..::Football III::..

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Pochettino hails positive Tottenham attitude

Mauricio Pochettino was delighted with the attitude his Tottenham players showed in Saturday's 6-1 hammering of Celtic.

Spurs put on a show against the Scottish champions in Finland, with six different players getting on the scoresheet.

Harry Kane, Roberto Soldado, Lewis Holtby, Erik Lamela, Christian Eriksen and Emmanuel Adebayor all got in on the act as Tottenham's unbeaten pre-season run continued in style.

And Pochettino was particularly impressed by the application of his side.

"It was a very good session for us," Pochettino said in quotes on Tottenham's official website. "After the result it seems like an easy game but it's never easy to play against a young team like Celtic.

"We are really pleased with the players because they have a very good attitude which they showed in the game.

"It's always important to welcome back players like Adebayor, [Nabil] Bentaleb and Sandro so that they are with the team.

"I'm very happy because we had a very good attitude. Always when you compete it's an important test - always.

"For us it's another session to arrive at the season in the best condition."

Tottenham take on Schalke at White Hart Lane next Saturday and kick-off the Premier League season at West Ham a week later.

 

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Lewandowski: I'll get even better at Bayern

Robert Lewandowski is confident his switch to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich will help him become an even better striker.

The Pole was officially confirmed as a Bayern player in July after signing a pre-contract agreement with the Bavarians in January, ending his prolific four-year spell with BVB.

The 25-year-old netted 103 goals in his time at Signal Iduna Park and, ahead of the DFL-Supercup in which he will face his former club Dortmund on his competitive debut, he stressed his belief he can make further strides under Pep Guardiola.

"I know I can get even better. It doesn't matter where you've played and what you've won, you always have to give it everything you've got," Lewandowski told reporters.

"I am not yet at the limit. I hope I can get better every day."Bayern's stars from Germany's successful World Cup campaign will return to the squad for their last friendly clash with an MLS All-Star team at Providence Park in Portland on Wednesday, just a week before their clash with Dortmund on August 13.

The DFL-Supercup is to be held at Signal Iduna Park and, while Lewandowski is relishing the occasion, the forward expects his first competitive match as a Bayern player to be a challenging one."It's obviously going to be special for me," he added. "I had four fantastic years at Dortmund, but it'll feel very different as a member of the visiting team.

"It will be a difficult evening, simply because we'll only have trained all together for a week. But we're a good team and we'll obviously play to win."

 

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Fletcher and De Gea praise Van Gaal

Darren Fletcher and David de Gea have revealed the impact that new manager Louis van Gaal has already had on Manchester United.

United have impressed in pre-season, reaching the final of the International Champions Cup in the United States after a 3-1 victory over Real Madrid on Saturday.

That was the latest sign of improvement under Van Gaal, who officially replaced David Moyes at Old Trafford last month after leading Netherlands to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Brazil.

The Dutchman has already stamped his authority on the squad ahead of the 2014-15 season - signing Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw for over €52.5 million - with United looking to recover from a turbulent campaign which saw them finish seventh and miss out on European football.

And Fletcher believes they are already showing signs of improvement under the 62-year-old.

"Van Gaal demands a lot, but the players are responding to to it and enjoying playing in the new system and playing under him," said the Scotland international. "We've got a fantastic team spirit - we were talking about it last night amongst ourselves.

"We're all close and we're all pulling in the right direction and we all want the best for Manchester United. We're disappointed with where we finished in the league last season and as a a result of that Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, they all finished above of us.

"We're disappointed but next season we want to show what we're capable of and hopefully we can can do that."

That is a sentiment echoed by De Gea, with the Spain goalkeeper revealing that Van Gaal's arrival has already had a significant impact on the mentality within the squad.

"He [van Gaal] is hard when he has to be. Really, he has surprised me," said De Gea. "He is a great head coach and he is providing the team with a very good character. You can see it so far. I think we are totally different from last season.

"I think a lot of the big teams have been reinforced very well. We have also have been reinforced, with some players like Ander Herrera, and Luke Shaw on the left side.

"Right now, it could well be that we have one of the best squads."

 

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'I am Jesus but I can't do Benfica miracles'

Benfica coach Jorge Jesus insists he cannot perform "miracles" despite sharing a namesake with the Christianity figure who could turn water into wine.

