..::Football III::..

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Messi allure helped Barca snare Neymar, reveals Rosell

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has claimed that Lionel Messi's presence at Camp Nou was key to Neymar's transfer and suggested the Brazilian never wanted to join the likes of Real Madrid or Bayern Munich over the Catalans.

The 21-year-old joined the Blaugrana for €57.5 million in the summer in Barca's only major move since the end of the 2012-13 season.

Although Madrid were fighting for Neymar's signature in May following a long transfer saga, Barca were the ones to persuade Neymar to leave Santos and Rosell explained that convincing him to come to the club was surprisingly simple.

"I spoke with his father when we met in Miami and we closed the deal there," Rosekk told Cadena SER.

"There were four parties that owned his rights as part of the agreement and we had to agree with all of those, but in the end we closed the deal for €57.5m.

"The key was that the player wanted to come to Barcelona. It was not about knowing how to negotiate; he wanted to be play next to Messi and the rest of the team.

"Everything was based on that despite him having offers from Manchester City, Chelsea, Bayern and Real Madrid.

"Neymar's a very humble, friendly guy, a great team-mate and a great player. He is not selfish on the ball, which is just what we want in a football player. Has has settled perfectly into the squad."

 

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Man Utd: Fellaini will play for Belgium despite injury

Manchester United have confirmed that Marouane Fellaini is set to play through the pain of a wrist injury in Belgium's upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

The 25-year-old missed his club's 2-1 Premier League win over Sunderland at the weekend and subsequently underwent scans on his injured wrist with Belgium head coach, Marc Wilmots, claiming the midfeilder will require surgery at some stage.

Regardless, Fellaini is set to feature in his country's crucial World Cup qualifying double-header with Croatia on Friday and Wales on Tuesday.

"Marouane Fellaini has trained with Belgium wearing a protective cast on his injured wrist," an official club statement read.

"Although some reports suggest the midfielder faces an operation and a spell on the sidelines, the deadline-day arrival is due to play in a splint against Croatia and Wales in the World Cup qualifiers."

Belgium will travel to Zagreb to face Croatia and a point will be enough to seal a first World Cup berth since 2002.

 

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Man Utd: Fellaini will play for Belgium despite injury

Manchester United have confirmed that Marouane Fellaini is set to play through the pain of a wrist injury in Belgium's upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

The 25-year-old missed his club's 2-1 Premier League win over Sunderland at the weekend and subsequently underwent scans on his injured wrist with Belgium head coach, Marc Wilmots, claiming the midfeilder will require surgery at some stage.

Regardless, Fellaini is set to feature in his country's crucial World Cup qualifying double-header with Croatia on Friday and Wales on Tuesday.

"Marouane Fellaini has trained with Belgium wearing a protective cast on his injured wrist," an official club statement read.

"Although some reports suggest the midfielder faces an operation and a spell on the sidelines, the deadline-day arrival is due to play in a splint against Croatia and Wales in the World Cup qualifiers."

Belgium will travel to Zagreb to face Croatia and a point will be enough to seal a first World Cup berth since 2002.

 

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Wenger: Atletico can be this season's Dortmund

Atletico Madrid can replicate Borussia Dortmund's surprise run in the Champions League in 2013-14, according to Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.

Jurgen Klopp's men knocked out the likes of Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid en route to a 1-0 final defeat at Wembley to Bayern Munich, earning no shortage of plaudits with their underdogs tag.

Atletico have started their European campaign this season with two wins to match their 100 per cent record of eight out of eight in La Liga and Wenger believes Atleti coach Diego Simeone can take the Rojiblancos far in this year's tournament.

"Atletico Madrid can be one of the surprises of the Champions League," Wenger told Eurosport. "They can repeat what was does last year by Borussia Dortmund.

"They're a very good team with a lot of quality in every area of the pitch.

"They have many good players - especially Diego Costa who is a top predator and can score from any position."

