..::Football III::..

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Sterling: I regret manner of Liverpool exit

Raheem Sterling admits that he regrets the manner of his exit from Liverpool , having sealed a £49 million move to Manchester City .

The England international was involved in a protracted transfer saga after turning down the club's offer of a new £100,000-a-week contract.

Sterling threatened to go on strike as he attempted to force a move and twice called in sick to training , while his agent, Aidy Ward, claimed there had been a "breakdown in trust" between his client and Brendan Rodgers .

Sterling watched on as his new team-mates defeated Melbourne City 1-0 in a pre-season friendly on Saturday, and subsequently expressed his wish that he had handled his departure differently.

"I was a bit disappointed how I left," he told Fox Sports Australia.

"That was the main problem I've had with the situation - how I've left it with Liverpool.

"I'm good with everyone at the football club, the manager, the players and I wish them well for the new season.

"But it was really disappointing how it did finish off."

 

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Oscar wants Chelsea stay

Chelsea playmaker Oscar insists he has no intention of leaving the club this summer, despite the ongoing speculation surrounding his future.

The Brazil international, who missed last season’s Premier League finale and the Copa America through injury, signed a new contract last November.

The 23-year-old has been linked with a summer move to Juventus but the 23-year-old is adamant he is going nowhere.

He told Sky Sports: “I am happy at Chelsea and last season we agreed a new contract. I love Chelsea and I want to stay here for a long time.”

Chelsea have been relatively quiet in the transfer market this summer by their standards with Radamel Falcao’s loan move from Monaco representing their most high-profile signing thus far.

The Colombia forward endured a miserable time at Manchester United last season but Oscar is hopeful he can rediscover his best form in a Chelsea shirt.

“Everyone hopes to see Falcao play at his best for us because we all know he can be a great player,” he added.

 

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Benitez: Bale could be Madrid's new No.10

Rafael Benitez believes Gareth Bale has the ability to play as a No.10 for Real Madrid after using the Welsh star in a central role against Roma in Melbourne on Saturday.

Bale was deployed behind striker Jese Rodríguez instead of on the wing during Madrid's uninspiring penalty shootout loss at the Melbourne Cricket Ground - the Spanish giants' first game of pre-season and their debut under Benitez.

The Wales international was Los Blancos' brightest spark in the game, and Benitez hinted he will continue to experiment with the position of his star forwards as he looks to breathe new life into a squad that lost out on the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey last term.

"It's an idea, it's an option," the former Liverpool boss said when asked about whether he planned to use Bale in the centre in the future."Obviously, he can play different positions in the final third. This one is an option and I like this option if he can do well."

Bale was the subject of immense scrutiny last term after some poor performances. He scored 13 goals and made nine assists in 31 league games last term.

 

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Arsenal 3-1 Everton: Wenger's men cruise to comfortable Asia Trophy final victory

Arsenal cruised to a comfortable 3-1 win over Everton in the final of the Asia Trophy on Saturday.

Theo Walcott, Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil found the net in a commanding performance from the FA Cup holders, for whom former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech enjoyed a solid debut outing - despite being beaten late on by Ross Barkley's excellent finish.

Wenger's side looked the more accomplished from the outset and took the lead midway through the first half when Walcott and Cazorla linked for the England man to score.

Provider turned goalscorer when Cazorla coolly doubled the advantage after 58 minutes, while Ozil put the finishing touches on an excellent evening's work for Arsenal four minutes later.

Arsenal - 4-0 winners against a Singapore Select XI in the semi-finals - forged ahead in the 22nd minute when Walcott poked past Joel Robles after racing onto Cazorla's lofted pass.

Walcott's pace posed a threat again 10 minutes later when he escaped down the left, only to overhit his cross beyond the reach of Olivier Giroud.

It was the Gunners who continued to force the issue, with Aaron Ramsey dragging a shot wide from 20 yards, while Giroud drew a smart stop from Joel.

Yet Everton could still have gone in at the break level had it not been for Cech's fingertip save from Steven Naismith's header, with the ball coming off the crossbar and Arouna Kone's follow-up effort - which struck Gareth Barry - being disallowed for offside.

