..::Football III::..

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Wenger: I always knew Giroud would come good

Arsene Wenger insists that he never had any doubts about starting Olivier Giroud in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Everton on Sunday because he always knew that the striker would come good.

The Frenchman endured a torrid evening on Wednesday as Arsenal fell to a humbling 3-1 loss to Monaco at the Emirates Stadium and he was substituted on the hour mark.

However, Giroud retained his place in the starting XI for the visit of Roberto Martinez's men and subsequently opened the scoring, firing a clever volley past Tim Howard after a fine Mesut Ozil cross before Tomas Rosicky wrapped up all three points late on.

And Wenger was effusive in his praise of the striker following the game, praising both his finishing ability and his overall contribution to the cause.

"Olivier has one great quality; when his back is to the wall he has the personality to respond," he told his post-match press conference. "Because I know him better now, that's why I kept him in the team.

"I'm not happy only because he scored the goal but because of his work-rate. He's an important player in the box and with his presence up front and defensively."

Wenger also explained why Giroud was substituted during the Champions League encounter in midweek, revealing that he always intended to field the striker against Everton.

"For me the worry was to last 90 minutes so he played only an hour the other night," the manager added. "All these ingredients were very important to my decision. I felt his performance could be important against Everton."

Wenger confirmed that Francis Coquelin sustained a broken nose during the 2-0 win, noting that the French midfielder may require surgery.

 

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Terry: League Cup triumph the start of something big for Chelsea

Chelsea captain John Terry believes that their League Cup triumph over Tottenham could be the start of something big for their squad.

A 2-0 victory at Wembley delivered the first trophy of Jose Mourinho's second spell in charge of the Blues, with Terry scoring the opener just before half-time and Kyle Walker deflecting in a Diego Costa effort for an own goal.

The centre-back was present when Mourinho won the same cup in 2004-04 and feels that, with his side five points clear at the top of the Premier League and still in Champions League contention, more could follow again.

"That's the first one [in Mourinho's second spell]," he told Sky Sports at full-time. "It meant a lot to us in 2004-05, in Jose's first year here, and this could be the start of something.

"We've got a league to focus on and win but this has been a great day and a great win.

"The pressure was there before the game but that's a cup final. We played very well, handled it very well.

"I think it was fairly even in the first half but we controlled it slightly better in the second half.

"[I'm] delighted for Diego [to be involved in the second goal]. He's in great form and [it's] great to see him do it on the big stage.

"Jose's been great since he came back in he made it very clear from early on we were in this competition to win it and we've done it. Credit to the manager and the squad."

 

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Mancini: Podolski not offering Inter enough

Roberto Mancini has admitted that struggling striker Lukas Podolski is simply not offering Inter enough quality or incision up front.

Podolski joined the Nerazzurri on loan from Arsenal during the winter transfer window but the Germany international has yet to net a Serie A goal in eight appearances for the Milanese outfit.

The forward lasted just 66 minutes before being hauled off by Mancini in Sunday's 1-0 loss at home to Fiorentina and replaced by Xherdan Shaqiri, who immediately injected more dynamism into the Inter attack.

Mancini thus confessed afterwards that Podolski must improve - and fast - if he is to have any chance of extending his stay at San Siro beyond the end of the season.
"Shaqiri did well but had played [on] Thursday, so it was right to give him rest," the Inter boss told the club's official website."Podolski must give more, so it is not enough and he is the first to know that."

As for Inter's defeat, which leaves them eighth in the Serie A standings, Mancini felt his side had paid the price for a poor first-half display - even though the game was decided by Mohamed Salah's strike 10 minutes after the interval.

"We were generous, we know they are a good team and it was in my opinion a very balanced game," the former Manchester City boss added."Had we found the equaliser immediately, maybe we could try to bring home a victory.

"The problem was that at first we were hesitant. Fiorentina are a team that dribbles well. In the first half we had to be bolder, more determined."

 

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Simeone: Atletico Madrid need men like Torres

Diego Simeone says Fernando Torres showed Atletico Madrid the way forward with a lively cameo in Sunday's 0-0 draw at Sevilla.

After suffering a disappointing 1-0 loss in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 first-leg tie at Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, the Rojiblancos saw their hopes of retaining their Liga title take a further blow after the stalemate at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Atleti now stand five points behind second-placed Barcelona and six adrift of table-toppers Real Madrid, who can pull further clear by winning their game in hand at home to Villarreal.

However, Simeone preferred to look on the bright side, taking heart from the performance of second-half substitute Torres and insisting that the Rojiblancos' primary focus is on holding onto third place ahead of in-form Valencia.

