..::Football III::..

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Pardew: Newcastle job still on the line

Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew believes Wednesday's League Cup success over Crystal Palace has done little to ease the pressure on him.

The 53-year-old has come in for criticism among some Newcastle supporters after a dismal second half of the 2013-14 campaign and a winless start to the current league season.

After five Premier League outings, Newcastle sit bottom of the table with just three points to their name, but recorded a 3-2 extra-time victory at Palace in the League Cup third round on Wednesday.

At last weekend's 2-2 home draw with Hull City, some supporters brandished posters reading 'Sack Pardew', and the manager knows one win will not bring a change of mood overnight.

"I thought our fans were terrific, they made a conscious effort to support the team," he told reporters.

"The pressure's not going to go away from us while we're Newcastle United and we sit bottom of the league and we haven't won a Premier League game.

"We've got to put that right and we've got two tough away games [against Stoke City and Swansea City]. We're here for the long haul and we've got a lot of games to go.

"There's a big, big season still to play. This season there's still all to play for and we're looking forward to building on this small step."

 

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Arsenal can win the Premier League - Pires

Robert Pires believes Arsenal should make winning the Premier League a bigger priority than the Champions League and believes they can win the English top flight this year.

The Frenchman, who recently joined FC Goa in the Indian Super League, was a member of the last Gunners squad to lift the English title as they finished the 2003-04 season unbeaten.

Since then, Arsene Wenger's side have won the FA Cup twice, but have failed to make a mark on the Premier League, having never finished in the top two since 2005, with Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea securing the titles since then. The north London side reached the Champions League final in 2006 but they have failed to make any great impact on the tournament in recent years.

However, Pires believes Wenger should target domestic success over European glory and believes the current team has what it takes to beat the likes of City and Chelsea to the title this year.

"More important than winning the Champions League is to win the Premier League," the 40-year-old told Goal.

"The last time Arsenal won it was in 2004. It was a great memory for Arsenal fans. The Arsenal squad and Arsene Wenger have really good qualities.

"This year the team has spent on Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck. I believe in Arsenal as it’s my team and I hope they win the Premier League."

 

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Metzelder: Immobile no substitute for Lewandowski

Former Borussia Dortmund defender Christoph Metzelder has doubts about Ciro Immobile's ability to replace Robert Lewandowski and questioned the transfer fee the Signal Iduna Park club paid for the Italy international.

Immobile joined Dortmund from Torino for a reported €18 million in the summer, as the club brought him in as the man to fill the shoes of Bayern Munich-bound goalscorer Lewandowski.

He has made a slow start to life at his new club, however, scoring twice in six appearances – against Arsenal in the Champions League and Stuttgart in the Bundesliga.And Metzelder isn't convinced Immobile will fit Dortmund’s style of play in the way Lewandowski did.

"The 'Klopp System' is a real challenge for a new player," he told Goal. "Also when you come from a different league where the way of working is different, it is not easy to adjust.

"You can see it with [fellow new signing] Adrian Ramos too. He has to find his role in this system."It takes time – it was the same with Lewandowski. But you have to ask yourself: Does Immobile, as a ‘box striker’, fit into Klopp’s system?

"Against Arsenal he did a good pressing job but, against a team where Dortmund need a striker who can play a bit more, something Lewandowski was perfect at, can Immobile do it? This is where I have some doubts."Immobile has the chance to make up for his slow start and make himself a hero to the Dortmund faithful at the weekend when Dortmund come up against local rivals Schalke in the hotly-contested Ruhr derby.

But even a bright performance against the Gelsenkirchen club would not convince Metzelder, who played for both clubs in his career, that Dortmund did not overpay for a striker who was the Serie A top scorer last season with 22 goals in 33 games.

He added: "To be honest I don’t have the feeling there was such a big market for Immobile in Europe that €18m was justified."But the bosses wanted him no matter what and now they will give him the time he needs."