The Portuguese giants have lost all four of their pre-season matches - to Sporting and Ajax in July, and Arsenal and Valencia this weekend.

The defeats followed the departure of a number of first-team players including winger Lazar Markovic to Liverpool, goalkeeper Jan Oblak to Atletico Madrid, defender Ezequiel Garay to Zenit St Petersburg and midfielder Andre Gomes to Valencia.

"There is no team in the world who lose eight players and in four weeks can do miracles with his team," Jesus told reporters. "I am Jesus... But Benfica need time.

"Besides the players who stayed with us, the new players have found it difficult to adapt.

"They have not yet understood the requirements of the team, but they have been working under an extreme physical training regime. This has caused players to not perform to their potential."

The Aguias were beaten 3-1 by Valencia on Sunday a day after being thrashed 5-1 by Arsenal. They took an early lead through Derley but a second-half comeback for last season's Europa League semi-finalists left Jesus' men on the losing team once again.

"Of course, even in pre-season it is better to win than lose, but in these games we can take risks and experiment," Jesus added.

"So I think these four game were important and we will start making conclusions on Monday in order to improve in games ahead."

Benfica face their first competitive game of the season against Rio Ave in Sunday's Supertaca ahead of the new league season.

 

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Official: Real Madrid complete Keylor Navas signing

Real Madrid have completed the signing of Keylor Navas from Levante on a six-year deal.

The goalkeeper was one of the best performers in La Liga last season with Levante and followed up his stellar 2013-14 by starring with Costa Rica at the World Cup, reaching the quarter-finals thanks to his heroics between the sticks.

Levante president Quico Catalan confirmed last week that his club were in talks with Real over a potential transfer and the European champions have now completed the formalities of the deal.A statement on their official website read: "Real Madrid CF and Levante UD have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player Keylor Navas, who is linked to the club over the next six seasons.

"The player will be presented on Tuesday, August 5, at 13:00CET at the Bernabeu, after undergoing the relevant medical examination."Navas, 27, was Levante's first-choice goalkeeper last season, having previously played second fiddle to Gustavo Munua at the Valencia-based club.

During the World Cup, he kept clean sheets against England and Italy, before also remaining unbeaten for 120 minutes against the Netherlands, who ultimately saw off Costa Rica in a penalty shoot-out to reach the semi-final.

 

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Congratulations Keylor Navas!​

 

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Newcastle could yet add to 'exciting' signings, says Pardew

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew says that fans should be "excited" by their transfer business this summer, with yet more still a possibility.

Siem de Jong, Remy Cabella, Daryl Janmaat, Emmanuel Riviere, Ayoze Perez and Jack Colback have all made the move to St James's Park this summer, with Argentine forward Facundo Ferreyra the latest to arrive, joining on loan from Shakhtar on Sunday.

While the club look increasingly unlikely to land a permanent deal for QPR's Loic Remy, Pardew remains open to other deals.

"We've always maintained that we will watch the window until the last hours," he told the Evening Chronicle.

"We've done some terrific business and I think it must be exciting for Newcastle fans that we've got some terrific, offensive players.

"I feel much more comfortable with the team and we can play a brand of football which is expected of us. I think we could really trouble teams this season, which is something we didn't do in the second half of last season."

Pardew expects plenty of promise from Ferreyra in particular, explainig: "He went to Ukraine but didn't get many chances. He'll get more chances with us.

"We think he is a player who will grow and we have the option to take him on a permanent basis. We believe he will show the form from Argentina in the Premier League with us."

 

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Alexis Sanchez: I'm not fully fit yet

New Arsenal signing Alexis Sanchez has set his sights on reaching full fitness after making his first start for the club.

The Chilean played 74 minutes as the Gunners lost 1-0 to Monaco in the Emirates Cup on Sunday, having come off the bench during a 5-1 demolition of Benfica a day earlier.

Alexis, who joined the north Londoners from Barcelona in July, is keen to settle as soon as possible and believes that his game time over the weekend will prove hugely beneficial.

"I have to go step by step; I have only trained twice with the team," he told the club's official website after the Monaco match.

"Today I played 70 minutes - I believe I needed it - and I just have to keep on working hard and training.

"I like this style of football. What is important for me now is to try to play games, to score as many goals as possible and to win titles.

