..::Football III::..

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'Madrid cannot afford to fail' - Ancelotti

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has said that his players cannot afford to fail in any remaining Champions League matches this season if they want to win la Decima.

The Spanish giantshave reached the semi-finals for the last years but failed to jump the last hurdle, but can make the last eight this term with victory over Schalke in the last 16.

The Italian, who has won the European tournament with AC Milan, believes the Gelsenkirchen outfit pose a major test and has demanded concentration from his squad heading towards the games in February.

"We are in last 16 of the Champions League and it is always difficult," he told Madrid's official website. "We must be very focused.

"They're a team that have experience. It's not good or bad luck that we drew them. We will do our best in both games. It is a very important competition and we have to be ready to make the most of our chances. In February we have to be ready.

"We need desire and enthusiasm to make the quarter-finals. In the Champions League, every game matters, we have to stay focused and motivated. We cannot fail in any match in this competition."

Other noteworthy games in the last 16 this season include Arsenal versus reigning champions Bayern Munich, Barcelona facing cash-rich Premier League giants Manchester City and Atletico Madrid's clash with AC Milan.

 

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Aguero out for 'at least a month'

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will be out of action for "at least one month", Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed.

The Argentina international opened the scoring in City's 6-3 win against Arsenal on Saturday, but limped out of the clash just five minutes into the second half.

"Sergio has a calf injury," Pellegrini told reporters. "The doctor can say how many weeks he will be out. I don't know at the moment. I think he will be out for at least one month."

The busy Christmas period means Aguero could miss as many as eight games, including Liverpool on Boxing Day and their FA Cup third-round clash with Blackburn at the beginning of January.

Aguero should be back to face Barcelona in the Champions League last 16 in the middle of February. The two sides were drawn together on Monday, but Pellegrini is not too concerned by the prospect of facing the four-time winners: "I think Barcelona will be very concerned that they have drawn us. They are not the team of two years ago."

City travel to Leicester in the Capital One Cup quarter-final on Tuesday night, and Pellegrini has also confirmed that Micah Richards and Matija Nastasic will miss out, though Stevan Jovetic is back from injury.

Goal reported on Saturday that City had rejected enquiries from Juventus, AC Milan and Inter for Jovetic, who had been back in full training since the beginning of last week.

 

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Give time to Moyes provided rest of the players remain until he settle in the club

 

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Blanc happy to avoid Milan & Arsenal

Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc has admitted he is happy to have avoided playing Arsenal and AC Milan in the Champions League last 16, but says his side will not underestimate Bayer Leverkusen.

Sami Hyppia's side currently lie second in the Bundesliga and made the last 16 after advancing from a group also containing Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Sociedad.

Blanc insists Leverkusen's performances so far this season warrant his full respect, though he is delighted to have avoided the bigger teams in the draw.

"Don't believe this game will not be taken seriously," the Frenchman told reporters

"We avoided two very tough teams in Milan and Arsenal, but we still need to prepare properly for this match.

"We will need to watch and study this team as we need to know them better.

"I watched them lose 5-0 against Manchester United but that was not a real reflection. This is a team with great qualities."

PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot also echoed his coach's sentiments that the draw could have been worse.

"It's a good draw. It could have been worse," he told beIN Sport

"All teams have the desire to reach the quarters so we will have to play well to beat Leverkusen.

"But if we play as well as we can do then we have a good chance, and our aim is to go further than we did last season."

 

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Europa League draw: Juventus face Trabzonspor as Napoli meet Swansea

Juventus have been drawn against Trabzonspor in the round of 32 in the Europa League.

The Bianconeri meet the Turkish side as Napoli - who joined them in the draw after dropping out of the Champions League - take on Premier League outfit Swansea City.

Tottenham, who sacked manager Andre Villas-Boas on Monday, have been pitted against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, while Ajax travel to Salzburg and Porto visit Eintracht Frankfurt in two intriguing last 32 encounters.

Elswhere, Olympique Lyonnais face Chornomorets Odesa, Fiorentina meet Esbjerg, Valencia tackle Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donetsk take on Viktoria Plzen.

