..::Football III::..

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Mourinho: Champions League exit could be a blessing

Jose Mourinho says that Chelsea’s Champions League exit could be a blessing in disguise for the club.

The Blues drew 2-2 with Paris Saint-Germain at Stamford Bridge last week and were subsequently eliminated on away goals, having drawn 1-1 in the first leg at Parc des Princes.

Mourinho, though, believes that their elimination leaves Chelsea in a “good situation”, as they attempt to win the Premier League title – stressing that the squad will not struggle with fatigue or pressure now that they only have one competition to focus on.

“Chelsea won three Premier League titles and people know that number clearly, but you can analyse in a different way,” he told reporters.

“In the last nine years they won it once, so it is not easy to win, and in these nine years Chelsea was never in the end of March with six points more than the second [placed team], so we have a good situation in our hands and the way we work last week, the way we work this week, I think the players are very confident. I think the tendency of our team is to improve.

“The normal tendency is for teams to accumulate injuries and stress in the big matches in the Champions League. Our situation gave us space to work, space to improve. Our normal tendency is to end the season in a very strong way.”

Mourinho concedes that he would still like to be in the Champions League, but the Portuguese admits that the fixture congestion the competition can cause is often a decisive factor in domestic leagues and believes his side can end the season on a high despite their elimination.

“I prefer to be in the Champions league but the reality is that if we were in it we would have Barcelona at home, Man United at home, Barcelona away and Arsenal away, and obviously this is a very difficult hypothetical situation,” he added.

“In some countries when the fixtures are made they protect clubs in the Champions League, and immediately in the computer it is made impossible in between these big quarter-finals to play big matches, derbies, Clasicos, but I confess I would like to be in this position. I would like to play Barcelona, Man United, Arsenal.

“But it has given us a situation where we can work properly, if things go as I expect we can finish the season in a very strong way.”

 

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Pellegrini: Manchester City not a disaster zone

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini has dismissed talk of a crisis at the club following their Champions League exit and faltering Premier League title defence.

City were beaten 1-0 by Barcelona in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday, thus exiting the competition after a 3-1 aggregate defeat, while they have slipped six points behind league leaders Chelsea, having fallen to a shock loss to Burnley last weekend.

Pellegrini's men return to domestic action against West Brom on Saturday, and the Chilean has now moved to play down talk of unrest at the Etihad Stadium, while insisting that he is still enjoying life at the club despite speculation surrounding his future.

Asked on Friday if he was happy at City, Pellegrini answered: "Yes. I have just played Barcelona in the Champions League, now we are fighting for the best league in the world.

"If you do not enjoy it, you should see a doctor. We are in second position and that's not a disaster, only Chelsea have done better. We try now to play the last nine games at our best.

"I have been here less than two years. Last year we won the league and a cup [the League Cup]. That is not easy. Everyone in England is strong.

"Every manager, when they have not been winning, is under pressure. It has happened with Liverpool, Arsenal, now me.

"In Spain, the same has happened with [Real Madrid coach] Carlo Ancelotti and he has won four titles."

For the visit of West Brom, Pellegrini looks set to be without Yaya Toure due to an Achilles injury, with Aleksandar Kolarov and James Milner also doubts with muscle and knee injuries respectively.

"We haven't had long to recover. Maybe we are going to refresh the team mentally," the City boss added.

 

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Barca and Athletic request Bernabeu showdown

The row over the venue for the 2015 Copa del Rey final shows no sign of abating after Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao formally requested the use of the Santiago Bernabeu.

The pair have made the home of Real Madrid their preferred choice for the May 30 clash but the European champions are not keen on hosting the showpiece event.

The matter will now be left in the hands of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), who must try to broker a deal with Madrid or seek an alternative at short notice.

"The Spanish Federation had received requests from some cities to host the Cup, but not from Madrid," said Albert Soler, Barca's director of sporting institutional relations.

"Since both clubs wish to play the final at the Bernabeu, we made a formal request to Real Madrid and, therefore, will be waiting for an official response."So far we have not considered any other option than the Bernabeu, as we await an answer from the federation."