"I saw a very vibrant game," the Argentine coach told reporters. "I loved the effort of those who played. "It's a good point because we competed against a direct rival for the top four."The entry of Koke improved our offensive game and Torres' input made me very happy.

"We need men like Torres, with his great enthusiasm."Sunday's draw, coupled with Valencia's win over Real Sociedad, means that Atletico are now just a point ahead of Los Che, who have won four Liga games on the bounce.

However, Atletico, who host Valencia at the Vicente Calderon next, are still eight points ahead of Sevilla in fifth.

 

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Ancelotti: I'm sorry if Real Madrid fans didn't understand Isco substitution

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has defended his decision to substitute Isco during Sunday's disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Villarreal, explaining that it is not his problem if the club's supporters did not understand the thinking behind the change.

After a strangely subdued first-half display, Los Blancos opened the scoring shortly after the break courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty, only to then see their visitors draw level in the 64th minute through Gerard Moreno.

Ancelotti responded to the equaliser by replacing Lucas Silva with Jese before then throwing Asier Illarramendi on in place of Isco.

The latter move was whistled by the Santiago Bernabeu faithful, who have been enthused by Isco's recent form, but Ancelotti says it was the right call.

"The Isco change was to give more balance to the team," he told reporters."I made the change because I thought it was the best for the team. If the fans do not understand it, sorry."

Ancelotti also dismissed the suggestion that Madrid are suffering from fatigue and pointed out that despite the draw, they remain two points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga."We were too slow in the first half," the Blancos boss added. "Quite the opposite in the second.

"If this is a physical issue, the pace would have been different."The team is improving, it is true that we have lost two points but we are two points ahead."

Madrid next face a tricky trip to San Mames to take on Athletic Bilbao, while Barca must tackle Villarreal at El Madrigal.

 

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Benitez: I'm tired of talking about referee mistakes

Napoli boss Rafael Benitez said he has grown weary of talking about poor officiating after Sunday's Serie A loss at Torino.

The Partenopei wanted a penalty when Emiliano Moretti appeared to handle in the area but their appeals were waved away by referee Massimiliano Irrati.

Consequently, Kamil Glik's second-half header proved sufficient to earn Torino the victory and leave third-placed Napoli looking nervously over their shoulder at Lazio and Fiorentina, who are now just two and three points behind, respectively.

"I don't want to speak about these penalty incidents as I'm tired of having to do it," Benitez told Sky Sport Italia. "It's something I don't enjoy."But you've all seen one of them but I'm tired of seeing certain things. "Certainly, one of these decisions would have changed the entire complexion of the game.

"I wasn't happy with how we played in the first half. We were better in the second half, although we didn't deal wth the corner for their goal well."It always hurts to lose, though. We are going home without any points primarily because we couldn't score a goal.

"I don't know why we didn't make the leap in quality. I know only that we must work even harder in every training session and better prepare for our remaining games."

Napoli must now turn their attention to the Coppa Italia and Wednesday's semi-final, first-leg meeting with Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico.

 

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Arsenal 2-0 Everton: Giroud and Rosicky get Gunners back in the winning groove

 

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Pepe: Practically impossible to get through Villarreal

Pepe has conceded that Real Madrid ran out of ideas in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu, admitting that they found it "practically impossible" to play their way through the visitors' defence.

The Liga leaders looked strangely out of sorts during a turgid opening half in the Spanish capital and only broke the deadlock thanks to a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo just after the break.

Villarreal levelled matters in the 64th minute courtesy of Gerard Moreno's snap-shot from the edge of the area and, despite their best efforts, Madrid were unable to force a winner during a frantic finale.

Pepe was thus the first to admit that the Yellow Submarine had done an excellent job in denying Los Blancos space and nullifying the threat posed by Ronaldo and his accomplices."We wanted to win but Villarreal fought a lot and they ran themselves into the ground," the defender told reporters after the game.

"We put in a lot of crosses and they had two lines of four, so it was practically impossible to get through in the middle."We conceded a goal on a counterattack but that's football. We fought and we came up against a very good team; we have to keep fighting.

"We're still top and we have to keep working until the end of the season."The draw means that Madrid are just two points clear of second-placed Barcelona ahead of Wednesday's Liga trip to Athletic Bilbao.

