..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Henry: Premier League title a five-horse race - and Chelsea are not in it

Five teams can win the Premier League this season although Chelsea are not among them, according to former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.

Henry, who also ruled Leicester out of the running, feels his former club have slipped up in their bid to win their first league trophy since 2004 with a string of poor performances.

"For me, the teams in contention are Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and maybe Liverpool," Henry wrote in his column for The Sun.

"Chelsea should not even be in the conversation. If they get back into the top four it will prove nothing more than how poorly the top teams are doing.

"If Chelsea had played like they did last year they would be 10 points clear now, with one hand already on the trophy.

"But every time a team has had the opportunity to take charge at the top, they have wasted it."

Arsenal topped the table after 10 matches but have since dropped to fourth place, with Henry adamant Arsene Wenger's side must capitalise on their chances.

"If they are going to win their first Premier League since 2004 [Arsenal] can’t let any more opportunities slip through their fingers," he continued.

"If they had beaten Spurs and West Brom like they should have done, they would be three points clear at the top.

"Instead they are fourth and have squandered five points which could prove decisive in the end.

"They have also allowed Tottenham back into the dogfight and given belief to Liverpool they might still have a chance."

 

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Fekir dreams of Barcelona move and Ballon d'Or

Lyon forward Nabil Fekir admits that he dreams of playing for Barcelona, and hopes to win the Ballon d'Or during his career.

The 22-year-old formed a deadly strike partnership with Alexandre Lacazette - the pair scored 40 goals between them - in his breakout season as Hubert Fournier's side finished second in Ligue 1 in 2014-15.

Fekir is determined to continue his good form for his current employers, but admits that he has set his sights on a move to Camp Nou in the coming seasons.

"In my head, I have many dreams. I will not talk about them all immediately," he said in an interview with L'Equipe. "I want to do my best for Lyon and then join a big club – that's my goal.

"My favourite team is Barcelona, but I'm aware that much work is needed. To play for Barcelona one day is my dream.

"We will see [if I am at Lyon next season]. As I have not played much this season, logically, I should stay at Lyon for another campaign.

"Aside from that, if clubs present themselves, we will have to see."

The Lyon academy graduate, who has been sidelined since September with a knee ligament injury, also says that he wants to win the Ballon d'Or, "even if that might seem absurd".

"It's not totally crazy, no. Hope keeps people alive," Fekir continued. "I will not say that I am going to win the Ballon d'Or, but I have that in mind."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Tottenham 0-0 Chelsea: Kane & Spurs thwarted as Blues hold on for draw

Tottenham extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to a club record 13 games with a 0-0 draw against Chelsea at White Hart Lane.

Mauricio Pochettino's side controlled possession for much of Sunday's match but were unable to turn it into goals in a contest which starkly contrasted Tottenham's 5-3 win in last season's corresponding fixture.

Jose Mourinho's decision to drop Diego Costa left his side lacking in attack, with an interchangeable front four - spearheaded by Eden Hazard - only threatening on the break.

John Terry was absent due to injury for Chelsea, and his presence was quickly felt as Harry Kane forced Asmir Begovic into a pair of early saves.

Chelsea grew into the game but did not test Hugo Lloris until the 68th minute, when the Frenchman denied Hazard with an excellent stop.

Neither goalkeeper was to beaten before the final whistle, leaving Mourinho's side 14th in the table with one win in their last five Premier League matches.

Tottenham - who made one change with Ryan Mason replacing the suspended Dele Alli - applied the early pressure and Begovic showed bravery and skill to twice deny Kane, first at the striker's feet before taking two attempts to hold a powerful, deflected drive.

Mourinho's men began to create better opportunities and, after Hazard sent a header off target, Pedro fired a swerving strike from 20 yards over the crossbar.

Tottenham continued to enjoy the majority of possession, although Son Heung-min was unable to make it count when he directed a free header straight at Begovic with 27 minutes played and the Bosnian was forced into further action soon after, diving low to his left to turn Mousa Dembele's skidding 25-yard hit around the post.