 

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Van Gaal: Manchester United is my toughest job

Louis van Gaal says Manchester United is the toughest job of his career at the moment after overseeing a poor start to the season that has seen the Red Devils win just once in five Premier League games.

United are currently languishing in 12th in the Premier League and surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 5-3 to newly-promoted Leicester City on Sunday.

Van Gaal is also facing an injury crisis in an already suspect defence with Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling all sidelined while Tyler Blackett is suspended, having been sent off at the King Power Stadium.

And when asked if this was the toughest situation of his illustrious managerial career, the Dutchman replied: "At this moment maybe, but you have to see us in a year and not in the one week when we have nine injuries and a red card.

"As a manager you know already it is a big challenge. This club is in a transition and you don't know in advance what are the difficult moments, you have to see, because when we started we won everything, and in very difficult circumstances, now we are again in very difficult circumstances and we can win."

A depleted United will take on West Ham at Old Trafford on Saturday and Van Gaal detailed the nature of the injuries that will keep Evans and Smalling out of action.

"Evans' bone is bruised," he revealed. "Smalling left yesterday's session because he had stiff legs. I won't take risks with players."

 

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'Messi called me a son of a wh*re' - Weligton

Malaga centre-back Weligton claims Lionel Messi called him a "son of a wh*re" and that is why he threw him to the ground in Wednesday's 0-0 draw.

Javi Gracia's men were the first team of 2014-15 to deny Barcelona all three points, as last season's La Liga runners up failed to register a shot on target at La Rosaleda. Tensions overflowed late in the game when Weligton appeared to grab Messi by the throat, with the Argentine attacker subsequently falling backwards to ground.

Barca players were pleading with the referee to send the Brazilian defender off for his actions, though he only received a booking, but Weligton has hit back by insisting that Messi initiated the confrontation by hurling verbal abuse at him when they squared up in the 81st minute of the game.

"I tried to prevent him from passing the ball and, after the move finished, Messi turned to me and called me a son of a wh*re," the veteran centre-back, 35, told Cope.

As well as Weligton going into the referee's book, Gerard Pique was yellow carded for his over-the-top remonstrations for the Malaga man to see red.

Messi has so far not responded to Weligton's allegations that he insulted the Brazilian.

Barca remain top of La Liga with 13 points after five games, ahead of second-placed Sevilla on goal difference, while Malaga are placed 10th with six points.

 

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Miranda: Everyone knows how Atletico play now

Miranda has stated that Atletico Madrid will continue to perfect set-pieces despite criticism over the team's style of play.

Spanish champions Atleti earned a hard-fought 1-0 triumph at Almeria on Wednesday, with centre-back Miranda grabbing the only goal of the game when he headed home Koke's expert corner on the hour mark.

After the game head coach Diego Simeone defended Atleti's methods and the amount of goals the team score from set-plays.Miranda backed the words of Simeone and says the team have no intention of altering a winning formula - especially given the need to keep teams guessing over how they will attack.

"We will continue to work and train because a set-piece can decide a match, although nowadays, everyone knows how we play, so one strategic action can determine a match," he told reporters."We practice it a lot and have a great passer like Koke and we have great finishers like Raul [Garcia], [Diego} Godin, and even myself."

Atleti remain unbeaten in La Liga this term and have taken 11 points from their opening five matches.

 

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Martinez: Liverpool still adjusting to Suarez departure

Roberto Martinez claims Liverpool are still adjusting to the departure of Luis Suarez ahead of their Merseyside derby clash this weekend.

The Uruguay international joined Barcelona in an €88 million deal in the summer, and scored his first goals for the club in the B team's win over Indonesia on Wednesday.

Liverpool signed nine senior players following Suarez's departure - including Adam Lallana and Mario Balotelli - but have struggled so far in 2014-15, taking just six points from their opening five games.

And Martinez believes Liverpool have not yet adapted to losing their star man.

"Every team changes when you change personnel," he said. "You need to find different ways of playing and there is a little bit of adaptation with European football because we're both going through the same period.

"It's early in the season and it's about adapting to those demands and having different players and new ways of playing because obviously Luis Suarez was very significant."

