..::Football III::..

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Sacchi: Ronaldo knew I wanted him at Parma

Legendary Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi has revealed he wanted to sign "champion" Cristiano Ronaldo during his stint with Parma in 2001.

The current world player of the year, who is hoping to retain his Ballon d'Or crown in January following a remarkable start to the season in which he has scored 32 goals in just 23 games, left Sporting in his native Portugal to join Manchester United in 2003.

But his career trajectory would have been very different had Sacchi had his wish.

"[On a recent trip to Real Madrid]" before training Carlo [Ancelotti] introduced me to all the players. Ronaldo was in the gym… he is a model professional," Sacchi told La Gazzetta Dello Sport.

"When [Ronaldo] saw me he greeted me cordially, stepped off his exercise bike and told me: 'I know that your Parma wanted to buy me when I was at Sporting, but unfortunately for you Manchester offered more'.

"Cristiano has a great relationship with his team-mates and with Carlo in particular. He is well-educated and most of all, modest."

Ronaldo has hit a Liga record 23 hat-tricks since arriving in Madrid in 2009.

He leads the current scoring charts in Spain's top flight this season with 25 goals – 12 more than second-placed Lionel Messi.

Real Madrid sit five points clear at the top of La Liga after Friday's win over Almeria and have recorded 20 wins in a row in all competitions, four away from the world record set by Brazilian side Curitiba.

 

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Immobile eyes Juventus Champions League showdown

Borussia Dortmund striker Ciro Immobile says he would like a meeting with former club Juventus in the Champions League - but not until the semi-finals.

BVB finished top of Group D and will face a group runner-up in the second round, leaving the possibility of a clash with the Old Lady, who finished second behind Atletico Madrid in Group A.

And the 24-year-old, who began his career in Turin but was unable to break into the first team, is hoping to avoid the Italian champions at least until later in the competition.

"We do not fear anyone, but having grown up at Juve I hope that the Bianconeri do as well as possible," Immobile told Tuttosport.

"It would be important also for the good of Italian football. But honestly, I am hoping I meet Buffon and the others later on, not right away in the second round.

"I hope we can eliminate Juventus from the Champions League, the best would be to do so in the semi-finals."

Immobile arrived in Germany in an €18 million deal from Torino this past summer but has made just four Bundesliga starts for the club and has recently been linked with a January move back to Serie A.

The Italy international, however, is confident he will remain in Germany.

"I'm sure my time will come soon," he told Bild.

"When you are not playing much and you expect to play more, it is normal to think of the market. That's the modern game. But it's not in my case.

"I signed a long contract with Borussia Dortmund [until 2019] and they all told me that the first months would be difficult, so I am not worried and am not thinking about a move."

The draw for the Champions League last 16 takes place on Monday December 15.

 

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Ancelotti: Penalty hero Casillas made everything easier

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti suggested captain Iker Casillas was the match-winner following his penalty save in Friday's 4-1 victory over Almeria.Following a a scratchy first half, Madrid looked set to be reeled in at 2-2 just after the hour mark, when Marcelo fouled Edgar Mendez in the box.

Almeria's Verza, who had struck the home side's earlier equaliser, stepped up to the spot but his tame effort could not beat Casillas, who dived smartly to his left to palm the shot away."The penalty save was a decisive moment and everything got easier after that," said Ancelotti.

Having remained in front, Real wrapped up their three-goal victory in the closing stages, with Cristiano Ronaldo striking twice in seven minutes to stretch the winning streak of Ancelotti's side to 20 matches in all competitions."It wasn't smooth sailing," the Madrid coach coach added."They put a lot of pressure on us but our quality came through and we were able to win."

The victory capped off Real's year in La Liga with the capital outfit moving five points clear at the top of the table ahead of the Christmas break, although Barcelona (34 points) and Atletico Madrid (32) will be expected to reduce that margin when they play on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Real will now turn their attention to the Club World Cup, where they will face either Cruz Azul of Mexico or Australia's Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday.Ancelotti was not interested in playing down expectations ahead of his team's trip to Morocco, with six of the past seven editions having been won by European teams.

