..::Football III::..

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Cabaye drops Premier League hint

Yohan Cabaye has reiterated his love for the Premier League but insists he will fight for his place in the Paris Saint-Germain team.

The France international was speaking after les Bleus' 1-1 draw with Albania and touched on the problems he is experiencing in the capital.

Since moving to Laurent Blanc's side in an estimated €20 million deal in January 2014, Cabaye has struggled to establish himself in the first XI and has been rumoured to be looking for a way back to England.

When asked by Canal Plus whether he will see out his contract with PSG, he said: "This is a question I do not ask myself, especially today. The situation at the club is what it is.

"I love England and it is not a surprise if I say that. Today I am in Paris but I'm not likely to give up. I will fight as I should to deserve what I deserve.

"Afterwards, if the situation stays like that... But now I don't think about a transfer."

Cabaye has previously been linked with both Arsenal and Manchester United and admitted his preference for linking up with Arsene Wenger in March.

 

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Isco: Madrid & Spain have the world's best players

Isco marked his first Spain start with a stunning strike in the 3-0 win over Belarus on Saturday, but believes he is competing with the world's finest footballers for a place in the team with both Real Madrid and La Roja.

The 22-year-old curled home from outside the Belarus box to give Vicente del Bosque's side the lead after 17 minutes in their Euro 2016 qualifier in Huelva and admitted he was satisfied with his first international goal.

"I just shot and luckily it was a good effort," he told reporters after the game. "It opened the scoring and it helped us - but it could have ended up in the clouds!"

Isco is enjoying his finest form since moving from Malaga to Madrid in the summer of 2013 and spending most of last season on the bench.

"I feel good," he said. "I'm making the most of my opportunities. I don't know if this is my best moment. When I wasn't playing I just tried to work hard and keep going."

Despite his purple patch, however, the midfielder is under no illusions he will be a regular starter for club or country in the coming weeks and months.

"That doesn't depend on me," he said. "I just try to work hard and earn it day in, day out. It's up to the coaches.

"The national team and Real Madrid have the best players in the world. I just try to make things difficult for the coaches to decide."

 

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Conte: Italy must not fear anyone

Antonio Conte insists his Italy side must not fear anybody as they prepare for their Euro 2016 qualifier against Croatia.The Azzurri head into Saturday's match level on points with Niko Kovac's men, though they remind behind them on goal difference after three matches.

Despite both sides having secured three wins from three so far, Conte is adamant his team must not approach the clash with anything other than a full conviction to win."We must not be afraid of anyone, but we must respect every opponent. We are a growing team in terms of what we are doing," he told reporters.

"The team are prepared, I hope that we'll play a great match regardless of who takes to the field. I hope for a good win tomorrow. We will have to take to the field with desire and pride."Mario Balotelli's return to the Italy set-up was short-lived as he was sent back to Liverpool after suffering an injury during training this week.

"Balotelli did not train yesterday and today and it was useless to keep him, so I chose to send him home," Conte explained. "These days I have evaluated him in the same way as anyone else."

Heavy rainfall has blighted Milan over the last 24 hours but Conte hopes to see an improvement on Sunday in order to allow two technical sides the chance to express themselves.

"We hope that the weather will improve, we are a team that plays football as well as Croatia and we hope that the pitch is in good condition," added the former Juventus boss.

"We play at San Siro against Croatia and we are at the top, level on points. We are all well aware of the race to qualify."

 

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Hodgson: England started too slowly

England manager Roy Hodgson praised Slovenia after his team struggled early on before coming from behind to secure a 3-1 Euro 2016 qualifying win at Wembley.

The hosts made it four wins from as many matches to maintain their grip on Group E, but were made to sweat as a drab contest burst into life after half-time.

Slovenia restricted England to a diet of half-chances before Jordan Henderson headed into his own net to hand them a 1-0 lead.

England's response was instant as Wayne Rooney won and converted a penalty to fittingly mark his 100th cap before Danny Welbeck netted a double to take his qualification goals tally to five, and Hodgson was impressed with the display of the visitors at Wembley.

"It was not going to be an easy game ever because they were disciplined and well organised," Hodgson told ITV.

"We had a lot of possession in the first half. We were probing but we weren't really getting beyond them and creating the number of chances.

"When we went a goal down it was very, very important to break straight back. We did with the penalty and after that our play was certainly better. I thought we created a lot more chances.