Madrid are keen to avoid scenes similar to 1997, when Barca beat Betis to win the Copa at the Bernabeu and president Joan Gaspart ran on to the pitch amid wild celebrations while the Catalans' club anthem was played over the loudspeaker system.

Furthermore, both Barca and Athletic are from regions - Catalunya and the Basque Country - in which many are keen to seal independence from Spain. In 2009, when Barca met Athletic, Spanish broadcaster TVE censured the national anthem as it was greeted with a chorus of boos and whistles from fans of the two clubs, while supporters acted similarly in the 2012 showpiece.

Such a scenario is already seen as an embarrassment in a competition that bears the name of the country's monarch and Madrid want to avoid controversy in what will be King Felipe's first final as the country's ruler.

One possible get-out for the capital club is that Real Madrid Castilla could be in action in the play-offs for promotion to Spain's Segunda Division and it is tradition for the B team to use the Bernabeu in those matches.

Zinedine Zidane's side are currently seventh in Group II – albeit just three points off top spot - and will need to finish among the first four of that sector to reach the play-offs. If they do qualify, Castilla must wait until May 18 to find out if they will play at home on the weekend of the final (due to take place on May 30).

By then, however, it would be too late logistically to change the venue of the Copa decider.

 

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Simeone: Real Madrid a great rival

Diego Simeone wants to remain concentrated on Atletico Madrid's Liga campaign despite being fully aware that the media will spend the next three weeks talking up the significance of their Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid.

The Rojiblancos were paired with their city rivals in Friday's draw in Nyon in what will be a repeat of last season's final, which Los Blancos won 4-1 after extra-time to claim their 10th European title.

Atletico have since beaten Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana, the Copa del Rey and home and away in the Primera Division this season.They now have an opportunity to exact further revenge in the Champions League but Simeone says his sole concern at the moment is ensuring that Atleti, who sit fourth in La Liga, defeat Getafe at the Vicente Calderon on Saturday.

“Real are a great rival, just like the other seven at this stage of the Champions League," he told reporters on Friday. "So it’s a great tie ahead.

“But, in truth, my mind is thinking only about Getafe. There will be time to think about that, there are three weeks I think, almost a month, for you [the media] to have fun talking about everything that a game of that magnitude represents."

Atletico progressed to the quarter-finals by defeating Bayer Leverkusen on penalties, with Tuesday's win ending a run of four games without a victory in all competitions.

Simeone acknowledges that the capital club are still struggling to score goals, but he is adamant that they are slowly getting back to their best.

“We are growing," he added. "Without doubt. We are much stronger in terms of the structure of the team, much more solid. "It’s true that we have been scoring less than before, but we have improved in terms of intensity and we are more compact as a unit.

"Fernando Torres, Raul Jimenez, Mario Mandzukic, Antoine Griezmann - we have a lot of faith in them and we know they will pop up for us in the important moments.

"We are now in a defining moment and let’s hope Torres, Jimenez and Griezmann, who are the ones we have available, can deliver goals because that is what we need from them."

An Atletico win would enable them to shorten the gap on either Barcelona or Real, or both, with La Liga's top two set to square off at Camp Nou on Sunday.

However, Simeone says he has little interest in what unfolds in the Clasico in Catalunya."I want to win against Getafe in order to stay in touch with the important position we are in," he stated. "After that, I am not really interested in the Clasico."

With Manchester City having been eliminated from the Champions League earlier this week, Simeone is being talked up as a potential replacement at the Etihad for the under-fire Manuel Pellegrini.

However, the Argentine says he is paying no attention to the speculation surrounding his future at the Calderon.“I live above and beyond contracts and future renewals," he added. "I live day to day.

"Everybody else can talk about those situations, but I am stronger and get more energy from what I experience and what I feel in every game and every training session. And that's helped us get to where we are today."

 

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Dost nets Netherlands call-up

Bas Dost's sensational form in front of goal for Wolfsburg has earned him a first Netherlands call-up for their upcoming matches with Turkey and Spain.The 25-year-old striker has scored 16 times in all competitions this season for the Bundesliga club, with 13 of them coming in 2015 alone.

