..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Aguero: I think I'll be out for a month

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has told the media he expects to be out for a month after sustaining a hamstring injury on international duty.

It means he will miss the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on October 25, after he was stretchered off 24 minutes into Argentina’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Ecuador on Thursday night.

The 27-year-old underwent tests in Argentina on Friday, and he believes he will be sidelined until November.

"I think I'm going to be out for a month," he told the media outside the clinic.

Goal understands he has torn his hamstring and the scans will determine the exact extent of the injury and the expected recovery period.

The minimum recuperation time for even the mildest of tears is three weeks.

As well as the game at Old Trafford he is also likely to miss games against Bournemouth, Sevilla (home and away), Norwich City, and Crystal Palace, all at the Etihad Stadium, as well as the away trip to Aston Villa on November 8.

The striker, who scored five times against Newcastle United on Saturday, was taken off after netting his fifth as a precaution, having already undergone treatment on a minor hamstring injury at half-time.

Goal has also learned that City’s medical staff warned their Argentine counterparts about a niggle in his adductor muscle ahead of the international fixtures.

Argentina boss Tata Martino, when questioned about Aguero’s fitness, stated before the match that all of his squad were fit.

Afterwards, he insisted that the problem sustained during their first qualifier was unrelated to the previous injury he had picked up against Newcastle.

 

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Ferguson 'worried' about Liverpool's Klopp appointment

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has joked he is "worried" about Liverpool's appointment of Jurgen Klopp

The Reds confirmed the arrival of the 48-year-old - who left Borussia Dortmund in May - on a three-year contract on Thursday, following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers.

Klopp vowed to bring the Premier League title to Anfield within four years at his unveiling on Thursday and Ferguson says he has the character and personality to be a hit on Merseyside.

“It’s a good appointment, I admire him, I know Jurgen pretty well through our meetings with the elite coaches classes in Geneva,” he told ESPN.

“Strong personality, very strong, very stubborn, determined, and his performances, his career at Dortmund was a stellar rise to the top and I think he’ll do very well. I don’t like saying that, being Liverpool, I’m worried about it!”

The Scot also insisted Klopp would not accept not being in charge of signings and says the club need to trust him in the transfer market.
“If you don’t trust your manager, why have him there? He is the man who should be deciding which kind of player he wants, the type of player, position he wants, his character he wants, it’s the manager who knows more than anyone.

“There’s a lot of this happening in the game now. This Moneyball idea, about look at statistics of players and bypassing the manager’s thoughts. I think it’s wrong. Why give him a job if he can’t do it?

“When they sit around that table to appoint a manager, do they say ‘well, he can be part of the committee’? It’s wrong. I don’t think Jurgen Klopp will accept that.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Silva injured on Spain duty

Spain midfielder David Silva was substituted after just 10 minutes of his country's Euro 2016 qualifier against Luxembourg after sustaining a calf injury.

The Manchester City star was scythed down by Lars Krogh Gerson in the early stages of the match, and immediately signalled for the physio, before limping off.

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata was introduced to replace Silva, with Spain looking to seal their qualification for the tournament in France next summer by recording a victory.

Juventus striker Alvaro Morata was also forced to withdraw from the game after sustaining a similar injury while jumping for a header, with Paco Alcacer introduced in his place.

The news of Silva's setback will be of particular concern to City manager Manuel Pellegrini, with Sergio Aguero having been stretchered off during Argentina's loss to Ecuador on Thursday evening.

Aguero has since revealed that he will be out for a month, and Pellegrini will hope that Silva makes a quick recovery with the club currently two points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Get well soon Silva!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

England 2-0 Estonia: Walcott & Sterling on target in comfortable victory

England eased to a 2-0 win over Estonia at Wembley on Friday despite the absence of captain and leading scorer Wayne Rooney.

Rooney became the country's top scorer against Switzerland last time out as England sealed their place at Euro 2016 and in his injury-enforced absence, Theo Walcott and Raheem Sterling stepped up to maintain their 100 per cent record in qualifying.

The England skipper, unavailable with an ankle problem, received a golden boot from previous record holder Bobby Charlton to commemorate his achievement prior to a first period that saw England unable to capitalise on their dominance until Walcott opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time.

Walcott - used out wide rather than up front as requested in the build-up - maintained his impressive form and bolstered hopes of featuring regularly at the Euros, with the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck both yet to make international returns following injuries.