The absence of a recognised striker meant Chelsea lacked a target inside the box, with Oscar's shank into the side netting ensuring they ended the half without a shot on target.
Kurt Zouma narrowly missed out on a simple finish from a Willian free-kick early in a second period that saw few chances.

Shortly after the hour, Son provided an attacking injection via a one-two with Erik Lamela - on in place of the injured Mason - but his shot was sent straight at Begovic.

It was a rare chance for Tottenham in the second half, and with 68 minutes gone they required a fine save from Lloris stop Hazard finding the net with an impressively executed volley.

Chelsea retreated further in the latter stages and looked to break at pace, but Pedro again failed to test the opposition keeper with a wayward strike from the edge of the area.

Costa remained on the bench despite Chelsea's need for a goal, and threw his substitutes' bib away in disgust in stoppage time when Ruben Loftus-Cheek emerged as Mourinho's final change to cap yet another frustrating outing for the champions.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho: Costa can't hurt me with bib-throwing


Jose Mourinho insists he does not have an issue with Diego Costa, despite leaving the striker on the bench as Chelsea drew 0-0 with Tottenham on Sunday.

The Spain international has struggled for form thus far this season, scoring just four goals in all competitions, and was omitted from the starting XI to face Mauricio Pochettino’s side, Eden Hazard instead picked to occupy the striker role.

Costa was not seen warming up before kick-off and also threw off a training bib during the game as it became apparent that he would not be introduced.

Mourinho, though, has downplayed any apparent bad blood between himself and the forward, insisting that the decision to leave Costa out was purely tactical.
“Not an issue, not at all,” he told BT Sport when asked about his relationship with the forward. “It was just a decision, and I think we played really well, the dynamic was really good, and Hazard and Oscar appeared always in dangerous positions.

“The game went in the direction we wanted to take, we had a very good period in the first half where we should score, and in the second half we had a couple of chances and one of them is a giant chance. So I’m really happy with my decision.”

Costa did warm up briefly in the second half, only to angrily return to his seat and appear to throw his bib in the direction of his manager.

When pressed on if there was a problem with his striker, Mourinho again made light of the issue, suggesting Costa would have thrown something other than a bib if he wanted to hurt him.

“No I don’t like my subs to warm [up],” he said.
“I just want them to be mentally ready to play when I need them, and during the second half when I felt like I could eventually use one of them they went to warm up and he was ready to play.

"A top player on the bench is not happy, so for me his behaviour was normal.

"If he wants to hurt me, it's not with a bib. I have a good relationship with him, no problems.

"I think the message to all my players – not just Diego – is that when we play as a team, we are much better.

"It was just a decision, nothing else."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho: Tottenham draw 'the best Chelsea of the season'

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho praised his side following their 0-0 draw with Tottenham at White Hart Lane and described the game as the champions' best performance of the season.

The Blues boss dropped striker Diego Costa for the clash with Mauricio Pochettino's men, using Eden Hazard as a central striker, but Chelsea were unable to break down a Spurs side who extended their unbeaten Premier League run to 13 games.

The result leaves Mourinho's men 14 points off leaders Manchester City, but the Portuguese says his team produced their best football of the season so far.

“I think that was the best Chelsea of the season. As a team, the best Chelsea," he told BT Sport. "I think we deserved a bit more than what we got, but I’m really happy with the performance.

"The team defended like a team, defending with 11 players, the team with the ball was comfortable against a team that presses really well and aggressively and is difficult to play against, [but] we were comfortable with the ball."

Arguably the best chance of the game fell to Hazard who was denied a goal on the volley midway through the second half by Hugo Lloris.

And after admiring the way Chelsea carved open their hosts' defence, Mourinho is hoping his side can maintain their level, with testing fixtures to come next month.

"We had our chances, which is not easy to create against them [Tottenham]. We had our chances – a couple of them really, really big chances, especially the fantastic save [Hugo] Lloris did to [Eden] Hazard," he added.