"We finished the year well in the league and now it is time to concentrate on the Club World Cup, we have to win it," Ancelotti continued."If I had to give the team a grade, they would get a very high mark. We aim to win every competition we play in. There is a good atmosphere and we will go out there to win."

 

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Thiago Silva not untouchable - Blanc

Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc says he is not afraid to drop Thiago Silva and dismissed suggestions the centre-back is "untouchable".

The defender has lost his place in the Brazil side under Dunga and failed to perform to his best for PSG so far this season, leading to calls he should be left out of the starting XI.

Blanc has so far resisted the temptation to jettison Silva but insists he would have no fear in doing so, but feels persisting with him will restore the player's confidence.

He told reporters ahead of Sunday's clash with Guingamp: "Thiago Motta and Thiago Silva are not untouchable, no one is at PSG. We must give Thiago Silva confidence. Not playing him is not the best way to do so.

Blanc opted to withdraw midfielder Marco Veratti in the 3-1 Champions League defeat to Barcelona on Wednesday but admits he made a mistake in bringing him off.

"Maybe I made a mistake (about Verratti). A coach when he makes his changes he makes for reasons that everyone can not know. When coaching follows a victory we say good coaching, if they say bad coaching, that's it.

"Verratti is a technician and the technique was in front of our defence. I wanted to go more towards the technical area of Barcelona, so I tried with Flaco (Pastore), who is in excellent shape at the moment."

PSG remain a point behind Ligue 1 leaders Marseille going into the weekend and when asked about the areas his side can improve, Blanc pointed to his back four, despite the club having the joint-best defensive record in the division, having conceded just 12 goals in 17 games.

"I often tell my players that they concede too much to the opponent. Even if we can hide behind the fact that we have the best defense.

"This is something that I see from the beginning of the season, I think if we analyse every game, they concede too many corners, shots, opportunities. When I say that I do not quote just the goalkeeper and defence, it is a block team problem."

 

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Xavi: Getafe draw a step backwards for Barcelona

Barcelona playmaker Xavi admitted that Saturday's dismal draw at Getafe was a step backwards for the Catalan club.

With Real Madrid having triumphed at Almeria the night before to pull five points clear at the top of La Liga, the second-placed Blaugrana were under pressure to perform at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez.

However, while Lionel Messi was unlucky to see a terrific free-kick strike the crossbar, Barca struggled to create many clear-cut chances in open play and were ultimately forced to settle for a share of the spoils.

Xavi was thus frustrated that Luis Enrique's men had failed to make the most of the few opportunites that had come their way.

"We tried our best," the midfielder told Canal Plus. "It's always hard to score the first goal and they are very aggressive.

"We had three golden chances but now we are four points down on Real Madrid. This result is a step backwards."

Xavi also refused to be drawn on whether coach Luis Enrique should have altered his formation for the game in Madrid.

"We feel comfortable with 4-3-3 or with another one," the World Cup winner added. "It depends on the match and it's up to the coach."

Barca next face Huesca in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday night before facing Cordoba at Camp Nou next weekend.

 

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Rakitic: Barcelona must not lose faith in philosophy

Ivan Rakitic says that there is no need for Barcelona to make wholesale changes to their footballing philosophy just because they were held to a scoreless draw at Getafe on Saturday.

The Blaugrana dominated possession at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez but struggled to create clear-cut chances, with a Lionel Messi free kick that struck the crossbar the best effort visitors could muster.

The draw leaves Barca four points behind Liga leaders Real Madrid and questions are already being asked of Luis Enrique's tactical thinking - even though his side beat Paris Saint-Germain in midweek to finish top of their Champions League group.

However, Rakitic sees no cause for the Catalans to question their approach to the game.

"We tried different ways of creating danger, we gave it all we could, and we’re going away unhappy," the Croatia international is quoted as saying by his club's official website. "Perhaps we were still tired after Wednesday [against PSG].

"Of course we’d rather be top, but there’s a lot of the league still to play.

"We have to take things game by game and start cutting away at the difference bit by bit.

"We aren’t happy with the result [against Getafe]. We will be self-critical and will study our mistakes.