Dost was named in Guus Hiddink's provisional squad earlier this month and could make his international debut in the Euro 2016 qualifier against Turkey or the friendly with Vicente del Bosque's side.

Manchester United forward Robin van Persie remains on the sidelines for both club and country after an ankle injury, while Ron Vlaar and Eljero Elia are among a small group of players released from the original party.

Netherlands are looking to rebuild their qualifying campaign after a slow start with Hiddink's side going into the Turkey match sitting third in Group A.

Squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Jasper Cillessen (Ajax), Tim Krul (Newcastle United), Kenneth Vermeer (Feyenoord)

Defenders: Jeffrey Bruma (PSV), Stefan de Vrij (Lazio), Daryl Janmaat (Newcastle United), Bruno Martins Indi (Porto), Gregory van der Wiel (Paris Saint-Germain), Joel Veltman (Ajax), Jetro Willems (PSV)

Midfielders: Ibrahim Afellay (Olympiakos), Daley Blind (Manchester United), Jordy Clasie (Feyenoord), Jonathan de Guzman (Napoli), Luuk de Jong (PSV), Davy Klaassen (Ajax), Luciano Narsingh (PSV), Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray), Georginio Wijnaldum (PSV)

Forwards: Memphis Depay (PSV), Bas Dost (Wolfsburg), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich)

 

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Rodgers: Sterling stalemate will not be resolved until the summer

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers says Raheem Sterling wants to hold off on contract talks until the summer.

The England international has enjoyed a rapid rise at Anfield and has made 42 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring 10 goals and providing eight assists.

Such form has led to talk of a move to an elite European club, with Real Madrid and Manchester City both credited with an interest in signing the 20-year-old.

And Rodgers has now confirmed that Sterling is keen to wait before opening negotiations with the club - despite there being an "incredible offer" on the table - though the Northern Irishman insists that the winger should remain on Merseyside as he continues his development.

Rodgers told reporters: "It has been made clear by Raheem and his representatives that he wants to concentrate on his football and see what can be resolved in the summer.

"For his development, this is the best place for him to be."

Liverpool face Manchester United on Sunday knowing that a win will see them overtake the Red Devils and climb into the top four.

 

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Costa returns for Spain as Vitolo earns first call-up

Vicente del Bosque has welcomed back Diego Costa to Spain's squad after the Chelsea striker missed both matches for the former world champions in November.Costa was at the centre of a club-versus-country row last year as he struggled to maintain his fitness under the demands of playing at both levels.

A hamstring injury saw him miss the matches with Belarus and Germany in late 2014, but the Premier League's top scorer has returned to face Ukraine and Netherlands.Del Bosque has also made room for potential debutants Sergio Asenjo and Vitolo, while Mikel San Jose and Mario Suarez are back in contention.

There is no place for Rayo Vallecano's Alberto Bueno, though, as the forward is unable to dislodge Pedro from the squad, despite netting 15 La Liga goals this season.

"Pedro is a good player and we believe in him," Del Bosque told reporters on Thursday. "He has always responded well for us."He is not a striker but he can open the field up for us. He's a very interesting player.

"We have brought in Vitolo because of everything he has done for Sevilla. We feel that he can be useful to us"We also had the opportunity to reward Asenjo, who has been doing very well for Villarreal."

Meanwhile, Del Bosque reiterated that while David Villa retired from international football after last year's World Cup, he could yet call upon the New York City striker at some point in the future.

"Nobody has told me that Villa is not able to join up with the national team," the former Real Madrid boss added. "And there's still the possibility for him to return now. He is a player who remains very important for us."

Spain squad:

Goalkeepers: Sergio Asenjo (Villarreal), Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), David de Gea (Manchester United).

Defenders: Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Raul Albiol (Napoli), Marc Bartra (Barcelona), Juan Bernat (Bayern Munich), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Juanfran (Atletico Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid).

Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Santi Cazorla (Arsenal), Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Isco (Real Madrid), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Pedro (Barcelona), Mikel San Jose (Athletic Bilbao), David Silva (Manchester City), Mario Suarez (Atletico Madrid), Vitolo (Sevilla).