"What is important now is to play and get fit. I need to get 100 per cent."

The 25-year-old also thanked Arsenal's fans for his warm reception.

"Of course I loved it, I am extremely thankful to all of them," Alexis added. "I am extremely happy and I hope I can make them very happy as well."

 

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Wenger questions Manchester City's Lampard move

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has questioned whether Manchester City's move to sign Frank Lampard on loan was influenced by a desire to work around Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions.

City were only able to name a 21-man squad for the Champions League and were also fined and restricted in their transfer spending as European football's governing body deemed them to have breached FFP earlier in 2014.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini confirmed on Saturday that former the Chelsea midfielder will join the Premier League champions on loan until January from City's Major League Soccer franchise, New York City FC.

New York have also loaned out new signing David Villa to Melbourne City - who are owned by the English club as well - and Wenger has raised concerns after learning of Lampard's switch back to England.

The Arsenal boss told the press: "It is a surprise.

"After the statements we hear, it is a surprise but it looks like all of these 'City' clubs will feed the main club, Man City. I heard they want to buy five clubs all over the world.

"I don't know the rules well enough but they brought a franchise for $100 million [€74.4m] to play in the States next season.

"At the moment the players they sign cannot play until next year so they will register them in the clubs where they put them and they can get out on loan.

"Is it a way to get around the fair play? I don't know. We are happy to dedicate the money to just run our club. There is not a lot of surplus to run other clubs."

 

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Mangala flies in to complete Manchester City move

Manchester City will finally complete the €40 million signing of Porto centre-back Eliaquim Mangala in the coming days.

The Premier League champions are hopeful the defender will land in the north west of England to put pen to paper on Monday, with his current employers ready to announce his departure to the stock exchange.

As revealed by Goal, the France international had been in Manchester on July 12 to complete his medical and finalise the transfer, but no announcements have since been made by either club.

City mistakenly posted a video interview with the 23-year-old at the end of July, in which he confirmed his medical at Bridgewater hospital, before removing the content from their official website.

But with Mangala now back from his post-World Cup holiday, the club are hopeful they can finally make the signature official and complete their final major piece of transfer business this summer.

Earlier in the window Bacary Sagna arrived on a free transfer from Arsenal, goalkeeper Willy Caballero was brought in from Malaga and Porto midfielder Fernando signed for €15m.

Manuel Pellegrini's side had tried to sign both Mangala and Fernando in the January transfer window but Porto stood firm, and in the case of the central defender even blocked his rights holders from sanctioning a deal below the club's asking price.

 

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Liverpool 'categorically' not signing Balotelli, declares Rodgers

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has declared that the Reds will "categorically" not be signing Mario Balotelli.

The Northern IRishman had previously described the Italy international forward - who has also been a target for Arsenal this summer - as "a big talent".

"I was asked the question about Balotelli and spoke about what a talent he is and excellent player he is," Rodgers explained to reporters on Sunday. "I can categorically tell you that he will not be at Liverpool.

"He is a wonderful player but an AC Milan player. I just gave my opinion of him but that doesn't mean I will be signing him."

Balotelli came face to face with the Reds on Saturday as they lost 2-0 to Liverpool in a pre-season match in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Rodgers has already signed Rickie Lambert, Lazar Markovic and Adam Lallana in forward positions this summer as he looks to recover from the loss of Luis Suarez to Barcelona.

 

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Musacchio set to join Tottenham, admits Villarreal coach

Villarreal coach Marcelino accepts that centre-back Mateo Musacchio is set to join Tottenham.

Spurs had been considering an offer for the 23-year-old after he was voted the Spanish club’s player of the season in 2013-14 and are now on the verge of completing a deal.

Marcelino now "expects" Musacchio to make the switch to White Hart Lane, despite how difficult he sees the task of finding a replacement.

He told reporters: "It's a situation with three parties: the player, the buyer and the club in the middle and, as I have said many times, if the club sell an important player it's because the right conditions to do so have been met.

"Things will change quite a lot [for this team]. The quality and level of [Musacchio] will make it difficult to find a replacement.

"It's always more complicated to adapt the team to a new defender than to a forward or midfielder [and] it's not easy, at this level, to find a new defender. It won't be easy [to replace him] but the solution, for better or worse, will be found soon."

