..::Football III::..

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Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo nominated for FIFPro World XI

The shortlist for the forwards in Fifa's FIFPro World XI has been announced, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi leading the way.

The Real Madrid star and his Barcelona counterpart both impressed throughout 2014 and have been rewarded with an inclusion in the 15-man list of candidates.

The nominations for the side are dominated by Bayern Munich, who have four representatives. Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski have all made the cut for the Bundesliga champions.

Meanwhile, aside from Messi, fellow Barcelona stars Luis Suarez and Neymar have been selected, while Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale represent the Madrid contingent alongside Ronaldo.

Sergio Aguero, Wayne Rooney, Diego Costa, Marco Reus and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are the remaining five players who are in the race for a spot in the FIFPro World XI.

Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic and Messi were last year's FIFPro World XI forwards.

Full list: Sergio Aguero, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Diego Costa, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi, Thomas Muller, Neymar, Marco Reus, Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Wayne Rooney, Luis Suarez

 

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Barclays Premier League 2014.12.02 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2014.12.02 Fixtures

Burnley Vs Newcastle

Leicester City Vs Liverpool

Manchester United Vs Stoke

Swansea Vs QPR

Crystal palace Vs Aston Villa

WBA Vs West Ham

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Half Time

Manchester United 1 Vs 1 Stoke City

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Fellaini​

 

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Full Time

Manchester United 2 Vs 1 Stoke City

Manchester United Goal(s)

Fellaini 21'
Mata 59'

&

Stoke City Goal(s)

Steven Nzonzi 39'
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Congratulations Manchester United!

Patta match 1ka

Felalini ge 1st Old-Trafford goal 1kaMata ge freekick goal 1kath patta

& Last 2 minutes nam Everton match 1ka wagema thamaiNiyama saves tikaDe Gea & A.Young

Full Team 1kama hodata play kala

 

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Manchester United 2-1 Stoke City: Fellaini & Mata hand Van Gaal fourth straight victory

Manchester United beat Stoke City 2-1 at Old Trafford to secure their fourth consecutive Premier League victory.

But they were made to sweat for it as Mame Biram Diouf, a former Red Devil, saw two efforts cleared away on the line in stoppage time.

Juan Mata's second-half free-kick evaded everybody and flew into the corner to help the hosts earn the spoils after Steven N'Zonzi had cancelled out Marouane Fellaini's header at Old Trafford.

United headed into the game brimming with confidence having risen to fourth in the table, despite a sluggish start to life under Louis van Gaal.

And some fine early play was rewarded when Fellaini headed home a 21st-minute opener from Ander Herrera's cross.

Stoke responded well and found a way back into the game thanks to a stunning strike from Steven N'Zonzi six minutes before half-time.

However, United regrouped upon the restart and grabbed a deserved victory thanks to Mata's intervention - albeit after surviving some scares as Diouf twice almost thwarted his former club.

The hosts seemed determined to establish a passing rhythm in the early exchanges, knocking the ball around with confidence, though a staunch Stoke backline was giving nothing away.

A golden opportunity went begging in the 16th minute as Herrera, selected as one of two injury-enforced changes due to problems sustained by Angel Di Maria and Wayne Rooney versus Hull City on Saturday, fluffed his lines.

Robin van Persie was the architect, intercepting Asmir Begovic's ill-judged pass and squaring to the Spaniard - who somehow side-footed over.

Yet Herrera helped atone for his error as United took the lead, sending a superb cross to the back post for Fellaini to power a header past Begovic.

United's combination of crisp passing and high-intensity pressing continued to cause problems for the visitors, but they found an equaliser against the run of play.

Fellaini coughed up possession in midfield before complaining of neck pains as Bojan Krkic surged clear and N'Zonzi rocketed home from the edge of the area after the Spaniard's progress was halted.

Mark Hughes' men were again proving a tough nut to crack after the interval, but a deserved United second came when Mata's delivery missed the head of Marcos Rojo, who claimed the goal, on its way to the net.

Bojan curled a free-kick wide of David de Gea's post before James Wilson - handed a first start of the campaign - curled wide having powered into the box in between two Stoke defenders.

United were nearly made to rue that miss as Stoke spurned two glorious opportunities to level.

De Gea kept out the first one, showing stunning reactions to away Diouf's far-post header in the third minute of stoppage time.