Harry Kane was given his first England start as the focal point up front but the Tottenham man struggled to make an impact, as the wingers sealed the win.

Sterling collected a pass from substitute Jamie Vardy to make sure of the points as the visitors' slim hopes of progression were all-but ended.

The hosts were on the front foot from the off, Walcott testing Mihkel Aksalu with a volley from the edge of the box before the lively Ross Barkley saw penalty appeals turned away after being clipped in the area.

Estonia stood firm amid heavy England pressure as Roy Hodgson's men struggled to break down a resolute visiting defence - Adam Lallana's strike deflected over the crossbar 26 minutes in.

Gary Cahill – captaining the side in Rooney’s absence - then headed Lallana's cross wide before Ats Purje had Estonia's first sight of goal as his shot was blocked by the skipper.

Estonia grew in confidence prior to the interval, keeping possession and building momentum, but Walcott gave England a deserved lead with the final touch of the first period.

The Arsenal man stayed onside and collected Barkley's precise pass before slotting the opener past Aksalu.

Kane failed to sort his feet out in time to divert Nathaniel Clyne's cross towards goal early in the second half, the Tottenham man then unable to make the most of Aksalu's parry from Lallana's free-kick.

Barkley jinked past two defenders and shot wide before Hodgson introduced the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Vardy after the hour.

Their arrivals added a freshness and, when Vardy seized on a defensive error to play in Sterling, the Manchester City man made no mistake from close range.

Debutant Dele Alli made a cameo appearance off the bench in place of the impressive Barkley as England moved within one win of a perfect qualification campaign.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Spain 4-0 Luxembourg: Alcacer and Cazorla at the double in routine win

Paco Alcacer and Santi Cazorla both scored twice as Spain cruised to a 4-0 Euro 2016 qualifying win over Luxembourg.

The victory came at a cost for Vicente del Bosque's side, with David Silva and Alvaro Morata both coming off with first-half injuries.

Cazorla had hit the crossbar but made no mistake shortly before half-time when he smashed home after Pedro's shot had been parried.

Substitute Alcacer converted with an impressive finish midway through the second half and then struck again late on with a tap-in, before Cazorla wrapped up the victory with a second of his own - an impressive strike from the edge of the box.

The win means Spain finish top of Group C with one match to spare, having won eight of their nine qualifiers, and will have the opportunity to defend their European crown in France next summer.Morata twisted into the penalty area early on and shot straight at Jonathan Joubert, before Spain suffered their first injury blow.

Silva was fouled by Lars Gerson after just six minutes and - despite attempting to continue - had to come off for Juan Mata with what appeared to be an ankle injury.

Spain almost shrugged off the loss of the Manchester City star with an immediate goal, but Jordi Alba somehow struck over from close range following Cazorla's shot.Ricardo Delgado headed wide for the visitors from a corner, but it was the hosts doing almost all the attacking.

Cazorla looked to have broken the deadlock with a left-footed strike from the edge of the area, but the crossbar came to Luxembourg's rescue after the Arsenal man had been set up by Morata.

Moments later, Cesc Fabregas slipped in Morata, who dragged an effort past the far post, while Pedro forced Joubert to save with a stinging effort from distance.Spain suffered another first-half setback when Morata had to be stretchered off the field having landed awkwardly on his leg, with Alcacer replacing him.

Pedro and Alcacer were both off target with two more decent chances, while Stefano Bensi fired wide with a decent effort at the other end.But what looked like being a frustrating first half for the European champions ended positively with the opener on 42 minutes.

An impressive cut-back from Juanfran on the right found Pedro, whose shot was parried by Joubert, allowing the onrushing Cazorla to smash home with his right foot from the close-range rebound.

Aurelien Joachim almost had Iker Casillas worried with a cheeky long-range effort which was not too far away early in the second half, but Spain went two up when a magical throughball from Fabregas on 67 minutes cut open the away defence and substitute Alcacer converted with a cool one-on-one finish.

After squandering one chance to double his tally, the Valencia striker made up for it with 10 minutes remaining. Weak goalkeeping from Joubert allowed Alba to acrobatically scoop the ball across the face of goal right on the bye-line, giving Alcacer a simple tap-in.

Cazorla got his second of the match on 85 minutes when he picked up a pass from Nolito and found the bottom corner with an impressive low strike from the edge of the area.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Spain!

