..::Football III::..

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Reading 1-2 Everton: Deulofeu class sees Everton though

Gerard Deulofeu 's superb free-kick was enough to see Everton ease into the fourth round of the League Cup as they overcame Reading 2-1 on Tuesday.

The Spaniard stepped up to curl home from 30 yards, after Ross Barkley had cancelled out Nick Blackman's first-half opener.

However, Roberto Martinez will have concerns in the immediate aftermath of the game, having seen John Stones limp off with a thigh problem shortly after the interval.

Despite making eight changes from their weekend win over Bristol City, the hosts made a strong start, and would have taken the lead on 10 minutes were it not for Everton goalkeeper Joel Robles - the Spaniard producing a fine save to tip over Blackman's bending effort from distance.

Blackman was denied by the keeper again 11 minutes later, Joel this time getting down well to smother following a clever move on the edge of the box.

Despite Deulofeu producing some penetrating runs, the visitors struggled to fashion any meaningful opportunities, and they were duly punished eight minutes before the break by Blackman , who bundled home from close range.

Martinez's woes looked to have been compounded three minutes after the break when Stones limped off with a thigh problem as Everton continued to labour.

But the visitors breathed a sigh of relief, when a poorly cleared corner allowed Barkley to drill home a vicious volley on the edge of the box.

Everton's Premier League class began to shine through after that strike and Deulofeu eventually decided the tie by curling home a superb set-piece 17 minutes from time.

 

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Balotelli on revenge mission at Milan

Mario Balotelli feels he is slowly starting to silence his doubters after getting back among the goals in Milan's 3-2 win over Udinese on Tuesday.

The Italy international was the subject of plenty of negative headlines in 2014-15, as he failed to make an impact at Liverpool.

After a hugely disappointing spell in the Premier League, he returned to Serie A on a one-year loan deal this close-season, and is now determined to prove his critics wrong.

"I am slowly getting my revenge," Balotelli told Sky Sport Italia after opening the scoring against Udinese with a free-kick.

"Everybody in England and Italy has done nothing but criticise Mario Balotelli in recent years.

"But I worked hard for the team again, like I always do. It was a tough game, because my opponents were out to provoke me."

Balotelli was booked in the 15th minute for a challenge on Ali Adnan, and he insisted that he could have been even more effective had it not been for that mark against his name.

"I think the referee's decision to give me a yellow card was not fair," he added. "It ruined my game a bit, because I had to hold back."

Milan were 3-0 up at half-time following goals from Balotelli, Giacomo Bonaventura and Cristian Zapata, but Udinese nearly salvaged a draw after the break as they dominated proceedings in the second half.

Goals from Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu and Duvan Zapata gave the hosts a lifeline but they could not complete the comeback, with their hopes finally ended when Bruno Fernandes was sent off in injury time for a second booking.

"We were winning 3-0, but then we got careless," Balotelli reflected. "We should not have let them get back in the game. We are a group of fighters, though.

"We conceded two silly goals, but we won. It was a complicated game, but an important result."

 

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Manchester City response delights Pellegrini

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini was quick to praise his players' character in the wake of their 4-1 League Cup victory over Sunderland.

Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne all found the net, along with a Vito Mannone own goal, within the first 36 minutes at the Stadium of Light, as City outclassed their hosts on Tuesday evening.

And after back-to-back defeats against Juventus and West Ham, Pellegrini was delighted to get back to winning ways.

"We played well, especially in the first half," he said. "Maybe in the second half, winning 4-0, we stopped our pace a little bit, but I am pleased because we started this game after two important defeats in the Champions League and Premier League.

"It was important to continue in this cup and it was important to try to win from the first minute.

"We scored four beautiful goals."

Pellegrini opted to start a host of big-name players, including Sterling, De Bruyne, Aguero and Yaya Toure.

De Bruyne and Sterling combined superbly to carve open the Sunderland defence repeatedly in the first half, and the Chilean reserved special praise for his two big-name summer signings.