"So I am very happy with the performance, I think we are not happy with the result but we are happy with the team. I think we have the team again, and we look to the future with a better spirit until the end of December.

"We have three matches to play at Stamford Bridge, we have Leicester and Manchester United away which are two of the three top teams, but two teams that we can enjoy playing against.

"So a good December, I believe, is waiting for us.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

West Ham 1-1 West Brom: Lambert strike cancels out stunning Zarate free-kick

Rickie Lambert's heavily deflected strike earned West Brom a 1-1 draw with West Ham at Upton Park on Sunday, cancelling out Mauro Zarate's brilliant opener.

Zarate's superb free-kick had given the hosts the lead in the first half as the Hammers looked to arrest a three-game winless run that has coincided with an injury to playmaker Dimitri Payet.

West Brom increasingly grew into the contest and looked the more likely winners after Lambert's goal, with Adrian making a fine save to keep out a close-range header from Salomon Rondon.

Diafra Sakho went closest to finding a winner for West Ham, but his shot deflected off Jonas Olsson into the side netting with Boaz Myhill beaten.

The draw matches the result from when the two sides last met in east London in January.

After a cagey opening few minutes West Ham had the first shot at goal. The Baggies lost possession in a dangerous area and Manuel Lanzini jinked through two tackles before freeing Zarate, whose shot hit the side netting.

Rondon then went close, driving a fierce shot after good work from Darren Fletcher, but the Venezuela international's strike fizzed just wide of Adrian's far post.

The Hammers took the lead after 16 minutes when Gareth McAuley conceded a free-kick for grappling with Sakho 25 yards out and Zarate curled a wonderful shot over the wall and into the top corner, leaving Myhill helpless.

Cheikhou Kouyate should have added a second for Bilic's men soon after, but glanced a header just wide from Aaron Cresswell's precise cross, before Myhill saved well with his legs from the tricky Lanzini.

West Ham were dominating the 100th meeting between these sides and Lanzini forced another good stop from Myhill after the hosts sliced through the defence once again.

Pulis introduced Lambert for the ineffective Stephane Sessegnon at half-time and the former Liverpool striker made an immediate impact. West Ham failed to clear after Fletcher's driving run and Lambert's shot fortuitously deflected in off Reid's arm for the equaliser.

Lambert was in the thick of the action and forced a good low save from Adrian via a free-kick he won himself after tussling with Angelo Ogbonna.

Adrian made an incredible save to deny Rondon on the hour mark, spreading himself to keep out the striker's point-blank header as the visitors pressed.

With 20 minutes to go Victor Moses drove through the West Brom midfield and found Sakho in space, but the Senegal striker's shot hit the side netting after a vital deflection off Olsson.

Moses then volleyed just wide of the far post in the final two minutes after Lanzini kept the ball alive in the box and that proved the final flurry.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Borussia Dortmund 4-1 Stuttgart: Aubameyang at the double as hosts return to winning ways

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice as Borussia Dortmund returned to winning ways with a 4-1 victory over Stuttgart, as Jurgen Kramny's tenure as caretaker manager started with a loss.

Stuttgart dispensed with Alexander Zorniger following the 4-0 home defeat to fellow strugglers Augsburg last week, but Kramny saw his team make a bad start when Gonzalo Castro's first Bundesliga goal gave the hosts a third-minute lead.

The former Bayer Leverkusen midfielder then played a key part in Dortmund's second, laying off the ball smartly to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who made no mistake with an expertly dinked-finish.

Aubameyang saw a goal chalked-off as Dortmund began to run riot, though Stuttgart did get themselves back in contention courtesy of Daniel Didavi's fifth league goal of the season.

Dortmund stamped their authority on proceedings after the restart, and following a disallowed Marco Reus effort, extended their advantage when Georg Niedermeier turned it into his own net, before Aubameyang added gloss to the victory with a 90th-minute strike.

The win is Dortmund's 10th Bundesliga victory this term, while Stuttgart have now lost their last three league fixtures. Thomas Tuchel's men remain second, eight points behind leaders Bayern Munich.