VAMOS ESPANA​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Rooney!

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[Wolverine GTR]

Bale ready to start for Wales, says Coleman

Chris Coleman has played down any fears over Gareth Bale's calf injury and says the Wales winger will start Saturday's Euro 2016 qualifier against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Bale injured his calf in Real Madrid's Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk last month and has made just one appearance off the bench for the Spanish club since limping off at the Santiago Bernabeu in September.

However, with Wales on the verge of qualifying for their first European Championship, manager Coleman insists that Bale is fit enough to feature for his country in this weekend's clash.

"We have had no information [from Madrid] that Gareth can only play 30, 45 or 60 minutes against Bosnia," he told reporters.

"We do not take chances with players and Gareth will start. If he was a doubt that he could not start then he wouldn't.

"We know there is a lot at stake but we would not risk him. He is fit to start, but I am not sure he is fit enough for 90 minutes.

"We will monitor how it goes as we have two games in four days, which is tough, so he is unlikely to play 90 in both.

"But he has looked good in training and we have had no limits on how long he is able to play."

Wales have not featured at a major tournament since the World Cup in 1958 but will reach Euro 2016 if they take a point from their final two qualifiers against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Andorra.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Fabregas grabs an assist for Spain but Pedro struggles AGAIN

Spain may have secured their qualification for Euro 2016 with a 4-0 win over Luxembourg but Paco Alcacer and Santi Cazorla grabbed the headlines and outshone Chelsea duo Pedro and Cesc Fabregas.

The pair, who have suffered a dismal start to the season in the Premier League, were part of a Spain side that took close to 45 minutes break down opponents ranked 142nd in the world, with three goals coming in the closing stages.

Fabregas, who has come in for much criticism for his performances this season, put in a decent display as he set up Spain's second goal of the night midway through the second half.

Pedro, meanwhile, had a frustrating evening in front of goal and lasted close to 80 minutes being replaced by in-form Celta forward Nolito, who came on and assisted La Roja's fourth in what was a bright late cameo.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Aguero out for at least a month as Argentina confirm grade two tear

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will miss the Manchester derby on October 25 after Argentina confirmed he has suffered a grade two hamstring injury.

Aguero was stretchered off during the first half of Argentina’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Ecuador on Thursday night, and told reporters after undergoing scans on Friday that he fears he will miss a month of action.

But a month is likely to be the bare minimum recovery time after La Albiceleste confirmed the extent of the injury.

"After having to be replaced after 22 minutes of the first half against Ecuador, today's scans revealed that Sergio Aguero suffered a grade two tear in the biceps femoris of his left leg."

As well as the game at Old Trafford he is also likely to miss games against Bournemouth, Sevilla (home and away), Norwich City, and Crystal Palace, all at the Etihad Stadium, as well as the away trip to Aston Villa on November 8.

The striker, who scored five times against Newcastle United on Saturday, was taken off after netting his fifth as a precaution, having already undergone treatment on a minor hamstring injury at half-time.

Goal has also learned that City’s medical staff warned their Argentine counterparts about a niggle in his adductor muscle ahead of the international fixtures.

Argentina boss Tata Martino, when questioned about Aguero’s fitness, stated before the match that all of his squad were fit.

Afterwards, he insisted that the problem sustained during their first qualifier was unrelated to the previous injury he had picked up against Newcastle.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

International break 1kedi playersla injured wena 1ka thamai epa wenne​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Hodgson: I have faith in Barkley

Roy Hodgson praised the man-of-the-match Ross Barkley and insisted he has the “utmost faith” in the midfielder after England’s 2-0 win over Estonia at Wembley.

Barkley provided the assist for Theo Walcott’s opener in the Euro 2016 qualifier on Friday night and was the stand-out performer for the Three Lions.

Hodgson has previously criticised the 21-year-old's decision-making making but the England manager believes he is developing under Roberto Martinez at Everton.

“It’s not often that I really contest people’s choice of man-of-the-match. He wasn’t the only one that deserved a mention but I’m pleased Ross got it,” Hodgson told reporters.

“He showed what he can do. We need to use him like we did today as one of the three midfield players. He is perfectly comfortable with that and the more exposure he gets in both positions will suit him going forward.

“I’ve been critical of all players for giving the ball away. I’ve had to work with him like all managers on his decision making, when he struts his stuff and when he plays more simply.