Martinez – who has seen his side take one point less than Liverpool this term – also believes both teams will go for the jugular at Anfield, as they look to climb the league table.

"The game is going to be exciting. I think this one is building up to being a very good game. It's only three points, but three points that are very, very important for both sides," he added.

 

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Messi: Suarez will give us more variety

Barcelona star Lionel Messi says his side will become stronger and more difficult to predict when Luis Suarez returns from his ban.

The Uruguay striker, who scored twice for the B team in a friendly this week, will not be able to make his competitive debut for the club until the weekend of October 25 due to his suspension following his World Cup bite.

Barca dropped their first points of the new campaign against Malaga on Wednesday, drawing 0-0 and failing to register a shot on target in an uninspiring display, and Messi believes Suarez will bring a new dimension to their attacking play.

"It's special that he chose to come here [from Liverpool]," he told Fox Sports Magazine. "We will be stronger as a team with him. We will have a lot more variety."Messi, who is one goal short of his 400th for club and country at senior level, also insists Barcelona are duty-bound to reach the Champions League final after defeats in the knockout rounds to Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in the past three seasons.

"We have to get back to winning trophies," he added."The objectives are always the same: to win titles and to show good football. Last year, we failed when we should not have done so.

"For us, it's not vengeance to return to the Champions League final because it's our duty to be there. We will try to do it again, as we have always done."

 

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Lazio 0-1 Udinese: Thereau inflicts further misery on Pioli's men

Lazio 's unconvincing start to the Serie A campaign continued with a 1-0 home loss to Udinese on Thursday.Stefano Pioli has now lost three of his four league games at the helm as Cyril Thereau's first-half goal lifted the visitors up to third.

Udinese coach Andrea Stramaccioni has made a far more encouraging start to his reign and the triumph at the Stadio Olimpico came hot on the heels of Sunday's 1-0 success against Napoli.

The away side looked more threatening from the start, Luis Muriel testing goalkeeper Federico Marchetti - making his first start of the season - with an early free kick.Marchetti was less alert in the 22nd minute when he rushed out of goal and collided with Muriel, who picked himself up to shoot towards and empty net, only for Diego Novaretti to react and clear off the line.

Udinese deservedly took the lead after 26 minutes when Thereau fired home his first goal for the club from Silvan Widmer's excellent low cross.Pioli introduced Filip Djordjevic at the break and he was quick to call Orestis Karnezis into action in the Udinese goal, the Greece international demonstrating a cool head and a safe pair of hands to keep hold of a powerful strike.

But, despite applying some late pressure, there was no way back for the hosts, who are now six points behind Udinese, who themselves are up into third.

 

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'Gignac is one of Europe's best strikers'

Andre-Pierre Gignac's current form proves he is one of Europe's very best strikers, according to Toulouse boss Alain Casanova.

The 28-year-old has scored a remarkable eight goals in seven games for Olympique de Marseille this season in Marcelo Bielsa's first Ligue 1 campaign at Stade Velodrome.Gignac's showings have seen Juventus linked with a possible January bid for his services, and Casanova - who worked with the player at Toulouse - says he is thrilled to see him in such rich form.

"I'm very happy for him because I think he deserves it and we forget what he has done in previous seasons," he told RMC."Although he has been criticised at times, he has often - very often - got OM out of very tough situations, scoring a lot of goals and being very effective.

"This year he has worked hard, prepared well, and from the moment he is physically and mentally ready he will score 25 goals and once again show he is one of Europe's best."

 

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I could have hit the stands, admits Osvaldo

Pablo Daniel Osvaldo was elated his wonder goal helped Inter beat Atalanta but confessed he felt the effort may have ended up in the stands.

The Italy international showed tremendous athleticism to break the deadlock in Wednesday's Serie A clash at San Siro, finishing Fredy Guarin's delivery with a superb scissor-kick volley.