A frantic start to the second half saw a host of chances go begging, with Ozil glancing a header wide, Luke Garbutt forcing Cech into a full-length save, and the lively Walcott side-footing narrowly wide of the far post.

Cazorla was more precise, though, cutting onto his left foot and finding the bottom corner from the edge of the box just before the hour mark.

After Kone headed Phil Jagielka's cross over the crossbar, the game was ended as a contest when Ozil confidently poked home from six yards after being sent clear by Cazorla.

Roberto Martinez's men did manage to grab a consolation through Barkley's superb 76th-minute strike into the top corner, but Arsenal deservedly lifted the trophy.

 

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FC Groningen 0-3 Southampton: Clasie makes debut in comfortable win

Ronald Koeman returned to former club Groningen on Saturday and saw his Southampton side produce a confident performance in a straightforward 3-0 win, with Jordy Clasie making his debut in the pre-season victory.

Koeman, who made his professional debut as a player at Groningen in the 1980s, had seen Southampton lose each of their previous three pre-season friendlies, though victory never looked in doubt this time around, with Dusan Tadic starring on his return to Euroborg.

Southampton named a starting XI combining a mixture of youth and experience and took control early on.

Victor Wanyama headed Steven Davis' 20th-minute corner against the crossbar and the hosts failed to heed that warning, as Jose Fonte nodded in from their next set-piece just four minutes later.

Koeman introduced Clasie for his debut at the break but it was another of the newcomers - Cedric Soares - who helped provide Southampton's second, linking well with Tadic before teeing up Sadio Mane for a simple finish in the 52nd minute.

And Tadic was at the centre of things again 20 minutes later, as the former Groningen star worked an opening for Graziano Pelle, who made no mistake in front of goal.

 

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Thiago Motta won't play for Paris Saint-Germain - Blanc

Thiago Motta will not feature for Paris Saint-Germain in their next few friendlies as he looks to orchestrate a move away from the club, head coach Laurent Blanc has admitted.

The midfielder revealed that he has already told his coach there is "no way" he will still be at PSG at the end of the summer transfer window and has suggested he could be set to return to Inter.Blanc said the 32-year-old has made his position clear and insisted that it is "incompatible" with the club's stance.

“We know the player’s position and that of the club," Blanc told L'Equipe. "They have been spoken about very clearly already.“Just now these positions are incompatible, so Motta will not play in the next few games. He’s not in the best possible frame of mind.”

The Brazil-born Italy international, who has won eight trophies at PSG, including three Ligue 1 titles, is out of contract next summer.

 

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Didier Drogba in advanced MLS talks

Didier Drogba is in talks with Major League Soccer over a move which could see him join Chicago Fire and a decision could be made this weekend, Goal understands.

The Fire have been identified as the MLS team most likely to secure the services of the Ivorian striker – a player MLS tried unsuccessfully to sign three years ago.

Drogba passed on a lucrative MLS offer in 2012 in order to join Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, only to leave after six months.Goal has learned that the final offer currently on the table for Drogba is $2.6 million (€2.4m) per season, an offer Drogba could make a final decision on by the end of the weekend.

However, Drogba is reportedly also considering other options, including one from an unidentified team in Qatar.

The 37-year-old striker is currently without a club after his contract with Chelsea ended this summer, with the Ivorian bowing out as a Premier League champion for the fourth time.

 

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Pele in hospital after back surgery

Brazil legend Pele is in hospital after undergoing back surgery.The 74-year-old, who had a prostate operation in May this year, underwent the procedure at the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo on Thursday.

Pele is expected to be allowed to return home on Monday, with reports in Brazil claiming he has regained muscle strength and is no longer in pain.

The hospital's press office declined to comment on the three-time World Cup winner's current condition or the specific reasons behind his operation.

 

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Get well soon Pele!​

 

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'The sooner the better' - Woodward eyes further Man Utd signings

Manchester United are keen to bring in more signings as quickly as possible this summer, according to Ed Woodward.

Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin have already arrived during the current transfer window and Louis van Gaal claimed on Friday that he was hoping to sign at least two more players.

Woodward admits any business must be concluded quickly as Van Gaal looks to integrate new signings into his squad, and says that the final say on any new buys will come from the Dutchman.

"The sooner the better," Woodward told MUTV. "Because it means Louis can start blending them into the team and getting them used to the training, get used to their colleagues.