“That’s coaching to make sure a player with so much ability choses his moments. I don’t think I can ever be accused of having anything other than utmost faith in him.

“He’s worked on it for well over a year and I’m sure Roberto is giving him the exact same instructions. He is learning by playing at the very highest level.”

England have now won all nine of their qualifiers ahead of the championships in France next year.

Hodgson also confirmed after the game that Gary Cahill, Joe Hart and James Milner will all stay in England and not travel for Monday’s away fixture against Lithuania.

“Gary Cahill has occasional back problems and we were a bit concerned with the flight and the artificial pitch,” Hodgson added.

“Joe Hart is being left behind against his well because I want to play Jack Butland. James Milner deserves a rest and I want to play Jonjo Shelvey.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Liverpool gave Rodgers enough time, insists Werner

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner claims the club gave Brendan Rodgers enough time to save his job prior to his sacking last week.

The Northern Irishman was axed following a poor start to the Premier League season, with Liverpool taking just 12 points from their opening eight games to lie in 10th place.

Rodgers's last game came in the Merseyside derby draw with Everton, with Jurgen Klopp since named as his replacement, and Werner insists the former Swansea manager had ample time to salvage his position.

“When we appointed Brendan we thought he was going to be the right manager for Liverpool,” he told reporters. “Obviously we now feel that we have got the world-class manager and beyond that there is not much more I would like to say.

“We gave Brendan, as you know, an opportunity to see if we could improve this season. There was some very good football last season and some not so good football.”

Liverpool’s transfer committee was widely criticised in the aftermath of Rodgers’s sacking, but Werner maintains that the 42-year-old was behind the majority of Liverpool’s recruitment in the summer.

“There were some challenges that dealt with injuries, we brought in some new players that Brendan recommended that we thought would take us forward,” he added.

“We are where we are. I don’t want to say too much. Brendan is an outstanding manager and we decided to move in a different direction and I am very optimistic.”

Klopp was introduced to Liverpool’s fans on Friday, labelling himself “the normal one”, and Werner insists the club hierarchy will not place “undue pressure” on the former Borussia Dortmund coach.

“We have obviously had some great moments in these five years and came very close to winning the league two years ago,” he added. “Nobody is satisfied today with our position and as owners we are not going to put undue pressure on Jürgen.

“He knows that there are great expectations and when we look at the time line I think we have made some improvements. We all know the challenge that we saw when we came into the club five years ago and I think we are proud when we walked into the stadium today and we showed Jurgen the new main stand that is being constructed.

“Until we win more trophies we won’t be satisfied.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Nolito responds to Arsenal & Barcelona speculation

Nolito has dismissed rumours linking him with a move to Barcelona or Arsenal, insisting that he has a contract to honour with Celta Vigo.

Speaking exclusively to Goal after making a strong cameo off the bench as Spain beat Luxembourg 4-0 on Friday evening, the 28-year-old was content to have had a hand in what was ultimately a convincing victory that secured La Roja’s place at Euro 2016.

“I’ve got three-and-a-half years left on my contract at Celta, so you can imagine I’m staying,” said the forward.

“I’m content with my performance tonight because I had the chance to play 15 minutes and it went well.”

While it was a fine display from a personal standpoint, the ex-Benfica man was saddened to see team-mates David Silva and Alvaro Morata both substituted with injuries.

“I’m sad for those injuries,” he admitted. “Morata is a little messed up because he hurt his foot. It’s a shame.

“Let’s see what it’s like tomorrow. I hope that the media can tell us it’s nothing. Let’s hope Morata and Silva are both out for the least possible amount of time.”

With Spain now safely in the draw for France next summer, Nolito has pinpointed two sides he feels will be major challengers as Vincent del Bosque’s men chase a third successive crown.

“Germany and Italy are very good teams,” he noted. “We’ve still got much work to do to get to our best level.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Injured Silva to miss Spain's clash with Ukraine

Spain midfielder David Silva suffered a sprained ankle during their 4-0 win over Luxembourg and will miss Monday’s clash with Ukraine.

The Manchester City star was scythed down by Lars Krogh Gerson in the early stages of the match, and immediately signalled for the physio, before limping off.

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata was introduced to replace Silva, and Spain have now confirmed the extent of the injury.

“David Silva will miss the following match [against Ukraine] due to a sprained internal ligament on his right ankle after today's match,” read a statement.