The ties for the round of 16 were drawn as follows:

 

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katha siddiya kianne Juventus lata aith set une Turkey team ekak

 

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Barcelona 3-0 Cartagena (agg 7-1): Neymar nets again as Catalans cruise into Copa del Rey last 16

Barcelona coasted through to the last 16 of the Copa del Rey with a 3-0 victory over Cartagena on Wednesday night.

Leading 4-1 from the first leg, the Catalans put the outcome beyond all doubt when Pedro struck just after the half-hour mark.

Cristian Tello doubled the Blaugrana's advantage with his 68th-minute strike before Neymar maintained his impressive scoring streak with a goal right at the death.

Cartagena faced an unenviable task in trying to turn around a three-goal deficit and their cause was hardly aided by the injury-enforced withdrawal of Eric Lopez after just six minutes of play at Camp Nou, with Fernando coming on in his place.

Barcelona, though, initially struggled to break the visitors down but they finally made the breakthrough in the 31st minute when Pedro swept home a fine cross from the right from Martin Montoya.

The Blaugrana only added a second midway through the second half, in fortuitous circumstances when Tello found the back of the net with a deflected attempted cross.

However, the Catalans sealed victory in fine style, with Neymar heading home his sixth goal in his last three games in all competitions after a terrific run from Andres Iniesta.

Up next for Barcelona is a Liga clash with Getafe on Sunday.

 

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Sunderland 2-1 Chelsea (aet): Dramatic Ki winner sends Black Cats into raptures

Ki Sung-Yueng scored a dramatic extra-time winner as Sunderland reached the Capital One Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Chelsea.

An own goal from Lee Cattermole - which required the use of goalline technology - appeared to have given the Blues victory in Tuesday's quarter-final but substitute Fabio Borini equalised with two minutes left.

And the Italian turned provider with just two minutes of extra time remaining as Ki, who also started on the bench, stayed composed to score his first Sunderland goal and send the home fans into raptures.

Chelsea took the lead immediately after half-time when Cesar Azpilicueta's teasing cross from the right was diverted towards goal by Frank Lampard, with Sunderland's Cattermole making the decisive touch.

Goalkeeper Vito Mannone scooped the ball away but the Goal Decision System - in use for the first time in the competition - confirmed that it had crossed the line and an own goal was given.

Jose Mourinho's side peppered the Sunderland goal but were unable to find a second and were duly punished when Borini drilled home after Jozy Altidore's initial effort was blocked.

Extra time was forced when Borini wasted the opportunity to secure Sunderland's comeback but the miss did not deny their progression as Swansea City loanee Ki – who featured in the Welsh side's Capital One Cup final win last year – sent Gus Poyet's men into the last four.

Chelsea made eight changes from the side that beat Crystal Palace 2-1 on Saturday, with Lampard and Ashley Cole the headline inclusions, while Adam Johnson, Craig Gardner and Andrea Dossena were all restored to Sunderland's starting line-up.

Andre Schurrle went close in the early stages before Lampard fired over but it was a lacklustre opening period and the closest that Sunderland came was a penalty shout when Dossena's drilled cross struck the arm of Azpilicueta in the penalty area.

Chelsea burst out of the blocks in the second half, though, and took the lead in the 46th minute as Azpilicueta's ball was bundled over from close range.

Just five minutes later the visitors should have doubled their advantage as Samuel Eto'o capitalised on a wayward pass from Gardner but the Cameroon international placed his effort wide.

Lampard again went close, drilling a long-range effort just over the crossbar, and, at the other end, Cattermole's fierce strike stung the palms of Chelsea keeper Mark Schwarzer.

The visitors' second-half dominance continued with Schurrle and Demba Ba both coming close but the away side were made to rue their profligacy in the 88th minute when Altidore's effort was blocked and former Chelsea man Borini fired in the rebound through the legs of David Luiz.

There was time for Borini to score a late winner when put through one-on-one but he hesitated and was then denied by Gary Cahill, sending the match into extra time.