Osvaldo's strike arrived five minutes before half-time and set Walter Mazzarri's men on their way to three points, Hernanes wrapping up the game with three minutes remaining with a superb free kick.Speaking about his goal, Osvaldo stated he had tried similar attempts in the past and was delighted to see this one hit the back of the net.

"You try things like that sometimes, although lots of times it will end up in the stands," he told the club's official website. "It went in for me [this time] and it helped us get the three points so I'm happy."Osvaldo had only been on the pitch for 15 minutes after replacing the injured Mauro Icardi and he felt he improved as the match went on.

He added: "It took me a few minutes to find my feet and get into gear but I guess that was normal as I hadn't warmed up."After that I settled into the game and it went well."

 

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Redknapp: Ferdinand could be another Platini

QPR boss Harry Redknapp has backed Rio Ferdinand to take over an administrative role in the game when he retires.

Ferdinand moved to Loftus Road as a free agent in the close-season, after his 12-year spell at Manchester United came to an end.

Last month, the 35-year-old stated his desire to one day be considered for the England manager's job, but Redknapp has talked Ferdinand up as a future candidate for one football's highest-ranking positions.

Amid recent rumours Ferdinand could be appointed to Fifa's Executive Committee, Redknapp commented: "He could be another Michel Platini [Uefa president] - that'd be nice for him and why not?

"He's a bright boy and a lovely guy - an absolute class act on and off the field - he's smart and a top boy.

"We need more people like him running the game. He's got great knowledge of the game and is a great role model. He's come out of a working class area in south London area and he's made it.

"I've known him since he was 14 and he's a fantastic boy and he hasn't changed a bit as a person, he's just got a bit more experience now but as a person he's top class."

 

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Pochettino: I have full respect for Wenger

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino says that he holds opposite number Arsene Wenger in high regard as he prepares for his first north London derby.

The Frenchman took over the reins at Arsenal in 1996 and has since won eight major domestic honours with the club.

Pochettino, by contrast, only replaced Tim Sherwood at White Hart Lane over the summer but hopes to enjoy a similarly successful spell in charge.

Asked about Wenger on the eve of the first north London derby of the season, the Argentine revealed: "We have a good relationship.

"We played against Arsenal [while I was at Southampton]. I have full respect for him, he is a great manager.

"An 18-year stay in charge is not easy. It's a big gap with me in Tottenham.

"Tottenham, for me, is a big job. It's a dream to stay here like [him] or to have the time Arsene had in Arsenal. For this, I need to show my skill, I need to work hard, I need to get the results.

"In football, you never know, you need to work with passion that we have. We are positive in our job, in our skill, with the players. We try to arrive as far as possible."

 

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Gutierrez 'hurt' by Newcastle treatment

Newcastle outcast Jonas Gutierrez says that the club's treatment of him has left him "hurt".

The 31-year-old recently revealed that he is undergoing treatment for testicular cancer in his native Argentina and, with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, was told to find a new club during the summer.

Gutierrez told The Chronicle: "I don't want to say if they were good or bad, I can't judge. What I can say is that it hurt me very much when they told me to look for another team after I had the surgery.

"I had been at the club for five years – that was tough."

The Argentine, however, is very thankful to Newcastle fans for their ongoing support.

"I am very happy for what the Newcastle fans did and thankful to the supporters of Velez Sarsfield and Almagro," he continued.

"I am also thankful to all the people linked to football because I have received very nice messages from them. All this gives me more strength not to give up."

 

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Jagielka out to end poor Everton run at Anfield

Everton captain Phil Jagielka is desperate to end the club's winless run away against Liverpool.

The Toffees have not been victorious at Anfield in the Premier League for 15 years, with Roberto Martinez's men having been routed 4-0 last season.

The last time that Everton claimed bragging rights on their arch-rivals' turf was in September 1999, when they won a bad-tempered derby 1-0 courtesy of Kevin Campbell's early goal, and Jagielka is keen to avoid a repeat of January's crushing defeat.

"Last season, as you can imagine, there wasn't much said on that journey," he recalled to the Liverpool Echo.