Forwards: Diego Costa (Chelsea), Alvaro Morata (Juventus).

 

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Mourinho: Chelsea don't need Pogba - we have Loftus-Cheek

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says he has no interest in Juventus star Paul Pogba, insisting that he is more excited by youngster Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

The Blues, alongside Manchester City, are considered favourites to land Pogba in a big-money summer move should he leave Turin, where has emerged as one of the world's finest players since leaving Manchester United on a free transfer in 2012.

According to his agent, Mino Raiola, the France international would command a fee in the region of €100 million, but Mourinho prefers to look closer to home as he bids to improve his squad for next season.

“I don’t speak about Pogba or other players," he told reporters.

“The only thing I can tell you is that we look to our midfield players and between Fabregas, Matic, Ramires, Ruben, Mikel is injured, but between these guys we have a good group.

"Next season Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be competing for a first-team position. At the moment we are protecting him. Next season he will not be a number, he will be a player."

Mourinho also admitted he is interested in bringing in some new faces this summer, but points out that this is nothing new.

"Our transfer policy doesn’t need a lot of funds because we don’t need a lot of things," he added. "We like our squad, we like our players, and with a couple of exceptions, we have a young squad.

"Once more, I think our transfer policy will be nice and quiet and will be a consequence of the players that we sell and the money we make from the players we sell. We are building credibility because we sell good players.

"In this moment, if you ask me if I’m happy, yes I’m happy. If you ask me zero movements in or out I say I don’t believe because there are always improvements to be made. I’m not worried about funds."

 

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Fifa to distribute €194m to clubs for next two World Cups

Fifa has pledged to distribute $209 million (€194m) to the clubs who release players to compete at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

World football's governing body and the European Club Association (ECA) announced on Friday that an extended agreement has been reached to compensate clubs and "further enhance consideration of club football interests".

The $209million pot will be in place for each of the next two editions of the game's biggest showpiece event and is treble the $70million (€65m) dished out after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter said in a statement: "We are taking a huge step forward in promoting relations between Fifa and the clubs in a spirit of mutual and constructive cooperation."

The statement continued: "The agreement puts the emphasis on fundamental principles such as the promotion of training and player development as well as the sporting integrity of the competitions, in the interests of the game and its appeal to the public.

"In addition, FIFA will continue with the Club Protection Programme, by which clubs are compensated for losses incurred due to players being injured while on international duty. The Club Protection Programme will therefore be extended to at least until after the end of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar."

The 2018 World Cup will be staged in Russia, with the 2022 edition schedule to take place in Qatar.

 

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Hart: Man City can still beat Chelsea to the title

Joe Hart insists he and his Manchester City team-mates will not give up in their quest to overhaul Chelsea in the Premier League title race.

Two defeats in their last three league outings have seen City fall six points off the pace, having played a game more, and are now in danger of dropping out of second place for the first time since November.

Many fancy Chelsea to cruise to a fourth Premier League crown, but Hart says City will continue to fight to retain the title won last season with nine games still left to play.

"I will never give up, ever, and I could safely say that nobody in our dressing room will ever give up either. We will see where that takes us," he told reporters.

"West Brom is a huge game and we turn our focus to that. We have no excuse not to throw everything at the Premier League now and give our all - to the fans, the owner, to everyone.

"Every game is a must-win now. We have no time to lick our wounds, we have to fly into that game. We have to win every game, and that is how we will go into it, and see where it takes us.

"We have had a few knocks this season, but we have proved it time and time again, and so have our fans, that we come back and we keep fighting."

 

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David Villa backs Barcelona to win Clasico

Former Barcelona striker David Villa is unequivocal in his support of his old club ahead of the Clasico with Real Madrid on Sunday.

“I hope Barcelona will win,” he told Goal. “Barcelona’s strikeforce is better than Madrid’s. Lionel Messi is better than Ronaldo, and I want Barca to win.“It’s a really important match for both teams just after the Champions League and it’s come at a great time in La Liga.”