Wenger's Gunners face BVB in Group F this year alongside Napoli and Marseille - one of the toughest draws - and he thinks that the quality of the competition is increasing, with 10 or more teams vying for the coveted trophy.

"In the past, during the first years of the Champions League, as coaches we only expected three or four teams to potentially win," the Frenchman, 63, added.

"Now at least 10 teams can dream about victory in the main competition. Now, in October, it is literally impossible to say who is going to be the successors to Bayern.

"It was an impressive victory for Bayern against Manchester City. That game in particular I watched and studied and for me, Bayern are already the favourites in this competition. All other teams have got one goal: and that is to beat them and deny them. They are a team that can go on and win again.

 

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Wales forward Bellamy to retire from international football


Wales striker Craig Bellamy has confirmed he will retire from international football at the end of the World Cup 2014 qualifying campaign.

The Cardiff forward is in Chris Coleman’s squad for the forthcoming games against Macedonia and Belgium, but will retire from Wales duty after those matches.

The former Liverpool man made his debut for his country in a friendly against Jamaica in 1998 and has won 76 international caps but says it is time to call it day.

"Players come and go and my career has definitely come and gone," Bellamy told reporters.

"I have to do what's best for the national team and this group of players are the future. The next qualifiers, two-odd years, I'm not going to see it."

"I'm just grateful for every game I've been lucky enough to play for my country, and I really mean that

"It's an honour to play for your country at any level at any sport.

"[Playing] 70-odd times, it's been the best. Even the disappointments, even the lows, even the times I didn't want to play again because sometimes defeats can do that to you.”

Bellamy could play his final home game for Wales on Friday against Macedonia and admits it could be an emotional occasion.

"Seventy-odd times having that honour like singing the anthem… it's still the best and Friday will be the best and hopefully I will get the chance to do it again on Tuesday. [It] will be hard to let go," he said.

"My daughter will probably come out with me [before the Macedonia game] but it will probably hit me more after it... when you're watching the team."

 

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Lukaku determined to prove Mourinho wrong

Romelu Lukaku is determined to prove Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho wrong during his loan spell with Everton.

Mourinho has recently insisted he does not regret allowing the striker to move to Goodison Park for a season, despite Lukaku having scored four goals already for the Toffees.

In stark contrast Chelsea strikers Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Samuel Eto’o are yet to register in the league and Everton boss Roberto Martinez has confirmed Lukaku has no call-back clause in his loan deal.

Lukaku is currently on international duty with Belgium but says he is hoping to keep on scoring and prove Mourinho made the wrong decision to let him leave.

"The coach decides and as a player you have to respect that. I chose to leave and it's up to me to prove the coach wrong,” he told Het Nieuwsblad.

"The only thing I can do is play well and score a lot. And then I think people will say that I'm a good player.

“I want to score more goals than the strikers at Chelsea. We will see at the end of the season who made the best choice.”

 

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Liverpool can get even better - Henderson

Jordan Henderson has warned the Liverpool's Premier League rivals that the club can only get stronger after making a strong start to the season.

The Merseyside club are currently joint top alongside Arsenal, but Henderson believes they still have room for improvement and insists they can challenge for the Premier League crown.

“The results have been pleasing, but there is a lot of improvement for us as a team,” he told reporters. “We have a lot of work to do still; we need to continue building on what we have achieved so far.

"We are not playing at the level we know we can. The manager has spoken a lot to us about continuing to improve – it’s frustrating when you see in training how good we are as a group.

"We've got a lot of good players and he wants us to perform at our best every single game and at the highest level.

"We know we can get better. At the moment, we are scoring goals and we are good going forward, but there are a few areas the manager wants us to improve on."

Since returning from suspension, Luis Suarez has formed a deadly partnership with England’s Daniel Sturridge, both of whom scored during last weekend’s 3-1 win against Crystal Palace.

And Henderson believes Liverpool can compete for the Premier League if they keep both players fit.

“We know we have quality though, especially up front,” he added. “We are as good as anyone going forward and that will be important over the course of a season.