"You're talking about a lot of angry people and miserable faces. That's what you'd expect from any defeat, let alone the heavy defeat we had to our arch-rivals.

"When you are made captain, you want to look at a decent win percentage. You want to see the team score more goals and keep more clean sheets.

"I've been desperate to win every time we've been to Anfield, we all have been. So then the results we've had, and how quiet the bus has been afterwards, is not a nice feeling.

"You can't change the past but a win is long overdue. It would be a fantastic place for us to give our season another kick-start and get us going up the league."

While bragging rights are up for grabs, both teams need to invigorate their seasons after sluggish starts. Liverpool have lost back-to-back games, while Everton have only won once this season, with defence a cause for concern.

Martinez's men have conceded 13 goals in 2014-15, after shipping six against Chelsea and three at home to Crystal Palace in their last league outing.

"It's been terribly frustrating," Jagielka conceded. "Being captain and at the centre of a defence that has conceded so many is tough. It puts a frown on your face and makes things a bit harder to bear but I believe in the players around me and I think we can go on a run and keep clean sheets.

"There have probably been 10 individual errors by eight or nine different players so it's not one person making repeated mistakes or one consistent thing. It's been a catalogue of errors. Us as players need to stand up in certain situations and cut out the mistakes."

 

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Lewandowski: Goal will be the first of many for Bayern

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski hopes his first goal at the Allianz Arena will open the floodgates for the rest of the season.

The 26-year-old Poland international, who moved to Bayern from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, netted the second goal in the 4-0 rout of Paderborn on Tuesday night.

Lewandowski, who fired 103 goals in 187 appearances for Dortmund, scored away at Schalke in August and insists he had no fears over a potential goal drought in front of the club's home support.

"I just had to stay calm. I knew it would happen," Lewandowski told Goal.
"It was my first home goal for Bayern Munich and it was a good moment for me. I hope this becomes usual now and I am able to score many goals and we can win every match."

Bayern were held to a 0-0 draw at Hamburg at the weekend but Arjen Robben returned to the team against Paderborn to bolster Pep Guardiola's attack.With injury concerns easing and the goals beginning to flow, Lewandowski believes the club are hitting their stride ahead of their forthcoming fixtures and does not share his coach's concern over the number of matches played within a week.

"Sometimes, when many attacking players are injured it is difficult on the pitch," the former Lech Poznan striker said. "The key is to always play full throttle, no matter who plays.

"I think we're in good shape and the important games will come now. Playing every three days is good news for me. I would rather play three times a week, than only once. Hopefully we'll be successful in the Bundesliga and Champions League."
Bundesliga champions Bayern face Koln on Saturday and then travel to CSKA Moscow for a Champions League group game on Tuesday.

 

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Mourinho to protect Costa fitness

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will continue to protect Diego Costa as the striker attempts to fully overcome hamstring problems.

The 25-year-old struggled for fitness towards the back end of last season with Atletico Madrid and looked far from his best at the World Cup with Spain.

Since arriving at Stamford Bridge, Costa has been held back by Mourinho, starting only in the Premier League, with one brief substitute's appearance in the Champions League against Schalke. With Saturday's clash with Aston Villa to be followed by a trip to Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday, the Portuguese intends to remain careful.

"He plays tomorrow and he starts the game without problems," Mourinho told reporters of Costa on Friday.

"The question is always the same: can he finish the game and be in condition to play in Lisbon 48 hours later?

"It is a question that, in this moment, I don't know [the answer to] because I don't think about Sporting and the Champions League, I think about Aston Villa and the Premier League.

"Everybody is working hard and he is the first one to do that. He works with the technical staff and the medical department, he works with the physios. He's trying to be ready for every game because mentally he is ready for every game. Physically he's not so everybody is trying hard for him to be able to play every game."

Mourinho once again refused to be drawn on Manuel Pellegrini's jibes about Chelsea's tactics in a 1-1 draw at Manchester City last time out.