"Kevin is a very good player and Raheem played very well also," he added. "It was useful for both players to be settled in our team.

"It is not easy at the beginning to make the correct movements, but both of them demonstrated why they are here."

The City boss then went on to reaffirm his high regard for the League Cup as a competition, although he was also pleased with the chance to give some game time to a number of youngsters.

"We won this cup two years ago and it is beautiful to play the final at Wembley," he said. "We will continue to try and play strong squads in this competition.

"We have a lot of players injured so it was not easy to play this game.

"It was important to start with a strong team and then to give minutes to young players during the game.

"Patrick Roberts, George Evans and Manu Garcia are three young players that will be part of our squad for the future.

"The game allowed us to make those substitutions."

 

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Martinez moves to ease Stones concerns

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has moved to calm fears surrounding John Stones, after the defender was replaced during their 2-1 League Cup win over Reading on Tuesday.

The defender appeared to be in some discomfort as he limped off early in the second half, but Martinez insists it is nothing serious.

"John was withdrawn as a precaution more than anything. He had a knock in his knee and we couldn't take any risks," the Spanish coach said.

"He will be assessed over the next 48 hours but I don't think it's serious."

That will come as a boost to Martinez, whose side will do battle in the Merseyside derby in two weeks' time.

Everton will arguably have to find their feet quicker than they did at the Madejski Stadium, where they suffered a scare after Nick Blackman's first-half opener.

The class of Martinez's men eventually shone through though, as Ross Barkley drilled home an equaliser just after the hour, before Gerard Deulofeu sealed the win with a terrific free-kick.

While relieved to see his side ease their way into the fourth round for the first time in four years, Martinez admitted his side were given a thorough examination by Steve Clarke's Reading, who will fancy themselves for a promotion push after a promising start to the Championship season.

"You have to give credit to Reading," Martinez said.

"We had to change it tactically so we could penetrate more and get the extra pass.

"Gerard came up with that bit of magic that turned out to be the winning goal. He is a sensational talent."

 

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Simeone hails Griezmann display

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone hailed Antoine Griezmann after the forward continued his fine start to the season with another two goals in the club's 2-0 win over Getafe.

The France international scored twice in the 2-0 win away to Galatasaray in the Champions League last week and repeated the trick again on Tuesday night.

Griezmann now has five goals for the season already in all competitions and Simeone says the sky is the limit for the 24-year-old.

He said: "He is in excellent shape, has grown so much and he is a key player for the team. His future will depend just on him."

Recent signing Jackson Martinez laid on an assist for Griezmann's second goal and Simeone was quick to praise the striker after the game.

"He entered the pitch very well and assisted Griezmann for the second goal," added the Argentine. "He is an enthusiastic worker and will try to fulfill the expectations we have of him."

Tiago started the game on the bench before being introduced in the second half, with Saul preferred alongside Gabi in the heart of Atletico's midfield.

However, Simeone says the veteran still has a big part to play at the club. "He is a very important player to us. He is the brain of the team. He knows what the team needs and you only can know it with experience.

"When he entered the pitch, the team changed and stopped suffering. Atletico improved from that moment and took control of the game."

 

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Leicester 'fantastic' in win over West Ham - Ranieri

Claudio Ranieri was delighted with Leicester City's "fantastic performance" as his side secured a place in the fourth round of the League Cup with a dramatic 2-1 win over West Ham United.

Andy King's powerful header sealed the victory late in extra-time at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday, with the hosts having dominated proceedings as West Ham goalkeeper Adrian pulling off a string of excellent saves to keep Leicester at bay, after Mauro Zarate's effort had cancelled out Joe Dodoo's opener.

And despite their wastefulness in front of goal, Ranieri was thrilled with the effort of his players as three-time League Cup winners Leicester maintained their unbeaten start to 2015/16.

"We deserved it. We made a fantastic performance, and created 10 great chances to score. Their keeper was man of the match," he said.