With 11 Liga matches left this season, table-topping Barcelona are one point clear of Madrid, having trailed their rivals by four points earlier in the campaign. Last season’s champions Atletico are a distant fourth, nine points off the summit.

Villa turned out for Atletico following his spell at Barcelona. It has been argued that the Rojiblancos are suffering because of economics, having sold Diego Costa and Filipe Luis in the summer.

But Villa does not think that the financial disparity between the Clasico duo and the rest of Spain’s top flight is anything unusual.“I don’t think it is uncompetitive, no. Yes, Real Madrid and Barcelona are much bigger than the other clubs in La Liga. But last year Atletico won the league and this year they are still competitive, as are Valencia.

“They’re really close to that level thanks to good coaching and good players. So I don’t think it’s that bad at all and, anyway, you get richer clubs everywhere.”

 

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Deschamps: Pogba should have been rested

France coach Didier Deschamps believes a serious hamstring injury to striker Paul Pogba is down to the Juventus midfielder being overused.

Pogba, 22, hurt his right hamstring early in Juve's 3-0 demolition of Borussia Dortmund, which saw the Serie A title-holders advance to the Champions League quarter-finals.

The France international is set to miss up to seven weeks, which would rule him out of competing in both legs of the quarter-finals or semi-finals in Europe as well as friendlies for France, against Brazil and Denmark in March."What happened is difficult for the player himself," Deschamps said. "Paul has his first muscular injury, that's something new for him. "Even when a young player is fit, these kind of things can happen.

"He's playing a lot of games. The seasons are long for him; he doesn't always have a real holiday. His body needed a break."Uncapped Chelsea centre-back Kurt Zouma was called up by Deschamps, who said there was no extra burden on defensive duo Raphael Varane and Mamadou Sakho.

Varane has started just 14 times for Real Madrid this La Liga season, while Sakho has started in for Liverpool's on just 12 occasions in the league."Raphael has played a lot of games. I am not only reading articles in newspapers, I am watching all the games. It depends also about his team," he said.

"For me, Raphael and Mamadou are as good as they were at the World Cup.
"Sakho has been injured and came back. He's now competitive again."

 

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Xavi: Messi in a league of his own

Barcelona captain Xavi has hailed Lionel Messi as the best player ever.

The Argentina international was in inspired form as his side strolled past Manchester City on Wednesday, sealing a record eighth-consecutive Champions League quarter-final for the Catalan club.

And Xavi, who witnessed first-hand the Argentina international’s rise through the Barca ranks to worldwide stardom, believes no one comes close to the Argentine.
“Messi is the best player in the world right now, and for me, the best ever,” Xavi told DeporTV.

"From the age of 22 until today, he continues to progress. He is fighting against himself because he has no rival."

Xavi also praised some previous Argentines to have treaded the turf at Camp Nou, suggesting a couple of Messi’s less successful compatriots could put their Barca failings down to bad luck.“Juan Roman Riquelme and Javier Saviola were great players,” he said. “They arrived at the wrong time.“Gabriel Milito was very similar to what Javier Mascherano is today - a leader and a winner."

Riquelme joined from Boca Juniors in 2002 but was immediately deemed surplus to requirements by then coach Louis Van Gaal and joined Villarreal the following year.

Saviola failed to claim a major title in his three seasons but hit 49 goals in 123 league appearances, while Milito helped them to two league titles and two Champions League trophies.

 

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Klopp: Dortmund can’t afford Champions League hangover

Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has called on his players to move on from the disappointment of their Champions League exit at the hands of Juventus and concentrate on saving their Bundesliga season.

Last season’s league runners-up suffered a disastrous start to the season and found themselves languishing in the relegation zone at the mid-season break, but have bounced back with 14 points from their last six outings.

They now sit 12 points off Bayer Leverkusen and Germany’s final Champions League slot, and just six from possible Europa League qualification, and Klopp has challenged his players for a reap of the performance that saw them hammer Schalke 3-0 last month."We mustn't carry a depression into Saturday’s game in Hannover,” he said.

“We are able to play like we did against Schalke and we have to do that more often. I think it is wrong to call everything into question now."“The main reasons for our failings at the moment is that we are making bad decisions in the wrong moments.