“We know the two up front will score goals, and in tight games, that can be really important. They can be a massive factor for us this season, because their goals can turn tight games.”

 

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Moyes will turn it around at Man Utd - Coleman

Everton full-back Seamus Coleman has backed former manager David Moyes to succeed at Manchester United after a tough start to the season.

The Scot had overseen the Premier League champions' worst start to a campaign in 24 years before a double from Adnan Januzaj on his top-flight debut handed United a 2-1 win over Sunderland.

But Coleman, who was handed his bow in English football by Moyes, is confident his ex-boss has the ability required to improve United's on-pitch fortunes.

"Just from my time with him, all I can say is he has been a top manager and he has done so well with Everton," Coleman told reporters.

"He got the job deservedly - he was recommended by Sir Alex himself - so I think he will definitely turn it around. It's only early days, only a few games into the season, so I am sure he will."

Following Moyes' departure after 11 years in charge at Goodison Park, Everton have thrived under new manager Roberto Martinez - with Saturday's 3-1 loss to Manchester City marking their first in the Premier League this season.

Coleman has hailed the Spaniard's impact at the club, and is enjoying the increased freedom allowed under Martinez's tactical approach.

The defender said: "It's been going quite well. He has come in and he has put his own philosophy on the team, and we have done quite well to adapt to it.

"We have got very good players. The [Manchester] City game [a 3-1 defeat on Saturday] was a disappointment, but hopefully we can put that right with the next game at home to Hull.

"But it's been a good start and we have all enjoyed it. It's different. You can see that he likes to play out from the back a bit more, but he has been great for us and hopefully we can have a good, successful season under him."

 

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Klopp rules out Dortmund move for De Bruyne

Jurgen Klopp has dismissed speculation that Borussia Dortmund might make a January move for Chelsea midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.

Despite featuring in the Blues' opening two games of the new Premier League season, the Belgium international has reportedly fallen out of favour with coach Jose Mourinho.

However, Klopp insists there is no truth in the rumour that Dortmund are considering signing De Bruyne on loan.

"We have signed great players over the summer," Klopp told Deutsche Presseagentur. "We have a squad we are very happy with.

"He [De Bruyne] is actually not one we are after. He is at Chelsea, and given the size and quality of the Chelsea first-team squad, it's quite usual he may sometimes miss out on one or two matches."

Furthermore, while De Bruyne spent last season on loan with another Bundesliga outfit, Werder Bremen, the 22-year-old's agent, Patrick De Koster, is adamant that there is no chance of his client leaving Stamford Bridge before the end of the season.

"This summer we decided to stay with Chelsea, and we knew the competition would be hard and that Kevin had to fight," he told Bild.

"He will continue fighting. I have no contact to other clubs. Even if we were in the transfer period, I would not have any contact."

De Bruyne joined Chelsea from Racing Genk last summer before immediately being sent to the Weserstadion.

 

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Arsenal target Draxler going nowhere in January, insist Schalke

Arsenal target Julian Draxler will not be leaving Schalke in January, according to the German club’s general manager Horst Heldt.

The Premier League leaders made an audacious enquiry for the 20-year-old playmaker in August, before eventually focusing their attentions on Draxler’s international team-mate Mesut Ozil.

Chelsea and Jose Mourinho are also understood to be keen admirers of the Schalke star but both Premier League giants will have to wait until the summer, at the earliest, if they are to secure the services of one of the Bundesliga’s brightest talents.

"Julian Draxler will be at our club this season, that is for sure," Heldt told Kicker-Sportmagazin. "There will be no fuss regarding him during the January window, as he is committed to our club."

Draxler, meanwhile, who has been capped seven times by his country at senior level insists that he is concentrating only on life at Schalke, who are currently eighth in the German top flight and have collected maximum points from two games in this season's Champions League.

"I am focused on playing well for Schalke 04. All the rest is something the general manager will be worried with," he said.