In the first period Luiz almost put Chelsea ahead when he volleyed Lampard's corner at Mannone, before Ondrej Celustka made a crucial clearance from Willian's teasing cross.

Schwarzer then made two superb saves, first denying Altidore's point-blank effort before producing a superb diving stop to deny Ki's header. But Ki had the last laugh, scoring late to delight the crowd at the Stadium of Light.

 

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Leicester City 1-3 Manchester City: Dzeko at the double for the visitors

Manchester City maintained their lethal form in front of goal with a 3-1 Capital One Cup quarter-final win at Leicester City.

Aleksandar Kolarov opened the scoring early in the first half with a stunning 30-yard free kick and Edin Dzeko doubled the visitors' lead just before the break with a close-range header.

The Bosnian striker piled more misery on Leicester eight minutes into the second half with his seventh goal in eight Capital One Cup appearances and City's 19th in six matches across all competitions.

The Foxes - the last Championship representatives in the competition - struggled to stretch Joe Hart but were able to grab a late consolation as Lloyd Dyer netted his seventh goal of the season.

Manuel Pellegrini’s men will have their sights set on a first League Cup crown since 1976, having reached a third semi-final in five seasons.

The visitors' lineup showed eight changes from the comprehensive 6-3 victory over Premier League leaders Arsenal, with only Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany and David Silva keeping their places.

Gary Taylor-Fletcher made only his second start for Leicester - who sit third in the Championship - as one of four alterations to the team who drew with Burnley.

The visitors made a quick start at the King Power Stadium and, after coming close to opening the scoring in the sixth minute, moved ahead in the eighth. Dzeko was fouled by Anthony Knockaert and Kolarov curled the resulting free kick up and over the wall into the top-left corner.

Leicester worked their way back into the game with a high pressing game but chances were at a premium and Pellegrini's men almost caught their opponents cold on the counterattack.

Silva released Kolarov down the left and he rolled the ball into the unmarked Dzeko but goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel spread himself brilliantly to deny the Bosnian and Jack Rodwell was unable to convert the rebound.

With four minutes of the half remaining, though, the Premier League side did double their lead through Dzeko. James Milner was released on the left and delivered a perfectly chipped pass for his team-mate, who nonchalantly headed beyond Schmeichel.

The visitors picked up where they left off in the second half as the forward doubled his tally following more good work from Milner. After the England international had evaded challenges on the left, he found Dzeko unmarked in the penalty area and the 27-year-old fired home first time from 14 yards.

As Manchester City took their foot off the gas, the hosts grabbed a 77th-minute consolation, Dyer's effort deflecting off Vincent Kompany to leave Hart wrong-footed.

 

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Guangzhou Evergrande 0-3 Bayern Munich: Ribery, Mandzukic & Gotze seal final spot

Goals from Franck Ribery, Mario Mandzukic and Mario Gotze gave Bayern Munich a 3-0 victory over Guangzhou Evergrande and sealed a place in the Club World Cup final.

The semi-final clash between the champions of Europe and Asia proved something of a mismatch, as Bayern dominated proceedings from start to finish in Agadir.

Pep Guardiola's side had to be patient as Guangzhou somehow held firm until five minutes before the break, when Ribery - restored to the starting XI after featuring as a substitute in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Hamburg - volleyed home.

This opened the floodgates for the Bundesliga leaders, as Mandzukic and Gotze added goals two and three either side of half-time.

Marcello Lippi's Guangzhou failed to register a single shot on target throughout the game, and Bayern go into Saturday's final against Atletico Mineiro or Raja Casablanca in ominous form.

Bayern asserted their authority from the off, but struggled to create clear-cut chances against Guangzhou's well-drilled rearguard.

The German giants almost went ahead after 17 minutes, though, when Thiago Alcantara neatly chested down Rafinha's cross before striking the outside of the post.

Guardiola's men then began turning the screw on their Chinese opponents, and Toni Kroos went even closer to breaking the deadlock when he rifled a half-volley off the underside of the bar following a free-flowing move down the right.