“The RFEF's medical services have gotten in touch with the services at Manchester City, who have received the relevant reports and the test carried out on the player."

Striker Alvaro Morata was also forced to withdraw from the game after sustaining an injury to his right leg jumping for a header, with Paco Alcacer introduced in his place.

The Juventus man will also miss the clash with Ukraine and is set to undergo further tests to determine the extent of the injury.

The news of Silva's setback will be of particular concern to City manager Manuel Pellegrini, with Sergio Aguero having been stretchered off during Argentina's loss to Ecuador on Thursday evening.

Aguero has since revealed that he will be out for a month, and Pellegrini will hope that Silva makes a quick recovery with the club currently two points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Klopp: England is obsessed with money, money, money - but I don't care!

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has hit out at the Premier League's obsession with "money, money, money" and insists he does not care about such matters.

The 48-year-old was unveiled as Brendan Rodgers's replacement on Friday, labelling himself "the normal one" in his first press conference.

Klopp was questioned about Liverpool's transfer dealings during the media briefing and, while he outlined his intention to be heavily involved in the identification and acquisition of players, he revealed that he will not worry himself with the club's finances.

"I am always involved, of course, in transfers," he said. "But I was never the guy who spoke about the money. That doesn't interest me.

"If someone says to me 100 million is too much, I don't care about it for one second longer. I don't want to buy a player for £100 million or €100 million. The best thing is if you have a player and you can sell him for £100 million.

"It is only here that money is such a big thing. It is money, money, money. Okay, there is much money. You don’t have to spend all the money. You can hold it and make something else.

"Only two times a year do you want to talk about transfers. You have to train on the pitch much more. That is what I love most. I am the boss of many people. You call it coach or you call it manager. It is the same thing."

Klopp also maintained that he has no interest in signing players who do not wish to join Liverpool, such as Dortmund winger Marco Reus.

"I absolutely don't care about this," he added. "If we cannot sign a player like him we are not interested in him.

"We will have to take other players. Why should you look for players that are so expensive? The whole world plays football – there are players here and players there.

"Of course not having Champions League football is a problem, of course it is a negative. Absolutely. Of course it should be a target for all ambitious teams to play in the Champions League, for sure. But only four go in. You have to fight for it, not just talk about it.

"You have to go there and then look at which players are reachable and not dream of this player or this player and then always be 'but they don’t want to come to Liverpool'.

"If a player doesn't want to come to Liverpool then stay away. Really. If you think about the weather, stay away. If you think about other things, stay away. If you want to come here you are welcome."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ferguson reveals the ONE quality that makes a world-class player

Sir Alex Ferguson believes a player will never become world class if he does not have the right work ethic and insists every Manchester United team talk finished with that sentiment.

The 73-year-old, who won 49 trophies in his 27-year-reign at Old Trafford, has opened up on the team talks he gave during his time at United and what values he instilled in his players.

“Part of your job is to develop your character in the dressing room,” Ferguson told SiriusXM FC.

“Some have it, but I like to see myself, a part of myself, in my teams. Never giving in, determination, work ethic, every team talk I ever had finished with work ethic and concentration. Every team talk always ended with those things.

“Because I think the best player, if he doesn’t have the work ethic, will not be the best player.”

Ferguson was also asked about what it felt like when he realised that his long-serving players were no longer capable of playing at United’s level.

“You have to be honest and tell them the truth, that’s the most important thing. All the evidence is on the football field and I’ve had many players who came to that age where their game is going back,” said the former United boss.

“They don’t actually realise themselves because they don’t want to leave Manchester United. They are loving their football. But I’m the manager of Manchester United, I’m not their agent, not their lawyer, not their father, and the horrible part you have to do is recognise that, because Manchester United have to move on all the time, and it’s not easy because they do become family, some of the players I’ve had for 10 years, 12 years.

“What I tried to do with them, particularly with the ones who could give a club another couple of years - Steve Bruce went to Birmingham City, Denis Irwin went to Wolves, Garry Pallister went to Middlesbrough - they continued to play for another couple of years.

“Even know they are not quite what you expect of a Manchester United player, nonetheless, they made more money from transfers sums and did okay. I think they appreciated my honesty. There’s no use hedging when you’re talking about player’s careers - you’ve got to be straight with them.”

 

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Sunderland appoint Allardyce

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