And Ashley Young denied the Senegal striker moments later, blocking his effort on the line after De Gea had saved Marko Arnautovic's strike from point-blank range to preserve three points which strengthen United's charge into Champions League contention.

 

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Swansea 2-0 QPR: Ki & Routledge combine to seal late victory

Late goals from Ki Sung-yueng and Wayne Routledge ensured Swansea City beat QPR to prolong the west London club's wait for an away point.

Goalkeeper Robert Green had produced a string of saves to deny the Welsh side, but Ki struck 12 minutes from time with a clinical left-footed finish before Routledge added a second to ensure Rangers' miserable form on the road continues.Tuesday's result means Harry Redknapp's side have now lost all seven games on their travels in the Premier League following their promotion last season, scoring only two goals in the process.

Defeat was harsh on Green in particular after the former Norwich City and West Ham keeper made stunning saves to deny Gylfi Sigurdsson and Wilfried Bony in particular.Victory for Garry Monk's side moved them into the top six, while Rangers remain in the relegation zone following their latest away loss.

Leon Britton made his first start of the season for the hosts in place of Jonjo Shelvey, while Jazz Richards came in for Angel Rangel, and Rangers centre-back Richard Dunne returned from suspension at the expense of Mauricio Isla.Both sides had early opportunities to open the scoring, with Niko Kranjcar flashing a free-kick just wide of the Swansea goal after only four minutes.

The hosts soon got the upper hand though, and Green raced off his line to deny Routledge after Bony had sent the former QPR winger clear with an incisive pass.
Green also thwarted Kyle Bartley at the near post when the centre-back rose to meet Sigurdsson's corner with a powerful header.

Swansea remained on the front foot and Green produced a superb save down to his left on the goal-line when Sigurdsson's measured free-kick looked destined to open the scoring eight minutes before half-time.A look at the Goal Decision System revealed just how close the Iceland midfielder came to making it 1-0.

The visitors showed very little ambition going forward, but Lukasz Fabianski had to be alert to keep out Leroy Fer's header after Kranjcar had picked the midfielder out, and Eduardo Vargas was narrowly off target with a drive from around 20 yards just before the break.

Rangers were almost caught out right at the start of the second half, but Dunne made a great last ditch tackle to ensure Bony's shot looped onto the top of the net.
Swansea fans grew increasingly frustrated as Bony's tame finish with his right foot was comfortably saved by Green after Routledge had laid the ball off invitingly for him.

The Ivory Coast striker was in the thick of the action and his well executed volley produced yet another fine stop from Green at his near post following a precise cross from Jefferson Montero.Rangers' resistence was finally broken 12 minutes from time though, as Ki rifled a left-footed strike from a tight angle, which struck the far post before finding the back of the net.

And Routledge sealed the points with a fine right-footed finish from a Nathan Dyer cross five minutes later to heap more misery on Redknapp's men, who saw Bony come close to making it three when he struck the left-hand post late on.

 

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Leicester City 1-3 Liverpool: Reds record second straight win

Steven Gerrard marked his return to the starting XI with a crucial goal as Liverpool defeated 10-man Leicester City to move into the top half of the Premier League.

The hosts took the lead on 22 minutes when Leonardo Ulloa's shot found the back of the net via the post and the back of Simon Mignolet, but Adam Lallana pounced to bring the visitors level four minutes later.

And amid speculation over whether he will sign a new contract at Anfield, Gerrard slotted in from a more advanced midfield role on 54 minutes after a fumbled clearance from Wes Morgan, who later received a straight red card when he hauled down Rickie Lambert as the last man.

And Jordan Henderson converted from close range after a mistake from Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel and a superb backheel from the outstanding Raheem Sterling with seven minutes to go to ensure Liverpool made it back-to-back top-flight wins for only the second time this season.Leicester manager Nigel Pearson named an unchanged XI, while Gerrard returned alongside Javier Manquillo and Lallana for Liverpool.

Schmeichel's opposite number Mignolet was almost left red faced in the 19th minute when he inexplicably cleared straight to Esteban Cambiasso but the veteran Argentine midfielder side-footed wide of an open goal from 30 yards.