Unperturbed by their bad luck, Bayern continued to probe and finally edged ahead in the 40th minute courtesy of Ribery's eighth goal of the season.

A scramble in the penalty area ended with the ball dropping to the Frenchman, whose controlled left-footed volley from an acute angle crept under Zeng Cheng.

Guangzhou continued to come under sustained pressure from Bayern, who duly doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time when Mandzukic headed home Thiago's pinpoint cross.

And Bayern simply picked up where they left off after the interval, as Gotze extended his side's lead in brilliant fashion just two minutes into the second period.

The 21-year-old playmaker received a pass from Alaba on the right, took a touch and hit an unstoppable, swerving shot from 20 yards into the far corner.

Bayern appeared in no mood to take mercy on Lippi's men, and Gotze was twice thwarted by Zeng in quick succession around the hour mark - efforts that sandwiched a close-range Ribery strike that clipped the bar.

Substitute Xherdan Shaqiri was next to try his luck as the Germans continued shooting at Zeng at will, before Gotze again went close.

There was still time for Bayern to hit the woodwork for the fourth time in the game as Gotze struck the bar, but Guangzhou managed to salvage some pride by keeping the scoreline respectable.

 

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Liverpool open record contract talks with Suarez

Liverpool have made the first step in their bid to tie Luis Suarez down to a club-record contract.

Managing director Ian Ayre flew to Barcelona to hold talks with Suarez's agent, Pere Guardiola, on Tuesday and, although he did not offer a new deal, the meeting signals the Reds' intent to avoid another protracted summer saga.

It is understood that the club are prepared to pay their star forward more than £130,000 (€154,000) per week to stay at Anfield for the long-term.

Liverpool, under the stewardship of Fenway Sports Group, have traditionally been reluctant to open contract negotiations during the season but are desperate to fend off interest in the Uruguay international, whose current deal expires in 2016.

The 26-year-old has been in blistering form since returning from suspension for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic, scoring 17 Premier League goals in 11 games and keeping his side just two points behind Arsenal at the top of the table.

Goal understands that Real Madrid are preparing to lay the groundwork on a £60 million (€70m) move in January, though the Spanish giants expect a deal to be more likely next summer.

Suarez spent the summer angling for a move away from Anfield in pursuit of Champions League football, which strained relations between the player, his agent and the club.

But he has put that behind with a string of exceptional displays and is now settled on Merseyside once more. Liverpool, for their part, believe that the striker's efforts were driven by Champions League ambition rather than financial reward and hope to offer him both next season.

After being named the Football Supporters' Federation's player of the year for 2013 on Monday, Suarez said: "After so many difficult moments for me I was able to win the supporters back, and that was unbelievable when I came back to play."

 

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Maybe Chelsea need to change approach, admits Mourinho after cup exit

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho admits that he may need to revisit his side's approach to matches after they were dumped out of the Capital One Cup by Sunderland.

The Blues were largely in control of their quarter-final tie on Tuesday but could not build on Lee Cattermole's own goal despite numerous chances falling to the likes of Samuel Eto'o and Demba Ba.

Mourinho's men were then made to pay as Fabio Borini levelled the tie deep into the second half before fellow substitute Ki Sung-Yueng popped up to send the Black Cats into the semi-finals just before penalties.

"Maybe the way to rectify it is not to concede goals, maybe the way is to have a different approach," the 50-year-old told the press after the match.

"When you are a very offensive team and you don't score enough goals to win matches, maybe the right approach is to be more defensive, concede less goals and win matches with the few goals we score.

"But that's not what I want because that is not what we have in mind, in the building-up of this team. We want this team to have evolution but based on the way we are playing at the moment. We want to finish opponents but we need to score goals to finish opponents."

His victorious opponent, Gus Poyet, dedicated Sunderland’s win to the supporters, adding that his side now must use the cup result to turn around their fortunes in the league.

"This is for the fans," the Uruguayan beamed after the full-time whistle.

"We go from here. It’s important that I can see us doing it all the time. Now, we [must] do it every game.

"It doesn't matter who we are playing, whether it is Norwich City or Carlisle in the cup, every game. The more we do it, the more difficult we are going to become to play against, I'm sure."