"We had the names of the first five penalty takers written down. But we deserved to score a winner. It was a great goal.

"We changed 10 players, but they played at the same level. They're a great group and they work very hard. I'm very happy."

 

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Seaman: Pressure on Arsenal in League Cup

David Seaman believes that Arsenal are under pressure to defeat fierce rivals Tottenham in the League Cup because of their stuttering start to the season.

Arsene Wenger's side have lost their last two matches, against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League and Chelsea in the Premier League.

The club have not lifted the League Cup since 1993 - when Seaman was in goal - with two runs to the final in the past nine years ending in defeat in the showpiece.

And Seaman believes that the Gunners simply must progress to the fourth round, and has subsequenly called on Wenger to name a strong side to face Mauricio Pochettino's team.

"Arsenal's start has been okay, but it's not been as good as what they hoped for I'm sure," Seaman said.

"They have not had a great start, then they had a few good wins but they are going into this game off two defeats, and they don't want to go into their next Premier League game after three defeats.

"So makes it a little bit more important for Arsenal to win in that aspect. It's a massive game for the players and even bigger for the fans, the bragging rights are obviously dictated by who wins.

"It will be a good game, and will be interesting to see what sort of side both teams put out because they will definitely put some not regular first teamers in there.

"It is important both put decent sides out there because if Tottenham put a full strength team out and Arsenal put a youth team out it's not a good challenge. It's about getting the mixture right."

 

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Walcott competing against Giroud, says Wenger

Olivier Giroud must share goal scoring opportunities and his first-team starting spot with Theo Walcott, according to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

French international striker Giroud has been struggling to find his best form this campaign and Wenger has opted for Walcott in attack in the Gunners last three Premier League matches.

Nevertheless, the 65-year-old coach has defended the ex-Montpellier forward against recent criticism and feels the 28-year-old is as much a top-level striker as Theo Walcott, insisting both will feature throughout the season.

"With Giroud it is a competition with Walcott," Wenger told the official Arsenal website. "When one plays people always ask, 'Why did you not play the other one?'

"When you have two top-level strikers, some games Giroud plays and some games Walcott plays. Nobody anymore can play 60 games per season.

"What we want to do is make the right decision for the right game. Giroud is a guy who has a positive attitude, who is ready to have a go.

"He is a very strong man and with his back to the wall Giroud can always respond. I think he has assets in the game.

"For two guys it can be interesting for the squad as they both have different qualities. They complement each other very well.

"[Giroud] can protect the ball, he can hold the ball, he can bring other plays in.

"That's one of the big parts of his game, that is why he creates so many chances and that is why the other players love him and love to play with him as well."

 

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Guardiola: I can't explain Lewandowski's five goal display

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola was left in disbelief by Robert Lewandowski's five-star performance against Wolfsburg on Tuesday.

With Bayern 1-0 down to Daniel Caligiuri's goal at half-time, Guardiola summoned Lewandowski from the bench, with the Poland international subsequently firing home five goals in a barnstorming run that was officially clocked at eight minutes and 57 seconds.

The Poland international became the first substitute to net five goals in one game in the history of Europe's top four leagues, and Guardiola was visibly baffled, saying it was an incredible and unique achievement.

"I've never experienced such a thing, either as coach or as a player," he said.

"Five goals in nine minutes. I am very happy for Robert. You play poorly for 45 minutes and then grab five goals in nine minutes. I cannot explain it."

Wolfsburg boss Dieter Hecking fared no better in attempting to explain Lewandowski's showing.

He added: "What can I say? A world-class striker shot five times on goal and could have scored seven. That is how it happened.

"But with our quality this should not happen. We had a good first half and Bayern could not up the pace of the game and then came these nine minutes.

"It's inexplicable."

 

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Lewandowski revels in record performance: Five goals, that's incredible!