"But we didn’t play badly. We tried everything out there.

"There’s still a long way to go. We have to focus on ourselves and continue doing things the right way we have until now.

"This result does nothing to change our ideas."

Rakitic was replaced during the second half against Getafe but he denied being upset by Luis Enrique's decision to take him off.

"All players want to play all the time, but it’s the manager who has to make these decisions," the summer signing from Sevilla added.

"All we can do is make it hard for him to make those decisions."

Barca next face Huesca in the Copa del Rey in midweek before welcoming Cordoba to Camp Nou on Saturday.

 

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Mistakes cost Southampton once again - Koeman

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman feels that his players were their own worst enemies again as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Burnley.

The Saints' sparkling early-season form had been checked by defeats by Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United, though the trip to face Premier League strugglers at Turf Moor offered a chance to get back on track.

However, the visitors' profligacy in front of goal was capped off by Dusan Tadic failing to beat Tom Heaton from the penalty spot, before Ashley Barnes snatched the points for the hosts 17 minutes from time.

Despite enjoying the majority of good chances in the game, Southampton could not capitalise, leaving their manager frustrated.

Koeman told BBC Sport: "Again, [it's] the same story as last Monday against Manchester United. We had more chances, missed a penalty and one of our mistakes ended in 1-0.

"In my opinion, football is not that difficult but you can make it difficult.

"The difference between when we were winning games and are now losing them is a small detail like not punishing the opponent in a key moment like today - also, doing more defensive mistakes.

"After a difficult start to the game, little by little we controlled the game. The story is to kill the game and we didn't. We paid for that.

"Everyone can make mistakes but too many goals in the last few games are from our own mistakes. We had enough chances to score but we didn't."

 

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Giroud: Wenger is the right man for Arsenal

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud insists Arsene Wenger is the right man to manage the club and said it was nice to hear the club's fans supporting the manager during their 4-1 win over Newcastle.

The Gunners boss has come under pressure in recent weeks with some fans holding banners calling for the Frenchman to stand down.

After a 3-2 defeat to Stoke Arsenal have now responded with wins over Galatasaray and Alan Pardew's side to move within two points of fourth place and Giroud says he was pleased to hear fans supporting the manager on Saturday.

“I didn’t want to talk lots about the situation – always the same when you lose a game the first man to face the criticism is always the boss,” he told Sky Sports.

“It’s part of our job and we have to deal with that but we our united and always together.

“Keep the faith keep working hard and there is no thinking about changing the boss – he is the man to manage this situation.

“It’s nice to hear the supporters supporting the boss and obviously it’s a fantastic night for us we are pleased – we have one week of rest and we will prepare now for a big game at Anfield.”

Giroud score twice as Arsenal overcame Newcastle and has now scored six goals in his last five appearances against the Magpies.

 

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'There's only one Arsene Wenger' - Arsenal boss thanks fans for vocal support

Arsene Wenger has thanked Arsenal fans for their support during the Gunners' 4-1 win over Newcastle at the Emirates.

The home fans burst into a chorus of 'there's only one Arsene Wenger' in the latter stages of the victory, which saw Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla both net braces.

The win moved Arsenal to within two points of the Premier League top four, and Wenger was pleased with the reaction of the supporters, especially after seeing his side lose 3-2 to Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium last weekend.

"Yes of course. I'm thankful for that but what you want is our fans to be happy because we win football games," he told Sky Sports.

"My job is to win football games and when we don't do it I can understand that they are not happy."

Wenger was pleased with his side's performance against the Magpies and hailed the "dynamic" display."We had a good dynamic and were good going forward against a team that defends well. It helped, the first goal, because we know Newcastle start slowly but are also good in the second half," he added.

"Overall we controlled the game well considering we were depleted at the back."

Giroud netted twice in the victory but Wenger insists the Frenchman is yet to reach full fitness following his return from injury.

"Olivier is just coming back from injury and is not 100 per cent," he explained. "But he has a physical power that has an effect on the opponents and he can score goals.

 

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Klopp blasts Dortmund players' attitude

Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp blasted his players' attitude after Saturday's Bundesliga defeat at Hertha Berlin.