Mignolet looked to have atoned for the misjudgement when he saved sharply from Jamie Vardy but Ulloa kept possession alive and his resulting shot struck the near post and cannoned in via the prone goalkeeper.

Liverpool responded immediately, though, and equalised four minutes after going behind - Lallana reacting quickest to drill a low shot past Schmeichel when Morgan failed to head clear under pressure from Lambert.

Alberto Moreno replaced Manquillo for the second-half, allowing Liverpool's weekend match-winner Glen Johnson to revert to his customary position of right-back.

Leicester pinned Liverpool back having won a pair of corners inside the opening minute of the second half but another botched clearance from the hapless Morgan saw the visitors go in front.

The centre-back stretched to divert Sterling's cutback away from goal but he could only place the ball into the path of Gerrard, who clinically steered home side-footed.Ulloa blasted off target as Leicester looked to hit back, but Morgan's miserable evening was complete in the 63rd minute when he scuffed a backpass and responded by hauling down Lambert when through on goal to earn his marching orders.

Gerrard was unfortunate not to win a penalty when Schmeichel appeared to bring him down in the box soon after only for referee Lee Mason to wave his appeals away.

But Liverpool's nerves were eased when Schmeichel failed to deal with a low Gerrard cross and Sterling teed up Henderson to mark his 150th appearance for the club with a simple finish.

 

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Burnley 1-1 Newcastle: Cisse cancels out Boyd screamer

Burnley moved out of the Premier League's bottom three after extending their unbeaten run with a 1-1 draw at home to Newcastle United.

The Lancashire club headed into Tuesday's encounter, which marked manager Sean Dyche's 100th game in charge, having claimed seven points from their previous three outings.

And Burnley delivered another performance that suggested they are steadily adapting to life in the Premier League by standing firm against Alan Pardew's side.

It had looked as if last season's Championship runners-up would claim all three points when midfielder George Boyd's vicious effort gave them the lead in the 34th minute.

But Newcastle, prior to Saturday's 1-0 defeat to West Ham, have been one of the top flight's form sides in recent weeks and fought back to earn a share of the spoils.

Senegal striker Papiss Cisse sealed a point for the visitors three minutes into the second half, converting Daryl Janmaat's cross to ensure a stalemate, although that proved to be enough for Burnley to move out of the drop zone and above Hull City into 17th.

After the weekend's last-gasp heroics against Aston Villa, Burnley made the stronger start to proceedings at Turf Moor and forced Rob Elliot into action after eight minutes as the Newcastle goalkeeper tipped Danny Ings' close-range effort over the crossbar.

Ashley Barnes then fired over following more good build-up play from the hosts before Newcastle finally offered some evidence of an attacking threat as Sammy Ameobi drew a near-post save from Tom Heaton.

Heaton produced heroics in the 32nd minute to preserve parity, the Clarets shot-stopper making a fine one-on-one stop to deny Mehdi Abeid, who was called into the side as one of two changes made by Pardew.

And the Magpies were immediately punished for Abeid's inability to convert when Boyd met Ings' knock-down with a firm drive beyond the unsighted Elliot.

Newcastle's lack of a response and apparent fallibility at the back will have only encouraged Burnley, and Dyche's men would have doubled their lead had David Jones not lashed high and wide after being put through on goal in first-half injury time.

Pardew made two changes after the interval, bringing on Remy Cabella and Steven Taylor for Ayoze Perez and Mike Williamson, and Newcastle almost instantly got back into the game as Cisse levelled matters.

The 29-year-old diverted the ball home with his knee from six yards after Janmaat's cross had been cleverly flicked into his path by Yoan Gouffran at the near post.

Left-back Stephen Ward was taken off on a stretcher in the 66th minute and replaced by Ben Mee in a further blow to Burnley's cause but, despite that defensive reshuffle, Newcastle laboured in their efforts to complete the turnaround.

Both sides lacked spark in their respective search for winners, the visitors especially wasteful as they now turn their attentions to the weekend's visit of Premier League pacesetters Chelsea to St James' Park.

 

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Real Madrid 5-0 Cornella (agg 9-1): James shines in Blancos Copa trouncing

Jese Rodriguez had the perfect comeback to the Real Madrid team, scoring shortly after coming on in his first appearance for nine months as his side beat Cornella 5-0 to advance in the Copa del Rey.