Robert Lewandowski admits that he lost track of time on his way to scoring an unprecedented five goals in nine minutes in Bayern Munich's 5-1 victory over Bundesliga rivals Wolfsburg.

The Poland international was brought on for the second half by coach Pep Guardiola with the champions 1-0 down at the Allianz Arena and began his scoring run just seven minutes later before rounding off his landmark tally on the hour.

Lewandowski, who became the first substitute to score five times in Bundesliga history, says that he felt trigger-happy entering the field but never expected to net quite such a haul.

"I am very satisfied, that was incredible," he told Sky. "I just wanted to shoot, I didn't really think what will happen afterwards. After we'd been one down, we knew that we'd must improve and score twice at least... but five goals, that's incredible.

"I don't know how fast it was but it was fast. But when you're on pitch, you're just focused on football. After the fourth I looked at the scoreboard, it was the 60th minute and I only thought: 'Oooh.'

"Guardiola didn't need to say anything, I know what I have to do on the pitch but it was only one game; we have to win the next games as well. We are Bayern Munich."

Lewandowski's previous best was a four-goal performance against Real Madrid in 2013 when playing for Borussia Dortmund.

"It was the Champions League semi-final, a very important game. That was a very big event in my life," he recalled. "Now five goals, that is a great night for me - but there are many games to go, and it won't be that easy to score in every game."

 

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In praise of Robert Lewandowski - football's ultimate big-game striker

Tobias Stieler, the man tasked with refereeing Bayern Munich versus Wolfsburg on Tuesday decided to call the final whistle at 89:57. The early conclusion to the game was not through injury or crowd trouble. It was through sheer sympathy for Bayern’s opponents and what they had just been put through.

In what was a historic night at the Allianz Arena, Bayern overcame one of their toughest domestic adversaries 5-1. Each and every one of those five goals coming from striker Robert Lewandowski, all of them scored within nine minutes after the start of the second half. He had only come off the bench at the break.

In truth this was a match that Wolfsburg could have very easily won. The first 45 minutes were one in which the travelling side frustrated Bayern with clear, precise counterattacking football and to their credit they took the lead through Daniel Caligiuri in the 26th minute.

In a move the home crowd had seen a dozen times in the opening 25 minutes, Wolfsburg pushed the ball out to Julian Draxler on the left wing and he had time and space to chip a pass through to his colleague on the opposing flank. Once he’d composed himself, Caligiuri smashed the ball on the half-volley past Manuel Neuer to put Wolfsburg in front. It was a fine goal in its own right, but not many will remember it now.

At half-time Pep Guardiola had a decision to make. Just how was he going to break through this Wolfsburg side? The answer was a simple substitution. Lewandowski on for the ailing Juan Bernat. Fifteen minutes later, the German champions were home and hosed and at 5-1 they were on course for a famous win.
Lewandowski had once again pulled out all the stops on the biggest of stages and proved just why he is regarded as one of strikers in world football today, if not the best.

Bayern fans are of course no strangers to the talents of the towering striker, having netted 25 goals in his debut season for the club in 2014-15. He scored in both clashes with former club Borussia Dortmund, as well as six goals in 12 Champions League appearances, two of which coming in another stunning comeback against Porto in the quarter-finals.

We’ve also seen him net six goals in his last three games for Poland - including a two-minute hat-trick against Georgia - as they continue to push Germany for top spot in their Euro 2016 qualification group.

Yet this performance is one that will remind many of his time at Dortmund, when he and Jurgen Klopp’s men regularly upset the order against some of the continent’s most established clubs.

Although the opponent or the stage may not have been as prestigious, the manner in which Lewandowski ferociously tore through Wolfsburg’s defence was reminiscent of that heady semi-final clash with Real Madrid in April 2013, when the Pole put four goals past the most successful club in European history. The final three of that haul came in the space of 17 minutes.

The season before that he had netted a hat-trick in the DFB-Pokal final against his current club, when Dortmund beat Bayern 5-2 to claim the domestic double over their Bavarian rivals.