Dortmund wasted little time in going ahead, Castro nodding home after latching onto the rebound from Henrikh Mkhitaryan's shot.

Tuchel had made five changes to the line-up that was beaten by Krasnodar in the Europa League on Thursday, with Mats Hummels the most notable absentee, but he was not missed as his replacement, Sven Bender, made a terrific last-ditch tackle to prevent Timo Werner getting in on goal.

Castro was the architect of Dortmund's next goal, his clever flick teeing up Aubameyang, who netted his 24th goal of the season with an exquisite chip.

Aubameyang had the ball in the back of the net again shortly after, but the goal was disallowed for offside.

Despite Dortmund's domination, Stuttgart pulled one back just prior to the interval when, moments after Werner had an effort cleared off the line, Didavi tapped into an empty net after being set up by Filip Kostic.

Dortmund should have re-established their two-goal lead shortly after the restart as Reus fired in a fantastic cross, but Aubameyang could not apply the finish.

Reus thought he had netted himself soon after, but his strike was correctly ruled out for offside, before Castro again combined with Aubameyang – whose driven effort was well saved.

Dortmund's pressure finally paid dividends with 25 minutes remaining, a combination of Niedermeier and Przemyslaw Tyton deflecting Reus' strike into the bottom left corner.

And the result was put beyond all doubt late on as Aubameyang raced on to Adrian Ramos' pass before dispatching the ball superbly past Tyton as Dortmund eased back to winning ways.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Eibar 0-2 Real Madrid: Bale & Ronaldo net for Blancos

Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo scored at the end of each half to give Real Madrid a 2-0 victory over Eibar, which moves the Blancos within six points of leaders Barcelona.

After taking a Clasico beating last weekend and conceding three to Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek, Madrid were in need of a response, but laboured to victory against the Basque side with Ronaldo struggling badly in front of goal before he netted a late penalty.

The Portugal star was indecisive when one-on-one with Asier Riesgo in the first half, but Bale gave Madrid the advantage before the break when he headed home a corner from Luka Modric.

Ronaldo wasted another chance when clear on goal after the break, somehow blasting wide, but finally got his name on the scoresheet with eight minutes to play, securing a win that will do little to silence coach Rafael Benitez's detractors.

Eibar threatened a number of times via Sergi Enrich, but the hosts failed to fully test Keylor Navas and were consigned to a first home defeat in five.

Indeed, Enrich had the game's first opportunity, but his deflected 25-yarder was comfortable for Navas.

Ronaldo ought to have broken the deadlock as the visitors went straight up the other end, but Riesgo smothered his effort one-on-one, with Mateo Kovacic wildly blasting the rebound over the crossbar.

Danilo curled a weak shot from the left-hand side of the area that did little to worry Riesgo and Eibar were giving as good as they got, Takashi Inui cutting inside from the left and drawing a save from Navas, who did well to quickly get back to his feet and beat Enrich to the rebound.
Madrid eventually went a goal up shortly before the half-time whistle. Modric worked a short corner with James Rodriguez to work space for a whipped cross and Bale beat his marker in the air before heading home his third La Liga goal of the season.

Bale nearly doubled the lead barely a minute later when he superbly controlled a long pass before unleashing a low shot toward the far corner, only for Riesgo to deny him with a smart save.

Enrich remained fiercely committed up top for Eibar and had a chance as he got ahead of Pepe shortly after the restart, but he could not keep his effort down under pressure, with centre-back Aleksandar Pantic also turning the home team's next chance off target.

Ronaldo felt he should have been awarded a penalty after a challenge from David Junca, but referee Jesus Gil waved play on and the Portugal star's frustrating game went on as Lucas sent him running through on goal, but he could only fire into the side netting from a narrow angle.

But Ronaldo was finally able to celebrate after he rolled home from the spot after Lucas was felled, his 234th La Liga goal drawing him into joint-third with Madrid legend Hugo Sanchez.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ronaldo becomes La Liga's third all-time top scorer

Cristiano Ronaldo has clinched his place among the three all-time top scorers in the Spanish Primera Division after netting against Eibar for Real Madrid on Sunday.