"In the end it proved to be a very good victory because we've seen today that Slovenia have been good value for their six points and their two victories so far.

"Now, in the group, we've beaten Switzerland away and Slovenia at home, which puts us in a good position."

That "good position" amounts to a six-point lead and Hodgson felt the manner in which his team kept their composure amid their first-half struggles was vital to securing such a healthy advantage.

"I thought we kept our shape well all the time, even when we weren't playing our best football," he said.

"We won the ball back quickly and sustained attacks, but it was really frustrating that we weren't creating the chances that our ball possession could have given us.

"In the second half I thought that was better. The chances were coming one after the other and it gave us three goals, which was more than enough to win the game."

 

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Isco tried to be 'too elegant' - Del Bosque

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque believes Isco tried to be "too elegant" at times during his side's 3-0 win over Belarus in Euro 2016 qualifying on Saturday night.

Isco impressed for Spain on his first senior start and set the European champions on their way to a comfortable victory with a stunning strike after 17 minutes.

But Del Bosque also saw some negatives in the 22-year-old's dynamic display.

"Isco played very well but he got caught up in trying to be too elegant at times," the 63-year-old said after the match.

"We played well, we dominated the game and we scored two goals in the first half an hour, but sometimes we tried to be too elegant, too artistic."

However, La Roja put their recent indifferent form behind them with a positive performance in Huelva as Alvaro Morata and Jose Callejon made their debuts as substitutes in a young Spain side, with Barcelona pair Sergio Busquets and Pedro also on target.

"The midfielders were professional and if the defence is solid then much of our work is done," Del Bosque said. "We played a good game."

And in reference to the team's disappointing defeats in recent times plus the international retirement of Xavi, Xabi Alonso and David Villa, he added: "Sometimes it's a good thing to have the earth move from beneath your feet."

 

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European Championship Qualifying Fixtures 2014.11.16

European Championship Qualifying Fixtures 2014.11.16

Group A

Netherlands Vs Latvia

Czech Republic Vs Iceland


Turkey Vs Kazakhstan

Group B

Belgium Vs Wales

Cyprus Vs Andorra

Isarel Vs Bosnia

Group H

Azerbaijan Vs Norway

Bulgaria Vs Malta

Italy Vs Croatia​

 

[unicornx]

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Kohomath machan Spain thawa Striker kenek hadaganna oneIssara thibba David Villa & Torres combination 1ka wage
​

 

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Italy 1-1 Croatia: Perisic cancels out Candreva opener in interrupted clash

Italy were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Croatia in a flare and firework-interrupted clash at San Siro on Sunday.

The players were taken from the field by referee Bjorn Kuipers towards the end of the second half, with a number of flares having been thrown onto the field.Play subsequently resumed following a short delay, during which trouble appeared to break out in the area of the ground housing visiting fans, but neither side was able to find a winner.Both teams came into Sunday's match, which had been threatened by heavy rain in Milan, boasting maximum points in Group H.Italy took the lead through Antonio Candreva after 11 minutes when the Lazio man drove home from distance to beat Danijel Subasic as Croatia conceded for the first time in qualifying.

However, a rare Gianluigi Buffon error enabled Ivan Perisic to equalise within four minutes and Croatia created the better chances thereafter despite losing Luka Modric to injury later in the first half.

A game that saw both Daniele De Rossi and Ivica Olic win their 100th international caps had already been briefly halted following Perisic's goal as flares were thrown, and the various off-field incidents are likely to attract attention from UEFA.

Croatia were eager to test Buffon early on, with Ivan Rakitic letting fly from distance before Perisic and Modric both went close amid a flurry of early chances.
However, with one of Italy's first sights on goal, Candreva beat Subasic with a powerful strike from outside the area to put the hosts in front against the run of play.

Italy's lead proved short-lived as Perisic cut onto his right foot and fired low at Buffon, who failed to keep the effort out as it squirmed under his body.
A number of flares stopped play from resuming straight away, with fire officials required to put them out, but when it did Croatia were dealt a blow with the withdrawal of Modric shortly before the half-hour mark.Italy were also forced into a switch as the injured Manuel Pasqual was replaced by debutant Roberto Soriano.