Whichever way you look at it, Lewandowski has always stepped up when needed. It seems the higher the level of opposition, the better he performs. He seems to thrive on the biggest stage.

His performance against Wolfsburg was a masterclass in how a complete forward is supposed to play his role. In a modern game obsessed with free-scoring wingers and false No.9s, Lewandowski seems to stand alone as a powerful, old-fashioned striker who can header the ball in from five yards just as well as he can strike them from the edge of the box.

Dortmund fans knew it, Poland fans love it and Bayern fans are quickly coming round to the very simple truth: Lewandowski is the ultimate big-game striker.

 

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Blanc: Never doubt Ibrahimovic

Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc said he wasn't surprised to see Zlatan Ibrahimovic back amongst the goals as his side beat Guingamp 3-0 at the Parc des Princes.

Ibrahimovic scored PSG's third to open his account for the season, much to the relief of the home crowd.

The Sweden striker also had a penalty saved as the champions dominated their opponents, with Javier Pastore scoring the opener and Angel Di Maria grabbing a second.

Blanc reflected on a much-improved performance from his side's 1-1 draw with Reims at the weekend, saying: "Zlatan was more in movement than during the Reims game.

"You have to be patient with him then you'll see that he will score goals. You don't have to be surprised.

"He is a great player and he wants to demonstrate it, to confirm it and even to stamp it for the sceptical few."

Blanc praised the link-up play between Ibrahimovic and Di Maria, who fed off each other all evening against Guingamp.

"He is getting along well with Di Maria on the pitch," said Blanc."Great players always find a way to understand each other. It's also the case with [Edinson] Cavani. We have an attacking trio composed of very different players with different qualities."

 

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Di Maria: I was surprised by Ibrahimovic's ability

Angel Di Maria says he has been "very surprised" by how good Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic is.

Di Maria joined the Ligue 1 champions in August, completing a £44 million move from Manchester United.

While the Argentina international has made a decent start to life at the Parc des Princes despite injury, Ibrahimovic has had a slow opening to the campaign.

But Di Maria said the Swede's talent is incredible and admits he has been stunned by the 33-year-old's ability.

"I have played with Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and now I have the chance to play with Ibra," he told Uefa's official website.

"I'd never realised how good he is, all the moves he has despite him being so tall, I was very surprised from the day I arrived.

"So hopefully we'll get along well, because I think he has a lot of quality and a lot to bring to this team."

The 27-year-old was also full of praise for Argentina team-mate Lionel Messi, who he hailed as a great player and person.

"There are no words to describe Leo. The only thing I can say, leaving trophies and football aside, is that he is a great person and a great friend.

"I believe that everything he's achieved, he's achieved because he enjoys it – playing the way he likes to, and showing the way he is.

"The way he is on the pitch is how he is off the pitch: a calm guy, a very good person. And he has very much deserved everything he has won."

Di Maria will come up against former team Real Madrid in the Champions League this season, a match he is looking forward to, but insists he will not be celebrating if he scores.

"When I knew I would be moving to Paris, I said to my wife that I was sure we would draw Real Madrid," he said.

"I don't know how the people there will welcome me, but we won the Decima and many other titles together, and in my last match – against Atletico Madrid – the fans gave me a standing ovation when they knew I was leaving to go to Manchester.

"I think it will be really nice to return to the Bernabeu. If I score, I won't celebrate. Everything I achieved with that club is still in my heart."

 

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Lahm: Lewandowski should have scored seven!

Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm thinks five-goal super-sub Robert Lewandowski should have scored seven times on Tuesday.

Lewandowski was a half-time substitute in Bayern's 5-1 win over Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Tuesday, scoring all five of the club's goals in a nine-minute spell.
Lahm labelled Lewandowski's performance as "madness" but claimed he should have scored even more. "At half-time a player came in who did a little something," Lahm told reporters, jokingly downplaying the achievement. "It was incredible. Just madness.