After wasting several promising chances, the former Manchester United man scored from the penalty spot to cap a 2-0 victory for the Merengue - ending a run of more than five hours without a league goal.

That strike took him onto 234 goals in the nation's top-flight, drawing level with former Madrid favourite Hugo Sanchez in the rankings.

Ronaldo, however, reached the mark in 134 fewer games than the legendary Mexican forward.

His penalty, moreover, took him to 48 successful Liga spot-kicks, 11 more than anyone else in the top five European leagues since 2009/10.

Zarra, with 251 goals, is the next target for Cristiano, while Lionel Messi leads the standings with 290 goals.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations C.Ronaldo!

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[Wolverine GTR]

Norwich City 1-1 Arsenal: Injury-struck Gunners unravel against Canaries

Arsenal lost both Alexis Sanchez and Laurent Koscielny to injury in what could prove to be a damaging 1-1 draw with Norwich City on Sunday.

Mesut Ozil scored his second Premier League goal of the season to put Arsene Wenger's side ahead at Carrow Road but Lewis Grabban equalised from close range just before the break, after Koscielny had been forced off with an apparent hip problem.

Sanchez had to be withdrawn after an hour with a hamstring injury and Norwich came close to a winner when the ball flicked off Gabriel's head and toward his own goal, only for Petr Cech to make a superb save.

Arsenal, who had looked in complete control for the opening half-hour, found themselves on the back foot for much of the rest of the game but Norwich failed to find a second goal that would have given them just a second win in eight league games.

The Gunners, meanwhile, remain fourth in the table after missing out on the chance to leapfrog Manchester United above them and move level on points with the league leaders.

Norwich caused a few problems with some early set-pieces and Ozil should have opened the scoring for Arsenal when he was picked out in the box by Nacho Monreal. The German dragged his effort off target, with Sebastian Bassong clearing the danger.

Sanchez drew the first good save out of John Ruddy, forcing the England goalkeeper to parry a fierce shot from inside the box after a fine run from Santi Cazorla.

But Ruddy proved his side's undoing with a poor clearance in the 28th minute, allowing Sanchez to slip the ball through to Ozil, who clipped a fine finish into the far corner from the left side of the area.

Alex Neil's team had been comfortably second best but they snatched an equaliser just before the break. Robbie Brady fed the ball into the feet of Grabban, who turned Gabriel superbly before rolling the ball beneath Cech.

And Hoolahan wasted a glorious chance for a second in stoppage time as he side-footed over the crossbar when picked out unmarked at the far post by Andre Wisdom.
Ruddy endured another nervy moment when he completely missed a high bouncing ball from a Sanchez cross early in the second half, but Martin Olsson was on hand to hook clear off the line and away from Ozil.

The game had descended into a more scrappy affair and Arsenal were dealt a further blow when Sanchez was forced off with a hamstring injury after pulling up when running to close down Ryan Bennett in the penalty area.

Hector Bellerin scuffed a shot into the side-netting but the Gunners looked deflated by Sanchez's exit, while Norwich grew in confidence as the home fans sensed an upset.

Cech made a fine low save to prevent an own goal from Gabriel after Olsson's cross and Jonny Howson hooked the ball over the bar from six yards from the resulting corner, before Olivier Giroud headed high 12 yards out from a rare half-chance.

Gabriel made a vital interception to clear Olsson's dangerous cut-back and Joel Campbell just failed to connect with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's cross in an end-to-end closing 10 minutes, but neither side could find the winner.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sanzhez & Koscielny injured wela neh.​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Liverpool 1-0 Swansea: Milner penalty settles scrappy encounter

James Milner scored from the penalty spot for the second game running to earn Liverpool a hard-fought 1-0 win over Swansea City at Anfield on Sunday.

Milner was on target with a penalty in Thursday's Europa League victory over Bordeaux, and he proved Liverpool's matchwinner against Garry Monk's side after the hosts had looked set for a frustrating stalemate.

