striker, who has played for both coaches, does believe there are similarities between them.

Stramaccioni, 36, was recently likened to the outspoken Portuguese coach by Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti and has been drawing widespread comparisons because of his early success on a big stage, but Milito believes it is too early to make any such comparisons.

"I'd prefer to avoid this discussion. Mourinho has already won everything throughout his career. Our current coach on the other hand is only at the beginning of his," Milito was quoted as saying by Tuttosport. "The thing they have in common is their ability to get the right message across to the players and to get the best out of each of us."

The prolific attacker then went on to stress that he is thoroughly enjoying life at the Nerazzurri, adding that his current side will be his last club in Europe.

"I’m really happy at Inter, and there is still plenty of time until my contract expires in 2014," said Milito, who has five goals in 10 league this season. "We’ll see what happens, but I’m sure that Inter will be my last European club."

 

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Giggs: Van Persie's arrival from Arsenal has given Manchester United a lift

Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs has hailed the impact Robin van Persie has had at Old Trafford since his summer move from Arsenal.

“When a ready-made, world class player comes in it gives everybody a lift,” Giggs told reporters. “And Robin is certainly that. He’s proven that with his goals and all-round play since he’s come to the club.”

The striker has netted nine goals in 12 games for his new club and Giggs, who turns 39 this month, thinks the striker’s all round play has given everyone at the club a lift after losing the Premier League to neighbor Manchester City last season.

“Robin’s set piece delivery is really important to us, it’s a big plus that we’re scoring from set pieces and corners," Giggs explained. “That’s something we haven’t done over the last few years as often as we’d have liked."

He added, “So with Robin it’s not just goals you get. He’s helped a few different names get on the score sheet.”

Van Persie comes up against the club he walked out on in the summer on Saturday but Giggs is not expecting a repeat of the 8-2 scoreline which occurred last season.

“Last season was one of those fluke performances," Giggs insisted. “We always expect a tough performance against Arsenal. It’s no different this time.”

 

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Muller: Bayern must forget Champions League disappointments of the past

Thomas Muller has stressed that Bayern Munich must focus on the future and forget about UEFA Champions League disappointments of the past.


The Bundesliga giants have made it to the final of European club football's elite competition twice in the past three seasons, but left they the pitch empty handed at both occasions as Inter proved to be too strong in 2010, before Chelsea poured even more salt in Bayern's wounds by winning in penalty kicks at Bayern's own Allianz Arena in 2012.

Muller is no longer thinking about previous results, though, and is determined to go far in Europe this term.

"We have to forget about the lost Champions League finals against Inter and Chelsea. We live for the future," the Germany international told UEFA.com. "Everything that happened in the past can't be changed, and it doesn't make any sense to think about what happened last season.

"There's still a great objective in my head, but you can see how important and explosive the matches become, starting from the last 16, then the quarterfinals and so on, "It's just great fun to play at such a top European level."

Bayern has collected six points from three games so far and sit tied first in Group F, recovering from a shock loss to BATE Borisov to dispatch Lille on the strength of Muller's penalty kick.

 

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Messi: There's no tension with David Villa

Barcelona attacker Lionel Messi has made it clear that he does not have any problems with teammate David Villa.

The two had a heated discussion on the pitch during the Catalans' win over Granada earlier this season, and a number of recent reports suggested that the duo's relationship has gone sour since the incident.

However, Messi has stressed that their argument ended there and then on the pitch.

"It led to a bit of controversy when what happened took place. That obviously all stayed on the pitch, though" Messi was quoted as saying by El Mundo Deportivo. "We get along just fine, just like everybody else in the dressing room."

He added, "David is a great guy who doesn't fight with anyone. It is very difficult to fight with someone with his character.

"We talked about what happened, but we absolutely don't have a problem with each other."

Barcelona is currently preparing for Saturday's Liga match at home against Celta Vigo.

 

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Pogba: Conte can become like Ferguson

Paul Pogba believes that Juventus coach Antonio Conte has the qualities to follow in the footsteps of iconic Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

The French midfielder worked with Ferguson during his three-year spell at the Premier League giants, before leaving the club for Juve this summer, and has nothing but praise for his new coach.