"And he had two more chances, so he should have gone home with seven goals today."Fellow Bayern defender Jerome Boateng echoed Lahm's words, calling the Polish forward one of the best strikes around.

"He's one of the best attackers in the world and I'm glad that he plays in my team," he added."It's difficult to defend against him. It's good that I can compete with him in training!"

With victory Bayern opened up a seven-point gap between themselves and third-placed Wolfsburg, but Borussia Dortmund are just three points behind and with a game in hand.

 

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Wenger wants more from Oxlade-Chamberlain

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger urged Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to take more risks and play with freedom as he bids to take the next step in his career.

The 20-time England international has come off the bench in four of Arsenal's six Premier League matches so far this season.

Wenger said Oxlade-Chamberlain, 22, needed to believe in himself in order to improve.

"It is a massive season for Alex," he told Arsenal Player.

"He is at the age now where he is getting picked regularly for the national team. He is picked by me as well for the team.

"It is a very important season because of the nature he is growing. You feel the evolution has a sense of responsibility. I think Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain must believe more in himself.

"He must believe more in his talent and that will help him develop as a player. I think sometimes he is too critical of himself. I would like him to play with the freedom and express the desire of his talent."

Arsenal meet Tottenham in the League Cup on Wednesday before a trip to Leicester City in the league three days later.

 

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Terry fresh and motivated - Mourinho

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insists John Terry is motivated for Wednesday's League Cup clash against Walsall as he confirmed Radamel Falcao would also start.

Terry was an unused substitute against Arsenal on Saturday, leading to suggestions of a rift – which has been denied – with Mourinho, while Falcao has been behind Diego Costa in the pecking order.
But the Portuguese manager revealed that both were ready to start against Walsall on Wednesday.

"Of course John's experience will help," Mourinho told the club's website.

"He didn't play the last match so he is completely fresh and completely motivated to play, the same as Falcao for example.

"Chelsea is Chelsea, and wearing the Chelsea shirt always brings responsibility. Every player is more than happy to play."

The duo's inclusion will be a huge boost in a competition in which most clubs offer youngsters an opportunity.

Mourinho said he wanted Chelsea, who are the defending champions having defeated Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley earlier this year, to be competitive.

"I don't see reasons to throw away any competition. A cup is a cup. A trophy is a trophy. If you lose, you lose but you don't need to throw it away," he said.

"So yes, we look to the competition in a proper way, and I also think it's very important to respect opponents. I don't think opponents from the Championship, League One or League Two expect the big clubs to go and play against them without the best players.

"They want a big day for themselves. Imagine if we go to Walsall without any one of our most important players - even if they won I don't think the feeling would be the same. For Walsall players and Walsall supporters it's important the big teams show that respect and that commitment.

"In the FA Cup we lost against a League One club [Bradford], which can happen. Walsall are a good team. They are playing well and trying to be promoted. For them it's a big occasion and as I was saying, it's important to respect them and to go with a good team with the desire to win."

 

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Chelsea accused of 'alienating' women with Carneiro treatment

Campaign group Women in Football (WiF) believe Eva Carneiro's departure from Chelsea could potentially alienate females looking to work in the game.

Carneiro left her role as first-team doctor with the Premier League champions on Tuesday – the latest stage of the fallout from a row following her on-field treatment of Eden Hazard in Chelsea's first game of this season against Swansea City.

Manager Jose Mourinho branded Carneiro and physiotherapist Jon Fearn "naive" for entering the field to treat Hazard, despite them being waved on by referee Michael Oliver.

Administering treatment to Hazard meant he would have to leave the pitch, momentarily reducing Chelsea to nine men – goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had been sent off – as the hosts closed out a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Carneiro and Fearn were subsequently dismissed from first-team duties and confirmation of the Gibraltar-born doctor's exit from Stamford Bridge prompted a strong response from WiF, who highlighted the harassment female medical staff such as her already face in the game.