Liverpool were on top for large spells prior to Milner's goal shortly after the hour but lacked a cutting edge without playmaker Philippe Coutinho, who was not risked following a hamstring problem picked up in the 4-1 win over Manchester City.

Jurgen Klopp's team were a long way off reproducing their stunning display at the Etihad Stadium but Milner's penalty, following a questionable decision for a Neil Taylor handball, ensured the German enjoyed a first Premier League win at Anfield.

Captain Jordan Henderson and striker Daniel Sturridge both made their long-awaited returns from injury to feature under Klopp for the first time - adding gloss to a third victory in a row in all competitions that lifts Liverpool to sixth in the table.

Swansea will consider themselves unfortunate, but a run of just one win in 10 league outings means the pressure continues to build on Monk.

Following back-to-back wins over City and Bordeaux, Liverpool began confidently and almost went ahead five minutes in via Kyle Bartley.

Jordon Ibe burst forward and Bartley's challenge diverted the ball onto Lukasz Fabianski's right-hand post as Swansea were given an early let-off.

Ibe - one of two Liverpool changes due to Coutinho's injury and Lucas Leiva's suspension - was heavily involved in the opening stages as Liverpool dominated possession.

Missing suspended former Liverpool man Jonjo Shelvey, Swansea gradually grew into the game around the half-hour mark but, like their hosts, failed to muster a shot on target before the interval.

Having survived early Liverpool pressure, Swansea were on top after the break but Ibe had the first effort of the second period when he forced Fabianski into a save down to his right.

Klopp's men continued to lack a decisive pass in the final third but, when Taylor was harshly adjudged to have handled Ibe's delivery, Milner produced an impressive penalty to beat Fabianski and break the deadlock.

Henderson was introduced soon after for his first appearance since mid-August and assumed the captain's armband from Milner before Sturridge featured for the first time in almost two months.

The striker missed the midweek Europa League success after sustaining a knock in training but almost got himself on the end of Milner's wayward shot at the far post shortly after his introduction.

Swansea substitutes Jefferson Montero and Befetimbi Gomis saw late shots blocked, as Liverpool's momentum continues to grow ahead of Wednesday's League Cup quarter-final at Southampton.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bale makes timely goalscoring return as Benitez lives to fight another day

Three months is a long time in football. That's how long it has taken Gareth Bale to find the net again for Real Madrid after hitting a double in the 5-0 win at home to Betis on August 29. It was a timely return to form from the Welsh winger - and Rafa Benitez lives to fight another day.

Still reeling from their 4-0 loss in the Clasico at home to Barcelona last Saturday and forced to field a patched-up back line due to injuries to Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Marcelo in this one, Madrid were facing a tough test at a difficult ground and up against an in-form Eibar side that had only lost to Atletico and Barca in La Liga this season.

But it was a match Benitez could simply not afford to lose after he was ratified by Madrid president Florentino Perez at a press conference at the Santiago Bernabeu last Monday.

In the build-up to this game, the Spanish coach had spoken of the positive sensations in Wednesday's win at Shakhtar Donetsk, when Madrid went 4-0 up but almost threw away their good work as they conceded three goals late on.

Bale was back on form in Ukraine with two assists for Cristiano Ronaldo and the two forwards enraced on the turf as they celebrated Madrid's fourth goal in what looked like a symbolic gesture but one which was written off by many as a show for the cameras.

In any case, they had combined well and Bale had impressed on the left flank, the position where he came to prominence as an exciting talent at Tottenham.

Asked about his performance in that role on Saturday, Benitez surprisingly said: "I didn't ask him to play there. Bale and Ronaldo have freedom to move around."

Against Eibar, however, the two were played furthest forward as unorthodox strikers with Karim Benzema (so disappointing and clearly not fully fit in the Clasico) left on the bench and James Rodriguez operating behind them.
It wasn't particularly convincing, but chances did come Madrid's way. Ronaldo missed a couple of good opportunities in an evenly contested first half, but it was Bale who broke the deadlock as he headed home a cross from Luka Modric. It was a well-worked free-kick move and one which relieved the pressure on Madrid and Benitez.