The coach lamented that, having already wanted to bring in another centre-back this summer, he would now have to find two.

"Mateo is a very important player for Villarreal," he added. "He's an excellent player and will be a difficult loss to cover, especially as he plays in a tough position to reinforce."

 

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Aubameyang: Dortmund less predictable without Lewandowski

Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng believes Borussia Dortmund have become "more flexible and less predictable" due to the departure of Robert Lewandowski.

The Poland international was the Bundesliga's top scorer last season and his decision to leave BVB following the expiration of his contract this summer to join rivals Bayern Munich on a free transfer is being widely viewed as a hammer blow for Jurgen Klopp's side.

However, Aubamayeng feels that the loss of Lewandowski could actually work in favour of Dortmund, who have added both Ciro Immobile and Adrian Ramos to their attacking arsenal.

"We have lost a great player," the Gabon international told Rurh Nachrichten. "But we have got Ciro and Adrian - two very good players.

"I believe that we have become more flexible and less predictable. It could well be an advantage."

Certainly, Aubamayeng believes that Klopp's willingness to play two up front this season will bring the best out of him.

"It is an advantage for me when we play 4-4-2 because I grew up with this system," the striker reasoned.

"I am, of course, willing to play anywhere and in any system. But I hope that I will score 20 goals. I have done it [at former club] Saint-Etienne. Perhaps I can score even more."

Aubamayeng admitted, though, that he will have to play with greater consistency than he did during their 2013-14 campaign.

"I'm not happy with the second half of the season, especially with the conclusion of the season," he confessed.

"I'll want to play at a high level with greater continuity. I want to play more of a part in our build-up.

"I have improved in front of goal but I must also continue to evolve if I'm to play as an out-and-out forward.

"I must still improve in situations where I have my back to goal.

"I hope that we win a title and that, for me, personally, I play a lot, contribute more goals and more assists."

Aubameyang struck 13 times in the Bundesliga last term and set up four goals.

 

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Jardim: Falcao is 'indispensable' to Monaco

Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim was delighted with the contribution of the "indispensable" Radamel Falcao in Sunday's 1-0 Emirates Cup win over Arsenal.

The Colombia international made his first start since returning from serious injury to score the only goal of the game in the first half of the encounter in London, heading home a free kick from Joao Moutinho.

Despite his seven-month injury lay-off, Falcao has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid before the close of the summer transfer window, but Jardim insists that the 28-year-old striker is going nowhere.

"Falcao is indispensable to Monaco," the Portuguese coach told reporters. “I’m very satisfied with the performance of Falcao and that he scored."

Jardim was also globally content with his side's Emirates Cup campaign, with Monaco having claimed third place by following up their 2-2 draw with Valencia with a hard-fought win over Arsenal.

“I am satisfied with the performance of the team,” he continued. “We played two great teams. The players have shown in these two games they are in a very good physical condition.

"The most important thing was to give players the opportunity to show their potential.”

Monaco’s Ligue 1 campaign gets underway next Sunday evening when they play host to Lorient at Stade Louis II.

 

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Schalke 1-3 Newcastle: Cabella scores but teenager Aarons thrills Toon

Remy Cabella scored his first Newcastle goal but teenager Rolando Aarons stole the show in a 3-1 win over Schalke on Sunday.

Attacking midfielder Cabella, signed from Montpellier in July, had made his first appearance in a Magpies shirt in Saturday's 3-1 defeat by Malaga before coming off the bench for Sunday's final game of the Schalke Cup.

Striker Facundo Ferreyra came on as a second-half substitute a matter of hours after his season-long loan move from Shakhtar Donetsk was confirmed and played his part in Cabella's goal as Alan Pardew's side coasted to victory against the hosts at the Veltins-Arena.

Another new signing, Emmanuel Riviere, opened the scoring after a great run and cross from young midfielder Aaron in the first half.

Academy product Aarons then scored when his cross fortuitously looped into the far corner after he had shown another sharp turn of pace and Cabella capped an encouraging Newcastle performance when he added a third goal.

Teenage striker Donis Avdijaj pulled a goal back for Schalke but the final whistle was blown straight afterwards as the Bundesliga side suffered a second defeat in as many days, having previously lost to West Ham on penalties..

Newcastle keeper Tim Krul made his first appearance of pre-season but the Netherlands international was rarely called into action before he was replaced by Rob Elliot at half-time.