 

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Bale must stand up to Ronaldo to succeed at Madrid - Redknapp

Gareth Bale will have to stand up to Cristiano Ronaldo if he is to survive and thrive at Real Madrid, according to former manager Harry Redknapp.

Bale, who first broke into the Tottenham team under the current QPR boss, eclipsed Ronaldo's transfer record by making an €100 million move to Real Madrid this summer.

And Redknapp believes Santiago Bernabeu's biggest superstar presents the biggest obstacle to the Welshman making a success of his time in Spain.

"His biggest test will be to step out of the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo with confidence. That won’t be easy," the QPR boss wrote in his new autobiography, serialised in the Daily Mail.

"Ronaldo is a huge star at Madrid and will probably want to take nine out of 10 free-kicks - at least. Gareth will have to assert himself and that will require a strong mind.

"He has to think ‘I’m an £86million player’ and act like it, taking responsibility, claiming the ball when he fancies his chances.

"And yet at the same time he cannot dwell on his fee and what it means too much because that would put him under immense pressure. It is a tricky balancing act.

"He will have to be ready for the matches when he goes it alone, has a shot, misses and Ronaldo starts throwing his arms up in the air.

"He cannot, at that point, go into his shell and become this timid little creature. But it is not natural for Gareth to behave in an assertive way. Don’t get me wrong, he knows he is good.

"The fee is crazy, amazing money, but he wouldn’t have fought so hard to get the deal done if he didn’t fancy his chances of living up to expectations in Madrid.

"Yet, equally, Gareth is a quiet lad, who spends time with his girlfriend and family, and I’m not sure being in the same bracket as Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will suit him.

"If Ronaldo feels threatened by Gareth’s arrival, Madrid could be a lonely place so he will need to lean a lot on Ancelotti, who speaks good English, and Paul Clement, Carlo’s assistant, who is English.

"Luka Modric is another old friend who could help him settle in.

"The one thing the club cannot provide for Gareth and Cristiano is a ball each — so they will need to work hard on that partnership because they are such similar players."

Redknapp insists he recognised Bale's potential very early on - even if the Welshman did seem a little too preoccupied with his hairstyle.

"He drove me mad in training," the QPR boss added. "Technically, he was outstanding but he always seemed to be playing with his hair. It was never right.

"He’d be flicking the fringe or wiping it out of his eyes and I would be going quietly mad, just watching. ‘Gareth, leave your barnet alone! Gareth! Stop touching your hair!’"

 

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Valdes: My time at Barcelona is over

Victor Valdes has reiterated his internation to leave Barcelona next summer, explaining that he feels that his time at Camp Nou is over.

The Spain international is out of contract at the end of the season and announced during the summer that he would not be signing an extension.

A number of Barca players, including midfielder Andres Iniesta, have publicly stated that they have tried to persuade Valdes to change his mind and stay in Catalunya, but the 31-year-old shot-stopper says he has his heart set on a move abroad.

"My time here is done," the goalkeeper told Antena3. "They offered me the chance to renew [my contract] but my decision had been made."

"I am seeking new challenges. I want to play in another league and be with my family in another place.

"But this season I have still been feeling the love and support of the people and that is greatly appreciated."

Valdes, a product of Barcelona's youth academy, has spent his entire professional career to date at Camp Nou.

 

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Gerrard: England must go out and deliver

Steven Gerrard has underlined the importance of England's World Cup qualifying double-header against Montenegro and Poland, insisting the squad must "go out and deliver".

The Three Lions currently sit on top of Group H, one point ahead of Ukraine, knowing they must win on Friday and next Tuesday to be sure of a place at next summer's tournament.

"This is as critical a week as English football has known for a long time," Gerrard told the Daily Mirror. "There’s a lot of expectations, from the fans, the media and in and among the group as well.

"Everyone wants to be at this World Cup, so it is very critical. We need to go out and deliver. It doesn’t come much bigger than this.

"We all know how much the supporters want it. Also for the country itself it would be a disaster if England weren’t in the World Cup, especially in Brazil.