"The move for the goal turned out well," the 55-year-old said after the game. "I don't like to single anyone out. It was a team victory and they all contributed. All of the players did sensationally well."

Bale included. The 26-year-old has struggled for fitness and form this season, missing almost half of Madrid's matches because of an injury picked up playing for Wales and struggling to make an impact in recent games. Three months had passed to the day since his double against Betis, so this was very much a timely return to form in front of goal.
Madrid were not exactly impressive in the second half either, but Lucas Vazquez won a penalty late on and Ronaldo converted to seal an important win. It wasn't stylish and it wasn't pretty, but it was enough and saw Benitez overcome a tricky test ahead of winnable games against Cadiz, Getafe and Malmo in the next 10 days.

For Bale personally, it is a respite in what has been a difficult season so far for the former Spurs star in which he has been booed by his own fans and criticised in the Madrid media for favouring Wales over Real (he was injured playing against Andorra with his national already qualified for Euro 2016).


So the Welsh winger is back just when Real needed him most, while the Madrid crisis is averted - at least for now - and Benitez fights on.

 

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Ronaldo did well despite misses, insists Benitez

Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez feels Cristiano Ronaldo put in good performance in Sunday's 2-0 La Liga win over Eibar despite missing a number of chances.

The Portugal international missed a major opportunity to open the scoring after 15 minutes, before wasting another gilt-edged opening after the break.

He eventually got his goal when he converted a penalty, though, and Benitez was adamant he was happy with the attacker's contribution.

"Ronaldo got his goal again. He got a number of chances and I am pleased with Ronaldo's performance," Benitez said.

"Everybody played a role in this win. We all worked hard I want to emphasise that it was a team effort. We were all united."

Madrid sit third in the table after 13 games with 27 points, trailing leaders Barcelona by six.

Benitez has stressed Madrid should not be written off yet, though, as it is still early in the season.

"It is only November and we have had a lot of injuries. I am optimistic," he added.

"We will continue to fight in each game right until the end of the season."

Gareth Bale opened the scoring for Madrid following a short corner and Benitez revealed they had been practicing the routine that led to the goal in training over the past few days.

He explained: "The first goal was the result of something we have been training on.

“Eibar are an aggressive and intense team, but we deserved our in. We have proven to be a tough group."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wenger: Alexis injury not my fault

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insisted he was right to play Alexis Sanchez in the 1-1 draw with Norwich, despite watching his star man limp from the field with a hamstring injury.

The Gunners led 1-0 through Mesut Ozil's first-half strike, but Lewis Grabban's equaliser means they missed out on the chance to draw level with Mancheste City and Leicester City at the top of the Premier League.

That disappointment was further compounded by the sight of Sanchez limping from the field, after Laurent Koscielny (hip) had earlier succumbed to injury, while Santi Cazorla (knee) also ended the game in apparent distress.

However, after the game Wenger was adamant that Alexis' injury was not his fault, with the Chilean joining a growing list of players in the Arsenal treatment room.

"[Regret playing alexis?] No I don’t regret it," he said. "The players are there to play football not to be rested when the press decides they need to be rested."

Wenger then appeared to contradict that statement by adding: "I would have rested Sanchez, but he said to me before the game he was fine to play.

"He was an important loss, he pushes defenders back and is always incisive with his dribbling. He says it’s a kick on his hamstring but I fear that is not really the reality.

"Nobody is scientifically developed enough to predict when a guy will get injured. We are not in a position to predict it. Our tests looked like he was alright - the tests showed he had no problem with a normal stretch."There are plenty of players across Europe who play in every single game. At the moment we are a bit short because of injuries."

Wenger also shed further light on Koscielny and Cazorla's injuries, while admitting his disappointment at his side's recent results in the league.

When [Cazorla] was down he got a kick on the knee. We don’t know if he’s hurt a knee ligament or a kick on the nerve. The worrying thing is it got worse during the game. "Koscielny is a kick on his hip, he couldn’t move even now. We will have to asses them."We’ve had a bad spell with only two points from three games but we are still not far. At least we have an opportunity to come back."