 

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La Liga 2015.03.02 Fixture

La Liga 2015.03.02 Fixture

Celta Vigo Vs Elche​

 

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Serie A 2015.03.02 Fixture

Serie A 2015.03.02 Fixture

Roma Vs Juventus​

 

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Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham: Terry ensures Mourinho's a Wembley winner again

Chelsea lifted the League Cup after a 2-0 victory over Tottenham in an unexciting final at Wembley.

John Terry gave Jose Mourinho's men the lead just before half-time when Spurs' poor defence of a free kick gave him the time and space to fire home via a deflection.

And the Blues cushioned that advantage soon after half-time when Diego Costa's finish was diverted in by Kyle Walker for an own goal.

Tottenham struggled to create genuine chances to get back into the game and the final drifted towards its conclusion as the Premier League leaders secured their first trophy of the season.

Mourinho made five changes from Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Burnley and saw his side make the brighter start as Terry headed over Willian's cross before Branislav Ivanovic's looping cross threatened Spurs' goal.

Hugo Lloris - making his first League Cup appearance of the season - dealt with the danger before Christian Eriksen rattled the woodwork with a 25-yard free kick. The Dane's opportunity came about after a foul on Harry Kane and the Spurs striker was next to go close with a low strike that tested Petr Cech.

Willian's raking pass set Eden Hazard away down the left, although his strike was blocked by Eric Dier, before Costa was involved in two flashpoints prior to the half-hour mark, having raised his hands towards Nabil Bentaleb.

A knock to Walker set the tone for a poor finish to the half for Spurs that was compounded when Terry made the most of lax defending on the stroke of half-time. When Chadli was caught out by a looping ball and fouled Ivanovic, a host of Spurs defenders failed to clear Willian's delivery, allowing skipper Terry to open the scoring from close range courtesy of a deflection off Kane.

Cesc Fabregas's overhead kick forced Lloris into a smart save shortly after the interval and Chelsea's positive start to the second half was rewarded when Costa looked to have scored his first goal since mid-January. A purposeful burst down the left was helped past Lloris by a Walker deflection - which was the crucial touch - 56 minutes in, with Pochettino opting to introduce Mousa Dembele and Erik Lamela to try and gain a foothold in the contest.

However, Chelsea demonstrated their defensive solidity to see out the victory with minimal fuss and collect the first of three potential trophies this season, while Spurs must focus on securing European qualification.

Congratz Chelsea..

 

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Roma 1-1 Juventus: Keita rescues point for 10-man Giallorossi

A late Seydou Keita equaliser just about kept Roma's Serie A title hopes alive as the 10-man Giallorossi snatched a 1-1 draw at home to leaders Juventus.

Carlos Tevez looked to have extended the Bianconeri's advantage over Rudi Garcia's team at the top of the table to 12 points when he curled home a delightful 25-yard free-kick shortly after the hour mark at Stadio Olimpico.Roma's task was made even tougher by the fact Vasilis Torosidis had been given a second yellow card for the foul on Arturo Vidal that led to Tevez's free-kick.

However, Keita's close-range header found its way in 12 minutes from time to earn the hosts a 1-1 draw in a fiery, disjointed encounter littered with bookings and fouls and devoid of much goalmouth action.

Neither Gianluigi Buffon nor Morgan De Sanctis were really tested in the first half, and it was only after Torosidis received his second caution - the seventh of the game - for a trip on Vidal that the game burst to life.Tevez then superbly curled home his 15th league goal of the season, only for Keita to snatch a point for Garcia's men.

Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri will likely see the draw as a job well done, though, as Roma missed the chance to close the gap to six points with 13 matches remaining.Roma enforcer Daniele De Rossi set the tone for a scrappy encounter when he scythed down Vidal just 17 seconds in.Neither an unfit Paul Pogba nor the injured Andrea Pirlo were beside Vidal in Juve's midfield, but Allegri's team edged the opening stages regardless.

Chances were few and far between in the opening 20 minutes, as Kostas Manolas was forced to clear Vidal's dangerous pass with Alvaro Morata lurking behind him before Roberto Pereyra failed to connect with Patrice Evra's delivery from the left.

Tevez burst forward and shot wide three minutes before the break, but the sides went in level after a low-key half in which neither side registered a shot on target.

Pereyra fired across De Sanctis early in the second period as Juve continued to have the better of the play, despite Roma's greater need for all three points.

However, any hopes Roma had of closing the gap with a victory were dashed just after the hour, as Torosidis received his second yellow card and Tevez compounded their misery with his wonderful free-kick.

But Roma kept battling, and were rewarded Keita nodded Alessandro Florenzi's set-piece back across goal and Marchisio unable to stop the ball creeping over the line as the home side just about stayed in the title race.