Such regular stoppages saw the game broken up, although Andrea Ranocchia was forced into a goalline clearance from an Olic header after Buffon capped a difficult half by flapping at a cross.Home coach Antonio Conte turned to substitutes Stephan El Shaarawy and Graziano Pelle either side of Rakitic testing Buffon again shortly after the hour.

The Milan striker went close to finding the winner on his club's home ground when he fizzed a strike over Subasic's crossbar, before play was halted due to further crowd incidents, which intensified 20 minutes from time.With smoke engulfing San Siro and ugly scenes in the stands, the players were brought off before eventually finishing the match.

Perisic then went closest to a winner - dragging a shot narrowly wide of Buffon's left-hand post following a Croatia break - with the draw ensuring the sides will sit level on 10 points going into 2015.

 

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Turkey 3-1 Kazakhstan: Burak double seals hosts' first win of group stage

Burak Yilmaz bagged a double as Turkey sealed their first three points of Euro 2016 qualification with a 3-1 win at home to Kazakhstan.

After seeing an early effort ruled out for offside in Istanbul, the Galatasaray frontman opened the scoring from the spot after 26 minutes, before forcing a mistake from visiting goalkeeper Alexandr Mokin.

Serdar Aziz stretched the advantage to three with a headed effort seven minutes from the final whistle, but there was still time for Samat Smakov to pull one back for the Kazakhs through a late penalty.The result lifts Turkey to fourth in Group A, while Kazakhstan remain without a win.

Volkan Babacan came on as a half-time substitute in Turkey's 4-0 friendly defeat to Brazil on Wednesday, making one particularly impressive save from a David Luiz header shortly after his introduction, and was preferred between the sticks to the more experienced Volkan Demirel for the visit of Kazakhstan.Babacan - winning just his third cap - had little to do in the opening stages, though, as the home side made the early running.

Burak had the ball in the back of the net in the seventh minute, but had already been flagged for offside and was somewhat harshly booked for applying the finish.
Half-hearted appeals for a penalty went unrewarded when Arda Turan was brought down by Renat Abdulin in the Kazakh box after 20 minutes, and replays suggested the hosts may have been hard done by.

Burak should have done better when he fired wide unmarked soon after, but made up for that error by converting from the penalty spot after being felled by Abdulin.

And the 29-year-old doubled the advantage with a drilled effort from the edge of the box three minutes later, with goalkeeper Mokin letting the ball slip through his fingers.Aziz's glancing header from a corner in the 83rd minute made sure of the points, but Smakov pulled one level four minutes later after Ulan Konysbaev was bundled over by Mehmet Topal in the box.

Arda was booked for diving as he looked to force the referee into awarding a third penalty of the match, before Aleksey Shchetkin tested Babacan with a low header at the other end to no avail.

 

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Belgium 0-0 Wales: Bale and Co. earn hard-fought point

Wales remain top of their Euro 2016 qualifying group following a goalless draw with Belgium on Sunday evening.

Chris Coleman's men arrived in Brussels a point clear of Israel at the top of Group B and, as expected, had to fight hard to maintain a three-point advantage over Belgium.

Gareth Bale twice went close from set-pieces, as well as firing narrowly wide midway through the second half, but this was a match in which Wales' character and defensive qualities were put to the test.

The visitors had to withstand periods of sustained pressure, with Eden Hazard pulling the strings for much of the encounter.

The Chelsea star had an effort saved by Wayne Hennessey early on, before Nacer Chadli was also thwarted by the Wales goalkeeper.

Nicolas Lombaerts struck the post before half-time and the second period proved even more frustrating for Marc Wilmots' side, as Wales showed no sign of giving in.

Bale provided a crucial intervention at the death, blocking a Christian Benteke header on the line to ensure Wales earned a point and followed up their 1-1 draw in a World Cup qualifier at the same venue last October.

Jan Vertonghen captained Belgium in the absence of injured skipper Vincent Kompany, while Bale led the line for Wales with Chris Coleman desperately short of out-and-out strikers.

The visitors started brightly, but James Chester had to be alert at the back to deny Marouane Fellaini a chance to head Belgium in front from a dangerous Hazard cross.

Bale registered the game's first shot on target 14 minutes in when he drew a diving save from Thibaut Courtois with a swerving free-kick from 25 yards, before Hazard's low drive at the other end was collected by Hennessey at the second attempt.