 

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[kmc madushan]

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Palermo 0-3 Juventus: Mandzukic and Zaza on target as Bianconeri revival continues

Juventus continued their recent revival with a 3-0 win away at Palermo on Sunday night to move up to fifth place in Serie A.

Mario Mandzukic, Stefano Sturaro and substitute Simone Zaza scored after the interval to record their fourth straight league win and move within six points of leaders Inter, who visit Napoli on Monday.

Allegri has faced criticism for selecting Mandzukic over Alvaro Morata in recent weeks, but the former Atletico Madrid man scored the winner against Manchester City on Wednesday and kept his place again.

The striker set Juve on their way nine minutes after the restart following impressive work from former Rosanero favourite Paulo Dybala - who was making his first return to Palermo since his close-season move to Turin.

Davide Ballardini's reign at Palermo began with a draw at Lazio last week but he saw Juve pull away late on as Sturaro and Zaza ensured a somewhat flattering scoreline for Allegri's team, who are now six games unbeaten in all competitions.

Palermo began on the front foot and saw Gaston Brugman and Oscar Hiljemark fire over the crossbar from range early on while Juve struggled for impetus.Mandzukic almost put the visitors ahead against the run of play when he came close to converting Sturaro's deep cross 11 minutes in.

Allegri brought Juan Cuadrado and Patrice Evra into his XI from midweek and saw his side build momentum. Giorgio Chiellini headed wide before Paul Pogba picked up a yellow card for a late challenge on Hiljemark - ruling the Frenchman out of Friday's clash with Lazio.

Alberto Gilardino flashed a shot across goal prior to the half-hour mark for the hosts before Leonardo Bonucci headed wide at the other end as the game opened up before half-time.

However, neither side managed a first-half shot on target and that lack of quality continued in the second period as Pogba sliced a shot wide from distance.But Juve eventually went ahead in the 54th minute as Dybala produced a rare moment of quality to curl a pinpoint left-footed cross for Mandzukic to head home.

The Croatian now has three goals in his last four Juve games, but Allegri still opted to replace him with Morata seven minutes after the hour.Cuadrado was brought off soon after as Allegri sought to close out the victory following decent efforts from Aleksandar Trajkovski and Achraf Lazaar.

But when Pogba played in Sturaro with 89 minutes on the clock, the midfielder calmly rolled home his first goal since May before Zaza got in on the act with a well-taken third shortly after replacing Dybala.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Henry: Arsenal should use Sanchez more sparingly

Arsenal favourite Thierry Henry has criticised his former club for overworking Alexis Sanchez following the forward's injury.

The Chile international has been almost ever-present for both club and country in the current season, racking up over 1000 minutes of Premier League playing time so far.

His game against Norwich City, however, ended after an hour, as he was taken off with a hamstring injury.

"Obviously if you ask Alexis Sanchez if he is OK, he is going to say yes. If a guy says no then he might as well leave the club. You are there to play," Henry said to Sky Sports.

"But I think you almost don't have to ask him anything if you want to rest him. You need to go out and say nothing or, 'I'm resting you today and that's the way it is'.

"Again, I personally wouldn't have liked that when I was a player, but you take it on the chin and see the bigger picture because you want to be out there and play the whole season.

The former Arsenal and Barcelona player had criticised manager Arsene Wenger for not subbing Alexis towards the end of an easy Champions League victory midweek.

And after Sunday's 0-0 draw, he reiterated his concerns.

"Yes, it was difficult to rest him today because you want to win, but I go back to the Zagreb game. With 20 minutes to go at 3-0, you can give him a little rest," he pointed out.

"Obviously I would like to think the 14 hours travelling, playing away with Chile for the World Cup in South America, doesn't help.

"Now we can all say the same thing. If he played today and he scored he would have said, 'I was right to play him', but he got an injury so we are obviously going to say he should have rested him."