BVB had returned to winning ways by defeating Hoffenheim last weekend but were beaten 1-0 at the Olympiastadion, with former forward Julian Schieber scoring the only goal of the game just before the break.

Dortmund's latest loss - their ninth in just 15 Bundesliga games so far this season - leaves them 16th in the standings, in the relegation play-off berth, and Klopp accused his players of not fully understanding the seriousness of their current situation.

"We had too little determination in a game that meant so much," the BVB coach told reporters.

"The first half should not have happened because we played well in the game but we did not concentrate for the goal.

"This is completely the wrong way to go about things so we now have two more games until the winter break to dramatically improve our situation for the second half of the season."

Dortmund face Wolfsburg at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday evening before travelling to Werder Bremen on Saturday for their final Bundesliga outing before the winter break.

 

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Barclays Premier League 2014.12.14 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2014.12.14 Fixtures

Manchester United Vs Liverpool

Swansea City Vs Tottenham

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Manchester United Vs Liverpool patta gemak yai

Di Maria nathi 1ka thamai lokuma paduwa

Good Luck Manchester United!​

 

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La Liga 2014.12.14 Fixtures

La Liga 2014.12.14 Fixtures

Espanyol Vs Granada

Sevilla Vs Eibar

Real Sociedad Vs Athletic Bilbao

Atletico Madrid Vs Villareal​

 

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Serie A 2014.12.14 Fixtures

Serie A 2014.12.14 Fixtures

Juventus Vs Sampdoria

Genoa Vs Roma

Udinese Vs Hellas Verona

Cesena Vs Fiorentina

Parma Vs Cagliari

AC Milan Vs Napoli​

 

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Manchester United Vs Liverpool

Manchester United Starting Line-Up

David De Gea
Phil Jones
Jonathan Evans
Ashley Young
Antonio Valencia
Juan Mata
Wayne Rooney
Michael Carrick
Marouane Fellaini
Robin van Persie
James Wilson

&

Liverpool Starting Line-Up

Brad Jones
Glen Johnson
Dejan Lovren
Alberto Moreno
Martin Skrtel
Steven Gerrard
Jordan Henderson
Joe Allen
Philippe Coutinho
Adam Lallana
Raheem Sterling
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Valencia & A.Young ayeth back line 1ke

Good Luck Manchester United!Kohomahari dinamu

 

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Manchester United 3-0 Liverpool: Rooney & Van Persie on target as hosts march on

Manchester United secured a sixth consecutive Premier League victory by beating bitter rivals Liverpool 3-0 at Old Trafford.

Wayne Rooney netted a ninth goal in his last eight appearances on home turf to give United a 12th-minute lead, 25 seconds after Raheem Sterling passed up a fine opportunity to put Liverpool ahead.

Louis van Gaal's men doubled their advantage in controversial circumstances after 40 minutes as Juan Mata stooped to score from Robin van Persie's flick - replays clearly showing the Spaniard to be offside.

Liverpool created the clearer openings over the course of the contest but poor finishing from Sterling and Mario Balotelli - plus another brilliant display from United goalkeeper David de Gea - served to frustrate them before Van Persie completed the scoring with a little over 20 minutes left.

The result piles more misery on Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers, who saw his team crash out of the Champions League in midweek, while for United, it acts as a measure of revenge for the 3-0 defeat suffered in last season's corresponding fixture.

Brad Jones played a first Premier League game in almost two years Liverpool as under-fire number one Simon Mignolet dropped to the bench, where Balotelli was named having overcome a groin injury.

The intrigue in the United line-up came at the other end of the pitch as youngster James Wilson was selected to partner Van Persie up front, with Rooney playing a supporting role in an attacking line-up.

Marouane Fellaini collected a worryingly early booking for clattering through Adam Lallana but the England international recovered to thread a deft through ball for Sterling to draw a first save of the match from De Gea in the 12th minute.

United surged back at Liverpool immediately to open the scoring - Antonio Valencia nutmegging Joe Allen and picking out Rooney, who was afforded ample room to steer home side-footed from 16 yards.