A delightful Divock Origi flick sent Chadli clean through on goal in the 23rd minute, but Hennessey did well to close down the Tottenham winger and thwart the move.

Wales came under increasing pressure as the half progressed and Lombaerts sent a curling strike against the left-hand upright – Origi sending the rebound wide of the other post.

Hal Robson-Kanu was lucky to escape punishment after a coming together with Anthony Vanden Borre in the closing stages of the first half, but Wales held firm to go in level at the break.

Wales had struggled to provide Bale with any service during the opening 45 minutes, appearing unwilling to compromise their defensive solidity to show some adventure in attack.

However, the Real Madrid forward carved out an opportunity of his own shortly before the hour mark – driving across the face of goal after splitting two defenders.

The chance prompted a spell of Welsh pressure, and Bale stung the palms of Courtois with another well-struck free-kick.

Belgium pushed hard for a winner in the last 10 minutes, but Robson-Kanu almost caught the home defence napping as he forced Courtois into another save.

Substitute Dries Mertens was left requiring lengthy medical attention following a nasty clash of heads with George Williams as the match approached its conclusion – the Napoli attacker playing no further part.

The incident prompted six minutes of injury time, but Belgium – 30 places higher than Wales in the world rankings - were unable to avoid dropping points for a second time in three qualifying matches, with Bale making the vital late block from Benteke.

 

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Netherlands 6-0 Latvia: Van Persie and Robben seal vital win for Hiddink

The Oranje boss claimed he would quit should his side lose on Sunday but his star duo inspired an emphatic victory in Euro 2016 qualifying.

Guus Hiddink will remain in charge of Netherlands for a little while longer yet after his side breezed past Latvia 6-0 on Sunday.Hiddink had threatened to quit his post as head coach if his side lost their latest Euro 2016 qualifier following defeats to Czech Republic and Iceland earlier this autumn, as well as a 3-2 friendly loss to Mexico.

However, goals from Robin van Persie and Jeffrey Bruma and two each for Arjen Robben and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar secured a vital three points in some style at the Amsterdam ArenA.

Despite their recent woes, Hiddink's men began positively and were ahead after just six minutes courtesy of Van Persie's header.Glancing home a delivery from the ever-dangerous Robben's delivery, Van Persie scored his second goal of qualification before the Bayern Munich winger got in on the act with a stunning strike from distance.

The first-half rout was complete when Huntelaar turned home Ibrahim Afellay's cross three minutes from the break.

A late onslaught saw Bruma, Robben and Huntelaar find the net to add further gloss to an impressive performance, in which the only low point was Daley Blind's injury prior to the interval.

The Dutch started well and almost took the lead two minutes in when Afellay dug out a curled effort that struck Aleksandrs Kolinko's left-hand post.However, Netherlands' positive opening was rewarded soon after when skipper Van Persie nodded home the opener.

Robben's pinpoint delivery found the Manchester United man, who headed home to lift some of the pressure on Hiddink.

Hiddink named a new-look central defensive pairing as the injured Ron Vlaar and Joel Veltman were replaced by Bruma and Stefan de Vrij with the pair given a warning when Valerijs Sabala headed Janis Ikaunieks' cross wide.Blind limped off with what seemed a knee injury and was replaced by Jordy Clasie before Wesley Sneijder was crowded out following a slick Robben backheel.

Robben continued his fine display when he curled home a Dutch second after 35 minutes, shifting the ball onto his favoured left and beating a helpless Kolinko before Huntelaar made it three soon after when he turned in Afellay's cross.

Despite a dominant attacking display in the first half, Arturs Zjuzins' wayward strike demonstrated some of the hosts' defensive shortcomings as the midfielder was allowed to cut onto his left foot and fired wide of goal.

Robben then struck the crossbar with a free kick he earned from outside the area.
Netherlands added to their advantage when Bruma turned home Van Persie's header from a corner with enough time left for Robben and Huntelaar to round off the scoring.

Turning onto his left foot again, Robben fired past Kolinko to cap off a fine individual showing, and Huntelaar's 38th international goal following a neat spin and turn took him past Dennis Bergkamp in the all-time Netherlands scoring chart to third a minute from time.

 

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Pique: Barca is my life, I'm not leaving

Gerard Pique says he will fight for his place in Luis Enrique's side and has no intention of leaving Barcelona.