“We have to do better with the space we are afforded by the opposition. Immediately. Why have we got only 30 points? Because we are doing several things incorrectly. It's all about finding consistency.”

The 3-0 defeat to Juventus on Thursday was the third straight game in which Dortmund have failed to convert good possession into a goal, but Klopp will should find comfort in the fact they have scored at least one goal in each of their last 20 league games in Hannover.

 

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Sherwood: I stopped Tottenham selling Kane

Tim Sherwood claims that Tottenham were keen to sell star striker Harry Kane last January, and that he was the man to stop them.

The 21-year-old has flourished under Mauricio Pochettino this season, scoring 26 goals in all competitions, including 16 in the Premier League, and has been rewarded with a first senior England call-up on Thursday.

Sherwood worked with Kane as head coach of the Tottenham Under-21 side before handing the youngster his first Premier League start in April 2014 after replacing Andre Villas-Boas as first-team manager.

But Sherwood, now in charge at Aston Villa, claims he had to "resist" calls for Kane to be sold by others at Tottenham and is thrilled with how the player is progressing after proving himself at White Hart Lane.

“I don’t name names but there was more than one," he told reporters.

“It’s great I resisted the temptation to get rid of him last January because perhaps he wouldn’t be the star he is for Tottenham. I would never have allowed him to be sold when I was there.

“It’s ridiculous that you let your homegrown players go. I thought it was poor that Jake Livermore and Steven Caulker should leave.

“It’s wrong for clubs to continually waste money on investing new players that you don’t know are going to settle. They should trust the people who know football within the club and not listen to outside influences who are trying to flog them a player.

“If they had brought in somebody last January and his name ended in a ‘I’ or an ‘O’ the fans would have been very excited, but I’m not sure he would have given the same output as Harry Kane has given.”

 

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Di Maria: We'll battle to the end for Champions League spot

Angel Di Maria has vowed that Manchester United will give their all in the final fixtures of the season as the club look to secure a return to the Champions League.

Louis van Gaal's side currently sit in fourth place in the Premier League table with nine games remaining and produced arguably their most impressive performance of the campaign in Sunday's 3-0 demolition of Tottenham.

United travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday and must also play Chelsea and Arsenal before the end of he season and Di Maria insists that the club will battle to the end to achieve their target of a top four finish.

He told United Review: "We are all aware that a number of big games are just around the corner, and the season will be decided by these fixtures.

"We know all about these upcoming games and we have been thinking and talking about them for quite some time now. We've known that everything would be at stake over this final period of the season.

"Everyone at the club is 100 per cent confident, we know we want to get back into the Champions League and that we want to be fighting it out.

"We'll battle hard right to the end of the season. From what I know of the club, United always fight right to the end and that's what we're going to do."

 

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Klaassen: Defeat an awful moment in a poor Ajax season

Davy Klaassen was ruthless in his assessment of Ajax after they were eliminated from the Europa League on away goals on Thursday.

Frank de Boer's men trailed Dnipro 1-0 after the opening leg and, though they took the tie to extra-time, the Dutch hosts then conceded in the first 15 minutes to ensure a late goal from Mike van der Hoorn was not enough to send them through to the last eight of the tournament.

Ajax midfielder Klaassen pulled no punches in his evaluation of their season, having been eliminated from the cup, sitting way adrift of leaders PSV in the Eredivisie and now suffering a European exit at the Amsterdam ArenA.

"This is very bad," he told RTL7. "In the league we're not doing well and we are out of the cup. It's not great at all.

"We have to win as much as possible now. If PSV don't make any mistakes, then I guess second place is our highest possible finish this year. We can do better than what we showed today. This defeat wasn't what was called for."

De Boer was left to rue Ajax's failure to grab an away goal when they played the first leg at Dnipro last week, revealing that his fears came true over 120 minutes of action.

"In the extra-time you can see how precious an away goal is," the coach said. "Last week, I suggested it was a bad result because we didn't get one. If they scored one then we had to make three goals, and that is exactly what happened."

 

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Hughes confirms Begovic contract talks

Mark Hughes expects Asmir Begovic's contract situation at Stoke City to be assessed at the end of the season.