Already leading 4-1 from the first leg, the Liga leaders ended up 9-1 victors across the tie on Tuesday, with two goals from James Rodriguez, one from Isco and an own goal by Borja Lopez preceding Jese's strike.

The Spaniard saw an impressive breakthrough season last term cut short by a serious knee injury in March and he hit the ground running on his return to action, despite the nine month absence.Carlo Ancelotti's side were almost embarrassed early on when Cornella midfielder Xavi Boniquet won his side a penalty.

Unfortunately for the third-tier part-timers though, the midfielder spurned the opportunity to give them a famous lead by blazing the spot-kick over the bar.
It would be the away side's one big chance, after which Real's superiority shone through to notch up a scoreline representative of the gulf between the sides.

With the tie effectively won previously and Cornella unlikely to pose any threat at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real coach Ancelotti opted to rest a host of his star names, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos and Sergio Ramos.
This gave an opportunity to the likes of Javier Hernandez, Asier Illarramendi and Sami Khedira to stake a claim for greater involvement in helping Real extend their recent faultless run.

However, there was an air of complacency about the home side in the opening stages, epitomised by Alvaro Arbeloa's lazy trip on Boniquet in the box, punished by referee Jose Gonzalez, but not the Cornella midfielder, who lifted his effort over.

The incident served as a wake-up call for the home side, who went straight down the other end and took the lead when Rodriguez latched on to a Isco's throughball and chipped over the advancing Inigo Alberto in Cornella's goal.

Though the Catalan visitors continued to compete, Real doubled their lead half an hour in as Isco matched the Colombia star's finish with a neat chipped goal of his own before Hernandez's flick set up Rodriguez to curl in his second a minute later.As he had promised, Ancelotti brought on forward Jese in the second half - after Khedira was forced off with suspected concussion - for his first appearance since March.

The hosts' fourth arrived on the hour as a Hernandez chip came back off the bar and deflected in via the unwitting Lopez's shins, but the night's loudest cheer was reserved for their final goal.Isco once again unlocked the Cornella defence with ease, allowing Jese to turn a low shot home and bring the Bernanbeu to their feet.

It was the final goal as Real extended their club-record winning run to 17 games in efficient if unspectacular fashion with home games against Celta Vigo in La Liga and Ludogorets in the Champions League to come as they approach 20.

 

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Vermaelen surgery a success

Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen has undergone successful surgery on his hamstring injury and is expected to be out for four months.

The 29-year-old travelled to Finland where the operation was carried out, with his predicted length of absence more favourable than an earlier estimate of four to six months.

Barca sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta offered his backing to the player on Monday and said he would perform "immediately" upon his return to full fitness.

Vermaelen is yet to make a competitive appearance for the Catalan club since joining from Arsenal in August for a reported €19 million, having signed while still recovering from a hamstring problem sustained at the World Cup.

Vermaelen was declared fit to return to action at the tail end of September but his comeback was postponed for a further two months before he was finally given the all-clear to make his debut in the Champions League clash with APOEL.

However, the versatile centre-half pulled up in training with a recurrence of his hamstring problem and the Belgium international will now likely miss the majority of the second half of the campaign.

Vermaelen has been plagued by muscular problems in recent seasons and had lost his place in the Arsenal starting line-up before departing for Catalunya during the summer.

 

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Frente Atletico ultras banned following fan death

Atletico Madrid have announced that members of the Frente Atletico group of ultras will never be able to watch a match again at the Vicente Calderon following the violence which saw a Deportivo La Coruna fan lose his life on Sunday.

Radical supporters of Atletico and Deportivo were involved in a brutal fight early on Sunday morning by Madrid's Manzanares river and 43-year-old Galician Francisco Javier Romero Taboada, known as 'Jimmy', was killed after being beaten and thrown into the water.

Members of Frente Atletico then allegedly prevented police from rescuing the fan before firefighters pulled out the injured supporter, who later died in hospital after suffering a ruptured spleen, hypothermia and severe brain injuries.

"Atletico Madrid have expelled Frente Atletico," the Spanish champions announced on their website on Tuesday.

"Following the serious incidents, the club created a special commission to gather information and take action," a club statement said. "Upon receiving the police report, which identified detainees and participants of the massive fight as members of Frente Atletico, this decision has been taken."