The World Cup winner has played in just eight of Barca's 15 matches this season and has been linked with a return to Manchester United.

But the 27-year-old, who has played 274 times for his hometown club and won 15 titles - including the Liga and Champions League double in 2011, has dismissed the rumours."Barcelona is my life and I do not plan to leave. I will continue to fight for a place," he told Movistar TV.

"I don't think playing two or three matches and then leaving would be consistent."
A regular starter under successive managers at Barcelona, and with the national team, Pique's status under current boss Luis Enrique, who took over from Gerardo Martino in summer, is unclear.

The versatile defender started in the 3-1 El Clasico defeat to arch-rivals Real Madrid in October but has not played since.On his standing with the coach, Pique said: "It's a player-coach relationship, as there may be thousands in the world of football.

"In the end, it is he who decides and players try to do what he wants from us."

 

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'Neymar joining PSG is possible' - Marquinhos

Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos believes Brazil and Barcelona star Neymar could join him at the Parc des Princes in the future.

Neymar, who joined Barca from Santos in an €86.2 million deal in May 2013, is the leading scorer at the Nou Camp this season, with 12 goals in the league and Champions League.

The 22-year-old was one of the few Brazilian players to emerge from the 2014 World Cup on home soil with his reputation enhanced and has been shortlisted for the 2014 Fifa Ballon d'Or.

Marquinhos, who is one of five Brazilians already at the PSG, believes Neymar is just the type of star player the French champions should be recruiting.He said: "Neymar at PSG? Everything is possible if the club wants.

"The owners of PSG are in Paris to win titles. They structure the team and always looking for new names to strengthen the group. Anything could happen."No doubt the large group of Brazilians in PSG could be persuasive."

PSG already have Brazil centre-back David Luiz playing alongside Thiago Silva in the heart of defence, while Maxwell and Lucas Moura are also at the Ligue 1 champions.

 

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Martinez: Barkley will become England's best ever player

Roberto Martinez believes 20-year-old Ross Barkley can become England’s best ever player.

The Everton midfielder has earned nine caps for the Three Lions since his debut against Moldova in 2013, and played in every match of the country’s 2014 World Cup campaign in Brazil.

And having firmly established himself as a regular at both club and international level Barkley has now been tipped by the Toffees boss to join the pantheon of England greats in the coming years.

"There is no doubt in my mind he will be the best player England has ever had," Martinez told reporters.

"Ross has everything. Normally a player has the pace and power to get around the pitch, or they have the vision to pick a pass.

"Ross can do both of those things. He is two-footed, he’s intelligent and he is also in love with the game.

"All he wants to do is play football. When we played in our first Europa League game this season he was gutted to be injured, because he was desperate to play."

Chelsea and Manchester City have both been linked with big-money moves for Barkley, but Martinez insists the club have no need to sell the midfielder, who he has labelled the "biggest asset Everton have ever had."

“The truth – and the key to his situation – is that we don’t have to sell," he added. "We don’t have to sell players to balance the books at Everton."

 

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Rojo: I went on strike to force Manchester United move

Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo has revealed he went on strike at Sporting to help force through a move to Old Trafford.

Rojo joined United in a protracted €20 million deal before the transfer window closed in August, with out-of-favour winger Nani moving in the opposite direction on a season-long loan.

However, the transfer was in danger of collapsing amid third-party ownership problems between Sporting and Doyen Sports, who owned 75 per cent of the player's rights.

The dispute led to Rojo walking out on Sporting, before former United and Argentina international midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron stepped in and urged his countryman to return to work.

"It was a huge surprise when I was told United wanted to buy me," Rojo, currently sidelined with a dislocated shoulder, told reporters.

"I was in Portugal when my representative told me. He asked me to stay calm but I could not. I started living this dream.

"I could not think of anything else. I would call him every day, but when it seemed the transfer would not happen then I refused to work with Sporting.

"That was when Veron played his part in the process. He was like a strict father to me, scolding me.

"Veron called me one day when I had refused to train with Sporting and said 'Do not be stubborn. If Manchester United wants a player then they will not let you escape.'

"And so I went back... and the transfer went ahead."

 

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Kovac: Croatian hooligans embarrass us

Nivo Kovac expressed his disgust with a section of Croatia fans forcing their Euro 2016 qualifier to a standstill by throwing flares and fireworks on to the pitch in their 1-1 draw at Italy on Sunday.