De Gea held a deflected drive from Steven Gerrard as Liverpool looked to regain their footing and Sterling gave the Spain goalkeeper a more taxing save when he skipped past Phil Jones in the 23rd minute.

The visitors were then forced into a defensive change, Glen Johnson hobbling off to be replaced by Kolo Toure, and they fell 2-0 behind five minutes before the interval.

Ashley Young cut back to cross right-footed and Van Persie glanced on for Mata to nod home from an offside position, but the goal stood.

Balotelli came on for Lallana at the break and Jordan Henderson headed Sterling's left-wing centre wastefully over as Liverpool sought a quick response.

Sterling then spurned his team's clearest opportunity of the match, allowing De Gea to block after Jonny Evans' wretched backpass sold his goalkeeper short.

Van Persie should have put the result beyond doubt after the hour when he side-footed wide from Valencia's excellent low delivery, and De Gea's finest moment arrived midway through the second period as he touched Balotelli's snapshot onto the crossbar with a stunning reaction save.

And with 18 minutes remaining, Van Persie atoned for his earlier miss as Mata gave him a simple finish after Dejan Lovren woefully misjudged a clearance.

Balotelli was twice frustrated by De Gea from close range once more before Jones produced a save to compare with his opposite number's collection in the 87th minute, as Van Persie smashed towards the roof of the net.

Challenging for a top-four place to return to European football's top table next season looks an increasingly tall order for Liverpool, who lie ninth - 10 points behind United in third.

 

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Congratulations Manchester United!

De Gea is The Hero once again

Pattama saves tikak De Gea ge adath thibbe

Best ever GK

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Juventus 1-1 Sampdoria: Gabbiadini strikes to seal a point against champions

Juventus were denied by a former player on Sunday as Manolo Gabbiadini scored a fine equaliser to ensure a 1-1 draw for Sampdoria in Turin.

Patrice Evra looked to have ensured the Turin club's extraordinary run of 25 home league wins in a row would continue with his first Juventus goal early on.

But following a switch to 4-3-3, Sampdoria improved after the break and half-time substitute Gabbiadini scored a fine equaliser just six minutes into the second half.

The striker provided a scoring touch against his old club to halt an incredible winning sequence, which also opens the door for Roma to close the gap on the champions.

Massimiliano Allegri had seen his side's momentum falter of late.

A six-match winning run was ended by a goalless draw at Fiorentina in their previous league outing before another stalemate against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Sinisa Mihajlovic's men meanwhile have forced their way into the fight for a spot in next season's Champions League, and are now unbeaten in six league matches.

The champions started without the suspended Giorgio Chiellini, while Andrea Pirlo was rested following his midweek exertions.

But neither was missed as the hosts were on the front foot from the first whistle with Mihajlovic's men almost immediately pegged back to their 18-yard line.

The tone was set early as a string of dangerous crosses were sent into the Samp box in the first six minutes, Alvaro Morata heading one just wide from six yards.

And any remaining fears of a third straight goalless draw were soon alleviated.

Pirlo's replacement, Claudio Marchisio whipped in an inviting 12th-minute corner, which Evra rose highest to meet with his head and claim his first Juve goal.

It was no less than the league leaders deserved, and with Sampdoria offering little by way of an attacking threat, the hosts eased off slightly and lost some of the pace that had characterised their early play.

The visitors committed more men forward as half-time approached, winning two late corners, but a lack of cutting edge prevented them from truly threatening Gianluigi Buffon's goal.

That improved finish to the first period had given Samp an injection of belief and they equalised soon after the break.

Left-back Vasco Regini started a swift break forward after his goalkeeper Sergio Romero added to his growing collection of saves with a diving stop to deny Roberto Pereyra.

The ball was soon at the feet of Gabbiadini on the right-hand side of the box and the forward cut in to curl a left-footed effort into the far corner.

Juve piled on the pressure in search of a winner, introducing Fernando Llorente to spearhead a more direct approach.

But Romero stood firm and Allegri even had Buffon to thank as he denied another fierce Gabbiadini effort at the other end which almost condemned his side to a first Serie A defeat at Juventus Stadium since January 2013 - when Samp were their opponents.