And Atleti added: "From today, Frente Atletico is no longer an official suppoerters' group recognised by the club."

The club admitted it does not have the power to dissolve Frente Atletico, but claimed action would be taken against any other fans or groups showing racist, xenophobic or political agendas.

"The club will pursue any other collective, supporters' group or organisation that may arise in the future under any other name that does not radically condemn violence or which uses Atletico Madrid or its facilities to defend political, racist or xenophobic ideas," the statement said.

Meanwhile, Deportivo La Coruna announced on Tuesday that the stand where radical group Riazor Blues (whose members fought Frente Atletico on Sunday) watch games, will be closed for the club's next two home fixtures, both against Malaga.

 

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I'm staying at Juventus - Bonucci

Leonardo Bonucci has committed his future Juventus and poured cold water on rumours he could be on his way to Manchester United or Bayern Munich.

The Italy international stil has two-and-a-half years to run on his current deal with the Bianconeri but has been recently linked with moves to the Premier League and Bundesliga.

Consequently, there have been reports that Juve want to persuade Bonucci to sign an extension as soon as possible but the centre-half insists that there is no panic over his future.

"So much has been said and written about my situation," he musted on Sportlobster. "I'm happy at Juventus.

"I'm thinking only of playing and winning in these colours. I'm not thinking about the renewal."

Bonucci, who has been capped 43 times by his country, joined Juve from Bari in 2010 for a reported €15.5 million and has since played a key role in the club's three successive Serie A title triumphs.

 

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Mourinho: Chelsea have received no offers for Cech

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insists the Blues have received no offers for goalkeeper Petr Cech, despite speculation he may leave the club.

The 32-year-old has lost his place in the first-team to Thibaut Courtois and has previously hinted he could leave Stamford Bridge in search of regular playing time.

Mourinho has insisted Cech has not asked to leave while Arsene Wenger claimed Arsenal are not interested in signing the goalkeeper.

And the Chelsea boss, speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea’s match with Tottenham, insists the Blues have not received any offers for Cech.

Mourinho also said he felt his team would not be affected by the absence of top scorer Diego Costa for Wednesday’s Premier League clash with their London rivals.

“It doesn’t affect us,” he told reporters. “We trust Loic Remy and Didier Drogba the same way we trust Diego Costa.

“We’re top of the Premier League, top of the group in the Champions League and in the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup. We’ve not lost a match for four months. The team has to feel very, very good.

Spurs have failed to win at Chelsea for over 20 years but Mourinho remains wary of Mauricio Pochettino's men, who beat Everton 2-1 on Sunday.

“I don’t know the record, I don’t think it’s important and I don’t speak to the players about it because it’s not important,” he added.

“It’s a big game, a London derby, against one of the top teams in the league – we like it. That’s what we have to think about.

“They’re a difficult team that we have to play against. We have to think it’s a difficult match and we have to be ready for it.”

 

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Ronaldo win would be boring - Muller

Thomas Muller says it will be "boring" if Cristiano Ronaldo wins the Ballon d'Or for a third time.

The Portugal captain is the favourite to add to his 2008 and 2013 wins, with Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer his two rivals for the trophy this time around.

Neuer in particular has won the backing of several high profile names, including Bayern boss Pep Guardiola and midfielder Xabi Alonso.

Muller, a team-mate of the goalkeeper at both club and international level has now thrown his support behind the former Schalke man in the hope of a fresh face being crowned the world's best player.

"If Ronaldo wins it again, it would be very boring. Then you'd have to question the choice," he told Sky.
"Neuer is there because he became a world champions and has shown his brilliant otherwise.
"Robben, for example, was outstanding. There are even some Germany players who deserve it. I've already given my opinion. These elections aren't so important to me. I see myself as a team player."

The plight of Borussia Dortmund has been the major talking point in the Bundesliga, with last season's runners-up in Germany's top flight bottom of the table after 12 games.

Their terrible start is even more surprising given their form in the Champions League, where BVB have sailed through to the knockout stages of the competition.

Muller admits he has been left stunned by their recent struggles and even claimed he hopes they recover and add an additional element of competition to the Bundesliga.