"I don't have a reaction," he insisted, "because, not once or twice or three times, he said he didn't speak about referees and then [criticised Mark] Clattenburg.

"He said he didn't speak about me or my team and opponents so I think it's for you to comment. When I said I don't want to speak about him that's what I try to do. If you want a story you have to speak with him not me. I keep my place, I follow my line, I don't want to discuss any situation in relation to that."

Mourinho's only injury concern surrounds Ramires, whom the Portuguese believes will be out until after the international break in October.

"It is a muscular injury so he's not to play Tuesday or to play against Arsenal [next Sunday]," the Blues boss explaind. "He needs the international two-week break, he needs that time, so maybe he can be back after that."

 

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Totti is a freak of nature, says Garcia

Roma coach Rudi Garcia has labelled Francesco Totti a "freak of nature" ahead of his 38th birthday.

The iconic attacker celebrates his birthday on Saturday and made his debut for the club way back in 1992, but Garcia says he has the physical conditioning of a much younger player."Totti is a freak of nature as a physical specimen," the Frenchman said at a press conference."And he's a professional off the pitch too.

"Let's not remind Totti how old he actually is. He feels as if he's still 28."The Roma coach also had words of encouragement for Miralem Pjanic in the wake of his superb goal against Parma in midweek, as well as for experienced defender Maicon.

"Pjanic showed in the 88th minute of the game against Parma how great he is and what he can bring to Roma."We're happy to have a player of Maicon's ability at the club."

Roma currently sit joint first in Serie A with Juventus on 12 points from four games.

 

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Van Gaal needs time to succeed at Manchester United - Pelle

Louis van Gaal's work at Manchester United cannot be judged after just two months, according to Southampton striker Graziano Pelle.

United are languishing in 12th in the Premier League and boast just one win from their first six matches, despite splashing out over €190 million on new players over the course of a busy summer transfer window.

Pelle, meanwhile, has made an instant impact in English football, scoring four goals in his first seven appearances since completing an €10m summer move to St Mary's Stadium from Feyenoord.

But the 28-year-old - who won the Eredivisie title under Van Gaal in 2008-09 while the two men were at AZ - insists it is far too soon to accurately assess the effectiveness of the Dutchman's methods at Old Trafford.

"I say that even to managers you have to give time," the Italian told Gazzetta Dello Sport.

"You cannot judge a manager after two months of work, even if they are established professionals such as Van Gaal."

Pelle also had words of praise for Saints boss Ronald Koeman, the man he followed from Feyenoord to England, with the former Barcelona star galvanising the Saints after a turbulent summer and leading them to second in the Premier League after five matches.

"He's doing well," he added. "I had no doubt. I followed him to England because with him at Feyenoord I made the leap.

"They say that scoring in Holland doesn't have the same weight as in Italy, England, Germany or Spain, but the size of the goals is the same at all latitudes, and if you mess the aim, you don't score...

"Football is a paradise here. Stadiums filled, people who incites you from the first minute, games in which you can never give up, correctness in the field. We go from the Premier to League Cup and the script is the same: play, attack and possibly win."

 

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Strong start vital for Juventus this season - Chiellini

Giorgio Chiellini is delighted with Juventus' start to the 2014-15 campaign and is confident they can keep up their fine form in the weeks to come.

The reigning Italian champions have won all four Serie A games so far this season without conceding a goal, while they also started the Champions League in positive fashion with a 2-0 win over Malmo.

Some important games await, including the trip to Atletico Madrid, and Chiellini is optimistic about Juventus' chances of success.

"We’re happy with how we’ve started the season. It’s an important signal following the eventful summer we experienced," Chiellini told the official Juventus website."The many positive signals bode well for the upcoming games. Arturo Vidal has made his comeback following the injury he sustained on international duty.

"But we’ll keep moving on and working hard on a daily basis because we know we’re just at the start."The Champions League is different from Serie A on a physical level. We got off to a good start, but must put in a top performance in Madrid."

Atletico, meanwhile, were beaten 3-2 by Olympiakos in their Group A opener.