"Can Conte become a true great like Ferguson? I think so, yes. He is a great trainer and an equally good manager," the 19-year-old told Tuttosport.

He added, "Conte and the other members of the technical staff keep on telling me that I still have room for improvement, and they are right. We talk to each other in Italian. We speak very often."

The youngster then took the time to discuss his chances of becoming a regular starter, and stressed that he's determined to break into the first XI.

"I don't know whether it will be tough to beat the competition of players such as [Arturo] Vidal and [Claudio] Marchisio for a starting berth. That's a decision the coach has to make," Pogba said.

"I only know that I will have to be ready whenever the coach needs me. I always want to play, also against Inter."

Juventus takes on Inter on Saturday evening as it aims to extend its four-point lead over the Nerazzurri.

 

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Klopp: We do not have Bayern's depth

Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp feels that Bayern Munich's financial strength and squad depth makes it hard for any other German side to compete with them.

Jupp Heynckes's side trounced Kaiserlautern on Wednesday night in the DFB Cup despite making eight changes to his starting eleven.

Klopp highlighted that even reigning champion Dortmund is not as spoiled for choice as the Bavarians currently are.

"We all do not have the opportunity to change eight players like Bayern Munich just did in the DFB Pokal and still dominate the opponents," he told reporters.

"In this point, Bayern Munich are a giant step ahead of us. They also have more opportunities, we have to bite a bit more, but until now this is working fine. We dont want to change anything. This is our philosophy, to be successful with the team we have."

Dortmund currently finds itself in fourth place in the Bundesliga, nine points off league leader Bayern Munich.

 

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Neymar: No one can do what Messi does

Santos striker Neymar has voiced his opinion that Barcelona's Lionel Messi is the world's finest footballer and dropped a hint that he would like to play for the Catalans one day.



The young Brazilian believes that while Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta are great players, no one is more deserving of the Ballon d'Or than the Argentine."For me, there are three players who are better than the rest: Iniesta, Ronaldo and Messi," Neymar is quoted as saying by Marca. "But, the best is Messi. There is nobody who can do the things he does. To play alongside Messi would be a dream. Even just training with him would make me very happy."

Messi himself recently praised the young Brazilian, who has been turning heads with his blistering performances for Santos, and Neymar was quick to acknowledge his gratitude.

"Can you imagine the best in your profession giving you praise? It made me very happy and I can only thank him for his words," he concluded.

 

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Paris City Hall withdraws PSG funding

Paris City Hall has announced that from next season onwards it will halt the payments that it makes to finance Paris Saint-Germain.

The club is currently paid 1 million euros every season by the local authority, but after the takeover by the Qatari Investment Authority, which has led to a number of big-money signings, it has been decided that Les Parisiens do not require the backing of the city.

The Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, explained the proposal, which will be submitted at the next meeting of the council on Nov. 12.

"After careful consideration of the situation of the club, and in accordance with its leaders, it appears that maintaining a municipal grant to PSG is neither necessary, nor appropriate in a context of fiscal restraint," he wrote.

"From 2012-13 the club will continue its efforts on its own without financial support from the community."

PSG, boosted by the acquisition of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva in the summer, finds itself first in the Ligue 1 table with 22 points from 10 games.

 

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Arsenal unveils plans for Indonesian friendly

Arsenal has revealed that it will travel to Indonesia for a preseason friendly next summer.

Having visited China and Malaysia in the last two years, the Gunners will return to Asia to visit the world's fourth most populous country, where it last set foot 30 years ago.

Although no date has been set, the club has confirmed that the match will take place in the capital city of Jakarta.

Chief executive Ivan Gazidis announced: "Everyone at Arsenal is extremely excited to once again be visiting Asia.

"We know that Arsenal enjoy fantastic support in Indonesia and we are all looking forward to bringing the club closer to these loyal fans and learning more about the country's rich heritage and culture."