 

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Muntari: AC Milan could have beaten Roma

AC Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari believes his side could have picked up all three points when they came up against Roma on Monday.

Roma are currently unbeaten after 16 Serie A matches, but the Ghana international believes the 2-2 draw could have been even better for Massimiliano Allegri's side after their improved second-half performance.

Milan twice came from behind to seal the point, with Muntari scoring the second equaliser on 77 minutes.

“Roma were strong,” he told Milan Channel. “We knew they would be, but I think we gained an important point. At the end of the game we could have won it.
"But I am confident for the future - we are definitely on the right track now.”

Muntari also discussed Sunday's Milan derby against former side Inter and the club's draw against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last 16.

He continued: “Sunday is going to be an important game for us. I was happy during my time at Inter, but I am here now and I feel great.

“Atletico Madrid? They are going well in Spain, but we want to go through.”

 

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Martino: Neymar still has a lot to learn

Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino says Neymar still has plenty to learn about the Spanish game.

The Brazilian has been in fine form recently, netting a hat-trick against Celtic in the Champions League last week and a double at Villarreal at the weekend in the absence of injured Lionel Messi.However, the 21-year-old received his fifth booking of the league campaign for time wasting in their last match and will subsequently miss the clash against Getafe on Sunday, which Martino believes shows Neymar still has to mature.

“He has to settle in Spanish football and get to know the referees. After the first half of the season he'll have a better view. It's a matter of learning," he told Marca.
With Neymar finding his goalscoring touch, Barca players also reserved special praise for the attacker.

Andres Iniesta told the official club website: "If he gets close to the box, he can turn a game. It’s better that he plays in the area and he feels comfortable, without having to get past three or four defenders”.

While Alex Song said: “He’s a humble kind of kid and he is increasing his importance in the group."He’s getting better all the time and the goals are naturally coming along . He’s really happy here and he, like the rest of us is so looking forward to playing together with Messi again."

Meanwhile, Martino reiterated recent comments about Carles Puyol, insisting rumours about his captain's retirement are false.

He added: "Puyol has been training the same way as always. Nobody's told me he's thinking about retiring."

 

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Moyes: Modern-day clubs too hasty to sack managers

Manchester United boss David Moyes is counting his blessings he has not been a victim of football's sacking culture so far in his career.

Andre Villas-Boas, who was also sacked by Chelsea in 2012, became the fifth Premier League manager to lose his job this season when Tottenham showed him the door on Monday following 17 months in charge.

Moyes spent four years at Preston North End then joined Everton in 2002, spending 11 years at Goodison Park before succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford - and the Scot feels clubs are to hasty in modern-day football.

"It makes me realise how lucky I have been at the clubs I have been at," Moyes told reporters.

"I worked for great people at Preston, great people at Everton and my short experience at Manchester United tells me I am working for really good people here.

"Maybe some of the other managers haven't been as fortunate as I have."

Moyes' position has been called into question during a disappointing start to his United career, but he points to his predecessor, Sir Alex, and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger as examples to prove loyalty can pay off.

"I am a great advocate of managers, I want managers to be given opportunities," he added. "I am involved with the LMA [League Managers' Association]. We are saying the best clubs have had stability.

"Look at Arsene Wenger, the stability he has given Arsenal. Sir Alex at United and even what happened to myself at Everton.

"Obviously the owners and chairman have their own reasons but the clubs who have given the managers that period of time have benefited.

"It is getting less and less to see that in football. The more we see it, it might help clubs gain a bit more control and stability. In turn it might mean they are not hiring and firing managers quite so often."

 

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Cantona: I don't envy Deschamps

Manchester United legend Eric Cantona says he does not envy France coach Didier Deschamps' job of attempting to bring together a group of players capable of winning the World Cup.

Deschamps has six months to prepare his side for the tournament in Brazil, having qualified via a play-off at the expense of Ukraine in November, and has been pitted alongside Ecuador, Honduras and Switzerland in Group E.