"We'll see, with transfers, everyone wants to know what's going to happen, who you're talking to. The reality is we've been successful in bringing in four, which is fantastic. To the extent that others come, it's up to Louis.

"We'll continue to assess what's out there and assess the squad we've got and think about the upcoming season, where we're obviously going to have more games than last year. We'll see."

Woodward's reputation has soared in recent weeks as he has gained plaudits for his work this summer, and insists he feels no pressure when it comes to securing new signings.

"It's not a challenge from my perspective, in terms of bringing players in, selling players etc.," he added.

"The biggest challenge is blending them into a team that works. Louis worked extremely hard, and his coaching staff, all last year to do that, to get that blend and get it clicking.

"You look at the 3-0 win over Spurs, the 2-1 Liverpool victory, when we beat City 4-2, I mention again - sorry - but we could see that happening. Something suddenly clicks. And that was all the hard work that goes into the training and the preparation that we don't see."

 

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Walcott, Ozil & Cech celebrate Arsenal's Asia Cup victory

Arsenal picked up their first piece of silverware of the season on Saturday, as they defeated Everton 3-1 in the final of the Asia Trophy in Singapore.

And several of the club’s stars subsequently took to Twitter to express their delight at winning their first medals of the 2015-16 season.

Petr Cech – who made his debut in the clash following his move from Chelsea – led the charge on social media, and was joined by Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Emiliano Martinez paying tribute to their fans in the Far East and hailing their victory.

 

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Vidal can replace Schweinsteiger - Matthaus

Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthaus feels Arturo Vidal shares the same strength of personality as Oliver Kahn and Stefan Effenberg and believes he would be a fine replacement for Bastian Schweinsteiger.Vidal is set to join Bayern from Juventus in a €40 million deal as the club move swiftly to replace Schweinsteiger following his transfer to Manchester United.

The Chile star has blossomed into one of the best midfielders in the world since joining Juve from Bayer Leverkusen and Matthaus is a fan of his combative style.
"He would be a great addition for Bayern because he is the perfect example of a player who moves between defence and attack. Bayern do not have a player like that yet," he told La Tercera.

"Vidal would be a great signing. If he arrives at Bayern, that would ease some of the pain from Schweinsteiger's departure.

"His character is very similar to that of Kahn and Effenberg. He's one of the best midfielders in the world and is a player with many qualities."He's great in recovering the ball and in the transition from defence to attack. He's also an aggressive leader."

Another Bayern and Germany icon, Sepp Maier, also offered a glowing endorsement of Vidal and believes he is a perfect fit for Pep Guardiola's style of football."Vidal fits well in the Guardiola system. His way of playing football is very similar to Schweinsteiger. I hope he fills the space that Bastian has left.

"From a sporting point of view Vidal can replace him, but it's very difficult to replace a person who has spent 17 years at the club."

 

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Casillas makes Porto debut

Iker Casillas made his Porto debut in a 2-0 pre-season win over German second-tier side Duisburg on Saturday.The Spain goalkeeper joined Porto on a free transfer a week ago after being allowed to end his 25-year association with Real Madrid.

Casillas, 34, slotted straight into Julen Lopetegui's starting XI, with Ivan Marcano, Jose Angel, Cristian Tello and fellow newcomer Alberto Bueno also present.The veteran goalkeeper's first touch saw him pick the ball out of his own net, but luckily for him the goal was disallowed for offside.

Casillas was replaced by Helton at half-time, with Yacine Brahimi and Hernani finding the back of the net to give Porto a comfortable win.

 

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Mourinho: Chelsea will improve rejected Stones bid

Jose Mourinho has confirmed Chelsea made an offer for John Stones and will continue to chase the defender unless told he is not for sale by Everton.

Goal understands the 21-year-old is keen to join the Premier League champions, who are preparing a £28 million offer having seen an initial bid of £20m rejected earlier this week.

Roberto Martinez hit out at Chelsea "openly" pursuing Stones earlier on Saturday but Mourinho insists he will up the club's bid unless he is told the player is not for sale, adding "it's an open market".

"We made a bid, we can make it - it's an open market until September 1," he told reporters.