Stoke announced that reserve goalkeeper Jack Butland had put pen to paper on a new deal on Friday, and manager Hughes is keen for first-choice stopper Begovic to follow suit in the near future.

"Jack Butland is one of the top young keepers in the country and we are delighted that he is staying here with us," the Welshman explained.

"It's not his ambition to sit here and be an understudy - he wants to get in the team and he is continuing to get better.

"We are fortunate to have a top-level group of keepers. Asmir is one of the best in the league and at the moment is ahead of Jack.

"They all push each other though, Thomas Sorensen included, and as a player you need that. Competition is good in any area of the side."

Hughes insists that the club are relaxed about Begovic's desire to hold off on contract talks, and he insists that the Bosnia-Herzegovina international is happy at the Britannia Stadium.

"We will sit down and speak to Asmir in the summer. He wants to focus on the games first, and rightly so. We are comfortable with that," he added.

"I know Asmir is happy here and is pleased with our progression. We hope they will be good discussions with him.

"We have re-contracted Jack and our intentions are to also re-contract Asmir too. We are trying to look after business in the correct way."

Begovic's current deal expires at the end of next season.

 

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Martinez calls for mid-season Premier League break

Roberto Martinez has called for the Premier League to have a mid-season break after watching his Everton side juggle a busy fixture list in 2014-15.

As well as the three domestic competitions, Everton have also competed in the Europa League, a tournament they exited on Thursday against Dynamo Kyiv.

That defeat in the last 16 was Everton's 42nd game of the campaign in all competitions and ended all English interest in Europe this season, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City all dumped out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage.

And Martinez - who has seen his side struggle to replicate last season's league form - wants more to be done to help English clubs go further in Europe and has suggested a mid-season break could enable them to recharge their batteries.

"If you look across Europe most of them have a little break in winter," the Spaniard told reporters.

"I'm not saying that's the only difference but it can make a big difference in a squad that's also maybe playing in two domestic cups.

"You need to understand our league is the best in world. By that I mean if you are at 70 per cent you are going to lose. That shows how competitive it is.

"I don't think other leagues have that. The top teams in Europe can cruise through some games which makes it easier to plan.

"Some of our clubs in the Champions League went close and were a bit unlucky but it's about small margins and that could be down to the demand our players have to face."

 

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Keep having a go at Ibrahimovic, Pastore urges critics

Javier Pastore has urged critics to continue berating Zlatan Ibrahimovic after the Paris Saint-Germain striker scored a hat-trick in the 3-1 win over Lorient on Friday.

The victory at Parc des Princes moves Laurent Blanc's side to the top of Ligue 1, with title rivals Lyon not in action until Saturday, when they face Nice.

Ibrahimovic’s treble, which included two penalties, came after a difficult week that saw him condemned for a rant after the French champions' defeat to Bordeaux last Sunday and handed a one-game European suspension for his red card against Chelsea.Pastore, though, believes the criticism is a perfect motivational tool for Ibrahimovic, who has scored six goals in his last three league games.

The ex-Palermo playmaker told L'Equipe : "It is true that Zlatan has been criticised but I do not mind if you continue to speak ill of him, so that he will keep scoring three goals!

"The international break will do us some good before all the cup matches we have coming up."

Full-back Maxwell was relieved his side did not miss an opportunity to strike a blow in the title race on the same day his current club were drawn against his old employers, Barcelona, in the Champions League quarter-finals.

PSG's quadruple bid enters a crucial phase after the international break, with a Ligue 1 game against Marseille followed by a Coupe de France semi-final with Saint-Etienne, the Coupe de la Ligue final against Bastia and the first leg of their tie against Barca.The Brazilian has told his team-mates they will have to return to club duty fully focused, stressing: "We are pleased with this important victory at a time in the championship where we should not miss out on any opportunities.

"The break will do us good and then we have to adjust our mindset from one competition to another."

Captain Thiago Silva added: "It feels good to get this victory. We do not know what Lyon will do, we will see..."I think the win was important because Lorient are a strong team defensively. We played a good game."