 

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Tevez: I'm as p****d off as Allegri after Roma draw

Carlos Tevez admitted that he was just as "p****d off" as Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri after Monday's 1-1 draw at Roma.

The Argentine opened the scoring 64 minutes into the top-of-the-table clash at San Siro with a sublime, curling free-kick that had been awarded for a foul that had resulted in Giallorossi defender Vasilis Torosidis being shown a second yellow card.

Juve thus looked perfectly poised to put 12 points between themselves and second-placed Roma but they allowed their hosts to snatch a draw through Seydou Keita's late, deflected header.

Bianconeri boss Massimiliano Allegri was furious that his side had thrown away two points and his frustration was shared by his star striker."The coach is right to be annoyed," Tevez told Sky Sport Italia.

"We cannot give away an important game like this, with a man more in the final 20 minutes after having done well for 70 minutes."I'm also very p****d off. We're a strong team and the character of the squad pleased me this evening, but we cannot throw away games right at the end."

As for his fantastic free-kick, Tevez admitted that he had been taking pointers from Juve's regular dead-ball specialist Andrea Pirlo, who missed the trip to Rome through injury.

"I always see Andrea in training and it's important for me to copy his style a little," the former Manchester City striker added."He's my model. Who'll have precedence when he returns? Andrea, without a doubt."

 

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Former Tottenham captain Dave Mackay dies aged 80

Tottenham have announced that former captain Dave Mackay has passed away at the age of 80.The former Scotland international won the Double for Spurs in 1961 and also led Derby to the league title as manager.

Mackay won 22 caps for Scotland, scoring four times, and was once described by George Best as “hardest man I have ever played against and certainly the bravest”.
Mackay joined Spurs from Hearts, where he won the league and both cups and the north Londoners have paid tribute to their former skipper.

“We were saddened to hear of the death of our former captain Dave Mackay who passed away at the Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, this evening [Monday 2 March]. He was 80,” it read.“He was a superb player who possessed all the technique, passing ability and talent to be the complete footballer.

“He was the heart-beat of our 1961 ‘Double’ side, was then a key member of the team that retained the FA Cup the following season and, although injury kept him out of our 1963 European Cup Winners’ Cup final triumph, he had played a vital role in getting us there.

“He formed a marvellous midfield combination with Danny Blanchflower and, when the Northern Ireland international left us in 1964, Mackay took over as Spurs captain and led us to another FA Cup triumph in 1967. He twice broke the same leg in our cause but, each time, came back stronger than ever.”

 

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R.I.P Mackay!​

 

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Garcia: Roma only thinking of second place after Juventus draw

Rudi Garcia has all but thrown in the towel in the fight for this season's Serie A title, admitting that Roma's sole concern after Monday's 1-1 draw with Juventus is holding onto second place.

The Giallorossi claimed an unlikely point at the Stadio Olimpico, with Seydou Keita levelling the game with a deflected header after the hosts had fallen a man and a goal down when Carlos Tevez converted the free-kick that had resulted in the dismissal of Vasilis Torosidis for a second bookable offence.Garcia was enthused by his side's resilience and said that the Giallorossi will keep fighting right until the end of the season.

However, the Frenchman nonetheless conceded that Roma had needed to reduce their nine-point deficit to Juve to keep their Scudetto hopes alive, and that their primary goal now has to be keeping third-placed Napoli at bay.

"It was a very tactical game, decided on set-pieces," the Frenchman told Sky Sport Italia. "I saw an exceptional reaction on the part of Roma, who were a goal and a man down."We're still alive. Otherwise, we would not have played like this at the end of the game.

"We didn't play for the draw. It was simply that it was a tight, tactical game without any chances."But then we saw great desire and we deserved a second goal in those final 30 minutes.

"There are a lot of games left but now we need only to think about defending second place, which is what we have done this evening because we have gained a point on Napoli [who were beaten by Torino]."Roma are four points clear of Napoli, and six ahead of fourth-placed Lazio.

 

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Keita: Juventus draw not good enough for Roma

Seydou Keita hailed Roma's resilience after Monday's 1-1 draw with Juventus but conceded that a point wasn't good enough to keep the Giallorossi's Scudetto dream alive.

Rudi Garcia's men had hoped to draw to within six points of their Serie A title rivals by triumphing at the Stadio Olimpico but they went a man and a goal down in the 64th minute, when Carlos Tevez netted a stunning free-kick just seconds after the dismissal of Vasilis Torosidis.