"At the moment they say we don't accept this bid – they don't say: 'We don’t accept bids; any bids'.

"While they say we don't accept this bid, until September 1 we can improve the bid, one pound more, 10 pounds more, we can improve the bid.

"If one day Roberto Martinez or the chairman come and say he's not for sale, we don't accept any bid, it's game over.

"So during this process, it's clear, we don't deny we made a bid for Stones. It means we are trying to buy."

 

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Lyon 2-1 Milan: Lacazette downs Rossoneri

Alexandre Lacazette scored the winner as Lyon beat AC Milan in a pre-season friendly at the Stade Gerland on Saturday night.

Nabil Fekir opened the scoring for the hosts, before Andrea Poli levelled with a fine strike 15 minutes from time. But Lacazette, the scorer of 27 Ligue 1 goals last season, then went on to produce a tidy finish and clinch victory.Andrea Bertolacci was the only one of Milan's new signings involved, though he was unable to provide much creativity, as the Italians produced a fairly flat display.

The home side looked considerably more comfortable from the off, with Nabil Fekir seeing an effort deflect just wide in the 12th minute.The talented attacking midfielder was not to be denied 13 minutes later, though, as the France international nonchalantly clipped a free-kick over the wall and into the bottom-left corner from 25 yards.

Milan rarely troubled Lyon for the remainder of the half, and things were not likely to be much easier after the break, as the interval ushered in the arrival of Lacazette.
Milan levelled through Poli’s fierce 25-yard half-volley in the 75th minute, but Lacazette showcased his lethal nature in front of goal soon after, guiding an effort into the bottom-right corner to secure the win.

 

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Benfica 2-3 PSG: Youthful Ligue 1 champions come from behind

Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to beat Benfica 3-2 at the International Champions Cup on Saturday.Lucas Digne scored the winning goal for the Ligue 1 champions at BMO Field in Toronto after they had fallen behind at half-time.

Anderson Talisca and Jonas had put Benfica ahead after Jean-Kevin Augustin's opener for PSG.But a Lucas Moura penalty and Digne's late goal secured victory for Laurent Blanc's side, who were without several big names.Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Motta and Marco Verratti were among the players left out, while goalkeeper Kevin Trapp started ahead of Salvatore Sirigu.

But they grew into the encounter and eventually proved too good for the Primeira Liga champions.Both teams made a rusty start in Toronto before the game came to life following a sloppy opening 15 minutes.

The ball fell to Talisca at the back post, but Trapp made a desperate save as the midfielder directed a shot straight down the middle when he should have scored.
Jean-Christophe Bahebeck went close for PSG at the other end in the 20th minute, cutting inside from the left before Julio Cesar pushed his shot away.

But the opening goal came nine minutes later through Augustin. Bahebeck played a short pass into the 18-year-old forward, who turned his marker impressively before finishing well into the bottom corner.

Benfica were level in the 34th minute when Trapp palmed away a shot from Jonas, but the rebound fell for Talisca – who hit his shot into the ground and saw it go over the helpless German goalkeeper.Talisca was causing problems and was unlucky not to put Benfica ahead as he blasted a 30-yard effort off the post.

Benfica went ahead three minutes before the break as Nicolas Gaitan was played in before rounding Julio Cesar and unselfishly passing across the face for Jonas to tap in.

Talisca hit the post via a deflection four minutes into the second half as Benfica were unfortunate not to go 3-1 up.PSG would level in the 64th minute from the penalty spot. Jardel brought down Christopher Nkunku with a clumsy challenge and Lucas made no mistake with the spot-kick.

Digne was the match-winner as he struck in the 79th minute.Then, in the 79th minute, impressive Augustin turned and ran at the Benfica defence before passing to Digne. His shot was directed straight at keeper Paulo Lopes, but he could only parry the ball into his own net to give PSG victory.

 

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Giroud: I would welcome Arsenal striker addition

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud admits he would welcome the competition were the Gunners to sign a new forward this summer.

Giroud scored 14 goals in 27 Premier League appearances last term, but some pundits continue to question whether the 28-year-old is good enough to spearhead a team who aspire to challenge for the title.

Speculation has mounted that manager Arsene Wenger may add to his attacking options, with Real Madrid star Karim Benzema reportedly his top target, but Giroud is unconcerned by the rumours.