Pardew's team made an encouraging start as they forced two early corners and they were in front after 18 minutes, thanks in no small part to the impressive Aaron. The 18-year-old picked the ball up in his own half and raced forward, evading challenges before crossing for Riviere, and the former Monaco man nodded home.

Aarons then got on the scoresheet himself nine minutes into the second half, bursting away down the left and standing up a cross which looped just inside the far post.

Ferreyra and Cabella replaced Riviere and Yoan Gouffran just before the hour and the duo made an impact 18 minutes from time in Newcastle's third goal. It was Ferreyra who won possession then Cabella did the rest as he raced into the penalty area and kept his composure to apply a clinical finish.

Schalke's Avdijaj had the final say when he got on the end of a cross from the right and stooped to head home but the damage had already been done.

 

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Szczesny welcomes Ospina competition

Wojciech Szczesny has welcomed the battle with new signing David Ospina to be Arsenal's number one goalkeeper this season.

Ospina completed his switch to Emirates Stadium from Ligue 1 side Nice last month after impressing for Colombia at the World Cup.

The 25-year-old was drafted in as a replacement for Lukasz Fabianski, who departed for Swansea City upon the expiry of his Arsenal contract and Szczesny is more than ready for the fresh competition to be Arsene Wenger's first-choice keeper.

"I love a challenge," he told Arsenal's official website.

"I was expecting someone to come because Lukasz has left for Swansea and I wish him all the best. I knew someone would come in.

"I'm just going to do the same thing over again, I'm going to try my best in every game and every week in training. Hopefully that will be enough."

Arsenal have also added Alexis Sanchez, Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers to their ranks in the close-season and Szczesny believes the club can mount a challenge for the Premier League title in 2014-15.

"We were close to being right near the top last year in the Premier League and we managed to win the FA Cup," he added.

"This year we added some players and we're looking stronger. The confidence is flying high and hopefully this year we can challenge for the Premier League."

 

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Xavi suffers injury setback

Barcelona have confirmed that influential midfielder Xavi has sustained a calf injury in training on Monday and faces a brief spell on the sidelines.

The 34-year-old played the second half of the Catalans' 1-1 friendly draw against Nice at the weekend and scored their only goal from the penalty spot.

Nevertheless, his preparations for the 2014-15 campaign have now suffered a minor setback.

"Xavi Hernandez suffered a slight calf strain in his left leg during training Monday morning," a statement on the official Barcelona website reads.

"Club doctors will decide when he can return to training over the next few days."

Speculation had been rife about a potential move away from Camp Nou for the Spain international, but technical director Andoni Zubizarreta confirmed last month that Xavi had opted to remain at the club.

The midfielder made 29 appearances in La Liga last term, scoring three goals to help Barcelona to second place, and will hope to play more football under new boss Luis Enrique this season.

 

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Get well soon Xavi!
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Pjanic: Leaving Roma was never an option

Miralem Pjanic has stressed that he never thought about leaving Roma irrespective of interest from Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

The 24-year-old was one of Roma's undisputed stars as they finished second in Serie A last term, catching the attention of the Ligue 1 champions and the Spanish giants in the process.

Neverthelss, Pjanic eventually opted to sign a new deal with Roma until June 2018 instead and he has now made it clear that a summer transfer was never an option for him.

"I signed a new deal because I believe in Roma's project, in this team and in this coach," the creative midfielder to Corriere dello Sport.

"It was an easy decision. Maybe I could have made more money elsewhere. But I want to play somewhere where I'm happy. I love the people at Roma, I love the club and I love the city. This is the perfect place to develop.

"I never thought about leaving. Negotiations over a new deal took a while because they took place during the season. There were a lot of rumours, but the people at Roma always knew what I wanted and that I wanted to sign a new deal before the World Cup."

Pjanic then went on to insist that Roma have set their sights on the Serie A title this term after last year's second place.

"We want to win this Scudetto. Is this the strongest Roma I've seen? I think so. We have had players arrive who have made us grow.

"And we have young players who understand football and also have so much talent. But above all, this year the group has changed with respect to the past.

"But we are not favourites. There is always Juventus, who deserved to win the league last year, and then Napoli. We are there next and in contention. The pitch will provide us with the answers."