Keita earned Roma a share of the spoils with a deflected header 12 minutes from time but he was downcast at the full-time whistle, admitting that the capital club had needed a win.

"After the goal and the dismissal of Torosidis, we redoubled our efforts but it wasn't enough because we didn't take home the win," the Malian told Sky Sport Italia. "We wanted the three points but we got only one."I'm disappointed. Juventus are a great team but we needed the three points. The draw is a bad result for us."

Keita argued, though, that there is now nothing to choose between the two sides from a technical perspective."The difference now is only confidence," the midfielder added. "Theirs comes from many years of winning.

"They have a calmness that we do not because we often fall behind and that's not the best way to win games."

 

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Allegri: Juventus very angry after Roma draw

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri was furious after his players blew a gilt-edged opportunity to effectively end Roma's Scudetto hopes at the Stadio Olimpico on Monday.

The Bianconeri looked set to open up a 12-point lead at the top of the Serie A standings when Giallorossi defender Vasilis Torosidis was dismissed for a second bookable offence in the 64th minute and Carlos Tevez curled the resulting free-kick into the top corner to put the visitors ahead.

However, Juve switched off at a set-piece 14 minutes later, allowing Seydou Keita to earn Roma an unlikely share of the spoils with a header that found its way into the back of the net via Claudio Marchisio.Allegri was thus bitterly frustrated that the reigning Italian champions had squandered the chance to put the game - and indeed the title race - to bed.

"I was happy up until the 70th minute because the team played a truly great game," he told Sky Sport Italia. "We didn't concede anything to Roma and created some chances.

"We grew a lot in the second half, took the lead and played well for another six or seven minutes."But then we stopped playing and we didn't do what were were supposed to do on a technical level.

"Roma pressed well, thanks to some of the changes they made, and we could even have lost the game at the end."As a result, we left the field very angry. That's three away games in a row that we've failed to win [Roma, Cesena and Udinese]."

Juve are still nine points clear with 13 rounds remaining but Allegri says that the Italian champions are taking nothing for granted.

"We will now allow our concentration levels to drop, even if we still have a big lead and have the head-to-head record in our favour," the former AC Milan boss said.
"We must start picking up more points on the road, as the league still has a long way to go."And we first of all have to stop conceding goals. We've conceded too many lately.

"We must also use the ball better in order to create more chances."Allegri was, at least, enthused by the way in which Tevez did a fine job filling in for regular set-piece specialist Andrea Pirlo, who missed the game in the Italian capital through injury.

"Because Andrea wasn't available, Carlos practiced free-kicks in training all week," he added. "He's an extraordinary player - not that we only discovered that tonight."

 

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Dyche: Ings will try his best against Liverpool

Burnley boss Sean Dyche has no concerns about picking Danny Ings for Wednesday's trip to Liverpool.

The striker has been heavily linked with a switch to the Merseysiders come the end of the season - when his current contract at Turf Moor expires.But Dyche will have no qualms with introducing Ings, who has five goals in his last eight Premier League games, to the fray at Anfield.

"His determination has been there for all to see," Dyche said. "He's had one quiet one and other than that he's been fantastic."I'm sure his determination will be to do his best for Burnley, no matter who it's against. He'll do that and the rest will take care of itself."

Dyche also reserved praise for Ashley Barnes, who played 90 minutes against Swansea after a tough week which saw him targeted for criticism by Chelsea and their manager Jose Mourinho after his part in Nemanja Matic's dismissal the previous week.

"I think there's a respect element from fans, certainly here," Dyche added.
"We have a good connection with the fans, they have a group, manager, staff, players who are giving everything, he's one of any player who plays here that they have great respect for."

 

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AC Milan rocked by Montolivo & De Jong injuries

AC Milan have been rocked by injuries to influential midfield duo Ricardo Montolivo and Nigel de Jong.

Both players were forced off in Saturday's 0-0 draw at Chievo, wth Montolivo being replaced by Keisuke Honda during the interval, and De Jong making way for Alessio Cerci after pulling up 12 minutes before full-time.

"Montolivo picked up a hamstring injury and he will undergo further medical tests in a week’s time," read a statement released on Milan's official website on Monday."Nigel De Jong, meanwhile, sustained a muscle injury in the back of his thigh. His fitness will be re-assessed in around 10 days’ time."

Consequently, the pair will both miss Saturday's Serie A clash with Verona at San Siro, which coach Pippo Inzaghi reportedly needs to win in order to avoid the sack.

The Rossoneri currently sit 10th in the Italian top flight, eight points outside of the European qualification places.