"I'm not honouring this question. I'm trying to focus on my pre-season preparations," he said after Arsenal beat Everton 3-1 to win the Asia Trophy.

"We are doing well together with a really good [cohesion] and the most important thing for me is that the team is always improving.

"If there is a new striker, it will be nice for all the team, because competition is good for everyone."

 

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Bartomeu re-elected as Barcelona president

Josep Maria Bartomeu has been re-elected as Barcelona president for the next six years after claiming 54.63% of the vote in Saturday's election, with nearest challenger Joan Laporta getting 33.03%.

Bartomeu, who resigned last month as an interim board took charge during the election period, will return to office and begin to implement some of the promises made in his campaign after fighting off the competition.

The 52-year-old, who took over in 2014 following Sandro Rosell's resignation, had placed a lot of importance on keeping the current sponsorship agreement with Qatar Airways in place, despite being seen as controversial by many.

Bartomeu was the only one of the final four candidates to make such a pledge, with the others all in favour of bringing the deal to a close, despite the €50 million it generates for the club per season.Despite overseeing one of the most successful seasons in the club's history during the 2014-15 campaign, with Luis Enrique's men winning the treble, Bartomeu has been a figure of controversy at Camp Nou.

The entrepreneur previously worked alongside Rosell during a turbulent time for the club, as they were accused of various indiscretions involving the Neymar transfer, before Barca were also hit with a transfer ban for breaking regulations regarding signing youth players.

However, it has been his closeness and working relationship with Luis Enrique that supposedly encouraged many fans to vote for Bartomeu, with the likes of Laporta reportedly looking to sign players that the coach may not have wanted in the first place.Barca confirmed that 47,270 votes were cast in total.

 

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Xavi: Barcelona trophies will keep flooding in

Xavi believes his former Barcelona team-mates have at least “two or three more years” of trophy-winning left in them.

The veteran central midfielder enjoyed a dream final season at Camp Nou, triumphing in the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey before departing for Qatari club Al Sadd this summer.

With the new European campaign approaching, Xavi believes it would be foolish to think Luis Enrique's men are not capable of continuing to be hugely successful at home and abroad.

"Barca will have at least two or three more years of winning trophies," the World Cup 2022 ambassador told RAC1. "They are a great team and a great group of lads.

"Barca are favourites for La Liga and Champions League - and repeating the treble will be difficult - but it was the same after Pep Guardiola won it and look what we did, especially considering we’d been taken for fools in January."The 35-year-old, who retired from international football last year following a disastrous World Cup campaign, also revealed his intention to come back to the club with whom he has the record for most appearances.

"My objective is to return to Barcelona, my home, but before that I want to see where else I can go in the world of football," he added."Returning is my great hope, but I don’t know it’ll be within the next three or four years. I aim to return once I feel ready."

Should he go back in the next six years then he is likely to work under newly elected Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, though fraud charges regarding Neymar's transfer still hang over him.

 

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Lacazette tells Arsenal and Liverpool: I'm staying at Lyon


Alexandre Lacazette has reaffirmed his commitment to Lyon and insists transfer speculation will not sway his decision to stay.

The France international scored for Lyon on Saturday in their pre-season friendly against AC Milan, with the striker bagging the winning goal in the 2-1 triumph at the Stade de Gerland.

Lacazette has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal or Liverpool, but the 24-year-old attempted to silence the rumours by claiming no amount of money will make him leave Lyon in 2015.

"I want to show those who think that I have my head elsewhere that I'm still here," he told reporters. "I have already said that I want to continue with Lyon."I have shown that I'm fully committed. It's football that interests me, not money. I hope to have a strong season."

The Lyon youth product – valued at €60 million by his coach Hubert Fournier – believes their triumph over Sinisa Mihajlovic's Milan was down to the squad's familiarity with each other"It's good. We want to highlight our preparation, to work on our fluidity," Lacazette added. "We know each other for the most part. We played a good match against a strong team and in a nice atmosphere.

"It gives you the desire to continue. It was my first match with Claudio Beauvue. He has qualities, which we know. We'll continue to work together."Lyon finished second in Ligue 1 in 2014-15 behind Paris Saint-Germain, their highest finish in five years.