With just over 15 minutes to play - and Ivan Perisic's goal having cancelled out Antonio Candreva's opener - the tie at San Siro was paused for around five minutes as fire crews extinguished the pyrotechnics which had been launched towards players by the visiting support.

The chaos overshadowed what was a very positive result for the Croatians, which sees them stay top of Group H on goal difference over the Azzurri, and Kovac hit out at those who had thrown flaming objects on to the pitch in Milan.

"I am ashamed, I already apologised to Italians, Croats are not that kind of people, we are losing our reputation because of small bunch of hooligans," he told HTV.

"If someone wants to protest over something, there are places to do that, but not the stadium, where families come, with children, and we have to fear for them.
Regarding the Croatia performance, Kovac was pleased with the relative success of their tactic of exploiting the flanks and admitted his surprise that the hosts were so defensive in home soil."In the game we dictated rhythm during entire 90 minutes, we only got lost after the interruption late on," he added. I am happy, we were closer to victory than Italy.

"They defended well, as they always do, but I didn't expect them to defend as much as they did at San Siro. Too bad we didn't win.

"We put pressure on their defenders who are not so good at passing the ball and we wanted to break through on the flanks. That is the way we scored and had some more chances that way."Perisic was great but so was everyone. We didn't want to chase the victory too soon, especially after Conte introduced Graziano Pelle and Stephan El Shaarawy who are very dangerous.

"Luka Modric felt pain in his adductor and will undergo tests in Madrid so we will know more tomorrow or the day after."

 

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Manchester United are getting used to Van Gaal's tactics - Carrick

Michael Carrick has hailed a new patient approach taken by Manchester United in the early months of Louis van Gaal's reign.

Van Gaal has tinkered with his tactics numerous times already this term, using 31 different players across their 11 Premier League games.

A total of 17 goals so far does not quite tally with the days of attacking verve under Sir Alex Ferguson, but Carrick is happy with a more methodical style.

"The philosophy is different in that he is happy for us to keep the ball for long spells to get in the game, and get rhythm in our game," Carrick is quoted by The Daily Mail.

"Whereas before, especially at home with the crowd as well, it's always been a case of trying to attack as quickly as possible with speed and penetration, and even if you give the ball away a few times, keep trying it.

"It's just a different way of approaching the game really, there is no right or wrong, just different beliefs I suppose.

"It's fine for the players, we adapt, we see it every day and are learning all the time. It is more for the fans as well, to appreciate it and to be fair, they have been great.

"Sometimes when you are keeping the ball, they might think they want us to put it straight into attack. But there is a meaning to it as well, it's not like we are just keeping the ball for the sake of it. So that is something we all have to get used to.

"The manager is obviously firm in what he wants and the standards he's got. It is up to us to hit them really and if we don't, he lets us know which is fine. That is the way it should be.

"I think the secret of being a manager at that level as he has been for a number of years is to know when to have that strong aura, and when to be more friendly and approachable.

"You need that barrier because that is what creates the respect and gets people to respond to you."

 

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Blind sidelined for up to six weeks

Manchester United midfielder Daley Blind suffered a tear to his medial collateral ligament during Netherlands’ Euro 2016 qualifier against Latvia on Sunday evening and now faces up to six weeks on the sidelines, the Dutch Football Association have confirmed.

The 24-year-old suffered the knock during a challenge with Eduards Visnakovs in the first half and was quickly replaced by Feyenoord midfielder Jordy Clasie.

Blind did not require a stretcher to leave the pitch but manager Guus Hiddink later admitted that the problem could be serious, before the diagnosis confirmed that he will miss between four to six weeks of action, thus becoming the latest name to join Louis van Gaal's already bloated injury list.

"It doesn't look good. It's his medial ligament. It could be a strain, but it could also be a tear. So that's a big blow," he told reporters.

In United's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace before the international break, Blind was forced to deputise for Marcos Rojo in central defence, as the Argentine continues to recover from a dislocated shoulder.

Michael Carrick started in Blind's midfield role and was called up to Roy Hodgson's England squad before pulling out with a minor groin injury. It is not known whether the 33-year-old will be fit for next Saturday's fixture at Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Phil Jones is unlikely to face Arsene Wenger's side due to a calf problem, but United are hopeful that Jonny Evans could return from an ankle injury.