However, Cantona, who has turned his hand to acting since retiring in 1997 from the game, believes the job is made all the more difficult, given the little time coaches have together with their players.

"Leading a national team? No thank you,” Cantona is quoted as saying by Le Figaro. “It is difficult to lead players who are together just one week every two months and do not play with each other the rest of the time."This is the strength of the team of Spain: it has eight Barcelona players who train together all year."

However, the former France international did not rule out the possibility of coaching in the future, he said: “If I had to recommit myself to football, I would rather it be at a club where I could lead the team on a daily basis.

“Perhaps I’d consider committing myself to Saint-Etienne or Lens, the only clubs in France that resemble the English clubs."

 

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Perez: No bids for Di Maria

Real Madrid have not received any offers for Angel Di Maria, according to president Florentino Perez.

Di Maria, who will replace the injured Gareth Bale for Wednesday's Copa del Rey second leg against Olimpic de Xativa, has been linked with a move away from the Bernabeu.

However, despite reported interest from the likes of Monaco and Manchester United, Perez has insisted no bids have been lodged for the Argentina international, who joined Real from Benfica in 2010.

"He has a contract in place until 2018 and many clubs want him," he said."We have not received any offer for the sale of Angel Di Maria. This is the truth of this subject.

"These are things that do not happen but are written about."Nobody has told me anything about this situation, I have asked the club if someone has approached us and nobody knows anything."

 

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Wilshere charged by FA over offensive gesture in Manchester City clash

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has been charged by the Football Association for making an offensive gesture in the 6-3 defeat to Manchester City.

The incident was not seen by match officials at the time, though video evidence has led to a potential retrospective ban and has been deemed a "sending-off offence".

Wilshere has until 18.00GMT on December 18 to respond to the charge before facing a possible ban, which will include the Emirates Stadium clash with title rivals Chelsea on December 23.

A statement on the FA's official website reads: "Wilshere has been charged retrospectively by The FA under a new pilot project for potential ‘not seen’ incidents in Premier League matches.

"Under the new process, if an incident has not been seen by the match officials, a three-man panel will be asked by The FA to review it and advise what, if any action, they believe the match referee should have taken had it been witnessed at the time.

"For an FA charge to follow, all three panel members must agree it is a sending-off offence. In this instance, the panel were unanimous."

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez received a one-match ban in December 2011 following an offensive gesture he made to Fulham fans during a Premier League match at Craven Cottage.

 

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Saha: Moyes won't let Sir Alex interfere at Manchester United

Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha insists David Moyes will not let predecessor Sir Alex Ferguson interfere at Old Trafford.

The legendary manager retired during the summer but fulfils the role of executive director at the club, and has watched from the stands as United have made an underwhelming start to life under Moyes.

Despite leaving the club six months ago, former Red Devils skipper Roy Keane suggested Ferguson was still intent on wielding “control and power” behind the scenes.

But Saha has rejected notions that Ferguson would seek to undermine his successor and says he will give Moyes room to breathe, while also insisting that the ex-Everton boss would not allow himself to be dictated to.

“Roy Keane has huge respect for Manchester United, but he always has had the quality of speaking his mind,” the Frenchman told ITV.

“I don't think if something has been done by Sir Alex Ferguson it's to disrupt anything, it's to give help and advice.

“Controlling everything, I don't think David Moyes would accept that.

“He likes to do things his own way, and that's for sure that he will listen to advice but I don't think he will let anyone else control what happens at the club.”

Saha believes the pair can form a strong working relationship, though, and is convinced Moyes can adapt his style to get more goals out of the United side.

“It is a strength having both of them there,” he continued. “One has freshness and the other has massive experience.

“Manchester United has a big, big image for English football. But I really think those two can work well together.

“David Moyes was at a club before with a very tough, defensive image. Now he needs to go forward and score more goals; that's something you have to put into your tactics in a way, but I think he can do it.”

 

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Capital One Cup Fixtures 2013.12.18

Capital One Cup Fixtures 2013.12.18

Stoke City Vs Manchester United

Tottenham Vs West Ham United

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