"I'm rather shocked," he continued. "If you look at the situation as an outside observer, I'm stunned. In the mean time I want Dortmund to get every point beause it's important for German football."You can see what is possible in football. Dortmund are great in the Champions League but bottom of the league. It's crazy, but it's not our issue."

Despite his slight display of empathy towards Bayern's rivals, the 25-year-old added his delight at their seemingly unstoppable march towards another league title.

"The fans might like to have a closer battle for the championship but our job isn't keeping the league exciting. The chance that we become champions is already high."

 

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Luis Enrique: I could do better

Luis Enrique admits he “could do better” in his role as Barcelona boss but refuses to accept that fans are already turning against him.The former Barca midfielder has made a steady start to life in the Camp Nou hot-seat with his side two points behind leaders Real Madrid after 13 games.

But while the table points at a rosy picture, there remains an element of scepticism from the Barca faithful towards a man who started his coaching career with the B team before moving on to Roma and Celta Vigo.“That is not the impression I get from people in the street, they have been encouraging me,” said Luis Enrique at Tuesday’s press conference.

“We’ll find out whether or not I have found the key at the end of the season. It’s taken me five years to get used to doing it. Now my chance has come at Barca and I am still loyal and faithful to my principles.“I could do better I accept but I could also do a lot worse, the team is doing well at the moment. We could all improve but I’m liking what I see at the moment.”

Barca’s latest victory came at the weekend with Sergio Busquets grabbing a late winner at Valencia – a goal overshadowed by an incident which saw Lionel Messi struck on the head by a bottle of water thrown from the crowd as the visiting players celebrated.Messi was subsequently booked for the length of time it took for him to return for the kick-off, prompting anger from the Barca bench.Luis Enrique refused to criticise referee David Fernandez Borbolan, though, and even suggested he had some sympathy for the official.

“I don’t like to talk about referees,” he added, “it’s a very difficult profession. They need to make a decision in a fraction of a second and that can create difficulties.
“Messi gets hit in the face so it’s a question of making sure he is not hurt.”The bottle-throwing was just one of a number of unsavoury moments at Mestalla on Sunday with the Barca boss himself spat at by a Valencia fan.

“This kind of things happens at every ground, [but] it’s not just a case of changing things at football but also in society,” he said.

“I would have liked it to have been different but you have to stay calm. Our role is to set an example, to keep our cool and everything we can do to prevent these things happening is better for everybody.”Next up for Barca is Wednesday’s Copa del Rey trip to Huesca.The Segunda B side will be out to cause an upset but Luis Enrique insists his men will not be taking them lightly.

“We always analyse our opponents, work out where things could be dangerous and where we can cause the most problems,” he said.

“We are playing against a team from Segunda B so in theory we are the better team. This is a big game for them and they will hope to cause us problems.Therefore we need to go into this game with the right attitude. We’ll take it at 100% on Wednesday. It’s also a big game for us as we are starting out in a competition in which we want to do well.”

 

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Klopp: I'm a better coach now than in 2012

Jurgen Klopp sees no reason for him to stand down as Borussia Dortmund boss, claiming that he is a better coach now than he was in 2012.

The 47-year-old has long been regarded as one of the game's most innovative and charismatic tacticians, having completely transformed the fortunes of BVB since taking charge in 2008.

Despite operating on a far smaller budget than many of Europe's elite, Klopp led Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga titles, in 2011 and 2012, as well as the final of the 2013 Champions League.

However, he is now under intense pressure, with the Signal Iduna Park side currently rock bottom of the German top flight.

Klopp, though, says he has no intention of resigning, insisting that he retains the utmost faith in his ability.

"I'm not one for quitting. I am all or nothing," the former Mainz man stated. "As long Dortmund wants that, I will continue in that way.

"I am a fighter and I'm a better coach than 2012, although you cannot see that in the table."

Dortmund's fans turned on their team after last weekend's dismal 2-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt and Klopp says he can understand their frustration.

However, he intimated that it would be in the supporters' best interests to try to get behind their struggling players.

"I totally understand the criticism," he insisted. "That is human. The whistles I understand. They are completely normal.

"However, anyone who whistles has to question whether it helps.

"Nevertheless, the situation does not feel catastrophic to me."

Klopp then joked that there is only one way for any supporter to avoid having to watch their team going through tough times.

"If you want to succeed, a person has only one option: to be Bayern fan," he exclaimed.