"I don’t like using the word 'disaster' or 'catastrophe', but the Brazil World Cup is going to be so big. Individually and collectively, we all want to be there."

Gerrard knows all too well what it is like not to qualify for a major tournament after England failed to reach Euro 2008, and the captain is desperate to avoid a repeat.

"It’s too grim a thought to even contemplate," Gerrard added. "I don’t want to think about those things, certainly in the build-up to these games.

"The main focus for me is trying to be as positive as I can, trying to be upbeat and look forward to trying to win these games rather than the worst-case scenarios.

"As a group of players, and individually, we’re all going to be judged over the next week or so. I expect that and that’s fine. It’s down to us now."

 

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Gundogan injury blow for Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund have been rocked by the news that Ilkay Gundogan could remain out of action until the end of the year.

The midfielder has been sidelined since aggravating a back injury during Germany's friendly with Paraguay in August but had been expected to return to action last month.

However, Dortmund's medical team have confirmed that the 22-year-old is still suffering from an inflamed nerve and the club's sporting director, Michael Zorc, has admitted that they have no idea when Gundogan will be available for selection again.

"He is not making any progress at the moment," the Schwarzgelben legend is quoted as saying by Zeitung. "We do not know when he will be able to play again."

Gundogan, who has been capped eight times by Germany, has made just one appearance for Dortmund so far this season.

 

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Get well soon Gundogan!mama asama player kenek

 

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Eto'o adapting to Premier League style

Samuel Eto'o believes that he is adapting to life in the Premier League and has vowed to deliver the goods for Chelsea.

The 32-year-old striker moved to Stamford Bridge during the transfer window from Anzhi Makhachkala but has yet to hit the back of the net.Eto'o has not started since their victory over Fulham last month, and after the injury to Fernando Torres it was Demba Ba who was chosen to start upfront in Chelsea's last Premier League outing at Norwich City.

It is the first time the Cameroon international has plied his trade in England after spells in Spain, Italy and Russia, and he admitted that it has taken him longer than expected to settle in.

"Already I have noticed that English football is very physical – more physical than other types of football," he told Chelsea Magazine."It hasn’t been too much time yet, so I need to continue working to make sure I keep improving my level.

"Every game here is important and I realise that – I have come here to enjoy playing for Chelsea and to enjoy the football. I go into every game with the same approach.

"It doesn't matter where you put me, I will play football. My team-mates are helping me a lot and also the coaches, so I feel that I am settling into the team."
Eto'o is part of the Cameroon squad to face Tunisia in their FIFA World Cup play-off first leg clash with Tunisia on Sunday as they look to secure their berth in Brazil next year.

 

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Robben: Injury behind substitute's role

Arjen Robben has dismissed the suggestion that he was unhappy at being on the bench for Bayern Munich's Bundesliga clash with Bayer Leverkusen.

The Netherlands international, 29, explained that a minor injury was the reason behind his demotion and rejected claims that he was annoyed with coach Pep Guardiola for not introducing him before the 71st minute.

"Of course I would have liked to have come on earlier," Robben told TZ. "But that's normal.

"But I also had slight muscular discomfort during the final training session. That was also the reason why the coach put me on the bench."

Toni Kroos put Bayern ahead against Leverkusen but the hosts equalised almost immediately through Sidney Sam.

In spite of the draw, the Bavarians still moved a point ahead of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga standings.

 

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Ramsey and Wenger win Player and Manager of the Month

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has won the Barclays Premier League Player of the Month award for September, with boss Arsene Wenger picking up the manager's prize.

Ramsey scored four goals in as many league matches for the Gunners last month, including a double away to Sunderland and strikes against Stoke and Swansea.

Wenger, meanwhile, led his side to the top of the table with four consecutive wins in the top flight, including a 1-0 triumph over bitter north London rivals Tottenham.

Next up for Arsenal and Ramsey is a home clash against Norwich on Saturday October 19, following the international break.

 

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Congratulations for Wenger & Ramsey!

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