A spokesperson for the organisation, quoted in the Daily Mirror, said: "We believe it is appalling that her professionalism and understanding of football were subsequently called into question by manager Jose Mourinho and it threatened to undermine her professional reputation."She is extremely highly regarded within the medical profession and the football industry. She had already been the target of frequent sexist abuse from opposition supporters.

"We believe that every woman in the football industry has the right to go about their working lives without being targeted with or subjected to abuse."We also believe that Dr Carneiro's treatment and ultimate departure from Chelsea sends out a worrying and alienating message to the already small numbers of female medical staff working in the national game.

"WiF hope that by working with football authorities and clubs we can bring about a greater understanding of the barriers that women in the industry routinely face."

 

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'Ferguson doesn't have a clue' - Raiola hits back at Pogba criticism

Paul Pogba's agent Mino Raiola has hit back at heavy criticism from Sir Alex Ferguson by suggesting the former Manchester United boss doesn't have a clue what he's talking about.

The legendary manager, who retired in 2013 after a glittering career at Old Trafford, planted the blame for Pogba's move to Juventus three years ago at the feet of his agent, Raiola, in his new book.

Raiola has fought back by claiming Ferguson cannot comprehend that the decisions he made were for the benefit of the Frenchman, who left Manchester United on a free transfer in 2012 but is now valued near the €100 million mark."Those words don't describe my work in a negative way," he told Tuttosport. "I rate them as a proof that I am good at my job.

"I have to do what's best for my players' sake. If I had looked only at my immediate gain, I would have kept Pogba in Manchester.

"But I put Pogba's interests first and we decided to go to Turin. Maybe Ferguson only likes those who obey him. From his quotes, I understand that Ferguson still doesn't have a clue who Pogba really is."Ferguson was an excellent manager, but the greatest managers can be wrong sometimes."

 

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Jordi Alba ruled out of Barcelona's clash with Celta

Barcelona have confirmed that they will be without Jordi Alba for Wednesday's meeting with Celta.

After playing every minute of Barca's La Liga efforts in the opening three matchdays of the campaign, the left-back did not feature in Sunday's 4-1 win over Levante.

And the Catalans have revealed that the Spain international is suffering from neck pain and will not feature in the clash in Vigo.

The 26-year-old will be replaced in the squad by Brazilian right-back Douglas, who is yet to feature for the 2014-15 treble winners side this season because of injury.

Douglas joined Luis Enrique's side last season but featured in only two league games, with a further three appearances coming in the Copa del Rey.

 

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Arsenal must trust in Wenger, says Seaman

Arsenal fans frustrated at the lack of progression under Arsene Wenger must keep faith with the Frenchman, according to David Seaman.

Some sections of the Gunners support have criticised Wenger for a lack of transfer activity ahead of the 2015-16 season, with Petr Cech the only new arrival at the Emirates in the summer..

However, Seaman has backed his former manager to keep Arsenal in the hunt for silverware and called for patience from the Gunners' support.

"The fans are split at the moment," Seaman told Omnisport. "A lot of them want Arsene out, I know that because they tell me.

"But what I say is be careful what you wish for because look what happened to Manchester United.

"It's not always greener on the other side, and I will always be an Arsene Wenger fan because I have worked with him and I know how good he is, and he totally knows what he's doing.

"So for me it's trust in Wenger."

While Karim Benzema, Edinson Cavani and Adrien Rabiot were all linked with the club, only Cech arrived and, while Seaman acknowledges that was not enough, he still believes Arsenal's current squad can challenge for silverware.

He added: "It's a great signing, Petr Cech, because it brings quality to the squad, and it brings respect form the other players.

"With that being the only signing, it was a little disappointing, but when you look at the quality of the squad it's still a quality squad.

"He [Wenger] would've wanted to have added to the squad, you've got to try and take care of injuries. "It is hard to deal with, and that's why you have back up in your squad. For me, I would have been more comfortable had he signed a couple of players."