..::Football III::..

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Chelsea need to wake up, says Ivanovic

Branislav Ivanovic has urged Chelsea to "wake up" and put their dismal recent form firmly behind them.

The Premier League champions were beaten 3-1 by a Steven Naismith-inspired Everton on Saturday to leave them 11 points behind leaders Manchester City after only five games.

Jose Mourinho's side turn their attention to the Champions League on Wednesday, as Maccabi Tel-Aviv visit Stamford Bridge, and Ivanovic has called for a significant victory to get them back on track this season.

"We need one big win to come back to our way. We are not playing as badly as the results are showing but we have to wake up," he told Chelsea TV.

"I think at the moment we are being punished for all our mistakes. The only way we can change is to work hard and be ready for the next game, so it is like a final and we have to play like a final.

"The next game is very important for us. It is a new competition and it is time to change all this situation. I hope we will start winning the games soon."

Nemanja Matic, who scored with a stunning long-range strike in Saturday's defeat, says Chelsea are not accustomed to enduring such poor runs of form - though he believes they deserved a point from the trip to Goodison Park.

"Of course we are not happy," said the midfielder. "Everybody is sad because of the result.

"If you saw this game, I cannot say we deserved to win but we deserved a draw.

"Chelsea are not used to being on runs like we are at the moment but this is the reality. We have to work hard to get our game back to the way we played last season.

"I really don't know what's happened but it's not good for us and we need to see what we can do better as a team."

 

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Aguero raises injury fears ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League clash with Juventus

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero admits he does not know the full extent of his knee injury and says he will receive a “clearer picture” on Monday.

The Argentine was brought off in the 25th minute against Crystal Palace following a heavy challenge from Scott Dann, while footage on social medial after the game showed the 27-year-old walking with a visible limp.

Aguero underwent initial tests on Sunday but requires further analysis on Monday.

The news is blow for City, who could also be without David Silva for their Champions League group-stage opener at home to Juventus on Tuesday evening. The Spaniard missed the match against Palace due to an ankle problem.

Kelechi Iheanacho’s injury-time strike sealed a 1-0 win for City at Selhurst Park on Saturday, which has kept Manuel Pellegrini’s side four points clear at the top of the Premier League, and 11 ahead of champions Chelsea, who were beaten by Everton at Goodison Park.

 

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Xavi provides trademark assist on Al-Sadd debut


Xavi made his official Al-Sadd debut on Sunday and provided a trademark assist as his new employers defeated Al Mesaimeer 4-0.

The Spaniard, who called time on a trophy-laden 24-year spell at Barcelona in the summer, made his first start in the Qatar Stars League and set up Lee Jung-Soo with a curling free-kick after just nine minutes.
Playing in front of a largely empty stadium, Al-Sadd went on to score three more, with striker Muriqui netting a hat-trick to round off the rout.

Al-Sadd finished second in the QSL in 2014-15 and it remains to be seen if the presence of the metronomic midfielder can inspire them to go one better this time around.

 

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Inter 1-0 AC Milan: Guarin strike moves Mancini's men top

Inter clinched the derby bragging rights against Milan as Fredy Guarin's strike gave them a 1-0 win at San Siro on Sunday.

The Colombian fired home just short of the hour mark as the Nerazzurri kept up their flawless start to the Serie A season in an open contest.

Luiz Adriano spurned two clear openings in the first half while Mauro Icardi - passed fit after a thigh injury to lead Inter's attack - should have done better when put clean through by Stevan Jovetic.

Mario Balotelli - making his second debut for the club - had Inter worried in the second half and only the woodwork denied him a famous goal, but Guarin's fine effort proved to be the difference.

Victory puts Inter top of Serie A, while Milan remain 12th with just three points from as many games.

Luiz Adriano spurned a great chance just three minutes into the clash, Samir Handanovic saving well after the Brazilian was played in by Carlos Bacca, though Icardi fired narrowly wide from distance as Inter themselves started brightly.

A fine Giacomo Bonaventura throughball sent Luiz Adriano clean through once again after 16 minutes, but Jeison Murillo was across sharply to block.

The game began to turn scrappy as both sides struggled to retain control of possession, but Guarin should have done better when played through by debutant Ivan Perisic in one of Inter's better attacking moves.

Keisuke Honda had Handanovic at full stretch with a low drive, while Jovetic sent an effort just past the far post and Icardi fluffed a shot straight at Diego Lopez when clean through as Inter finished the half strongly.

Lopez's poor clearance handed Jovetic another chance shortly after the break but Cristian Zapata was able to close the space well.

Honda saw a shot deflected wide after some fine footwork from Carlos Bacca before Guarin forced Lopez to claw the ball over the bar as he headed down Perisic's cross.

But the Colombian found the net just three minutes later - and in some style.

Handanovic and Geoffrey Kondogbia almost made a mess of possession inside the Inter area but, after a quick break forward from Davide Santon, Guarin cut inside and unleashed a fierce drive into the far corner with his left foot.

Milan responded by bringing on Balotelli for the ineffective Bacca and the Liverpool loanee immediately had Inter nervous as Honda just failed to connect fully with his dangerous free-kick.

Balotelli rattled the post with a shot from distance and forced Handanovic into a save with a ferocious free-kick as Milan pushed for an equaliser.

Inter remained resolute, however, and extended their record to just one defeat in their last 11 designated home league matches against their city rivals.

 

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'Unsellable' Guarin repays Inter's faith but Balotelli could prove Milan's shrewdest signing

In the final days of the summer transfer window, Roma approached Inter about the possibility of signing Fredy Guarin. Nerazzurri sporting director Piero Ausilio's response was as swift as it was unequivocal: Guarin is unsellable.

That was hugely significant, given Inter were under pressure to offload players due to a summer spending spree coupled with Financial Fair Play regulations. Mateo Kovacic was allowed to join Real Madrid, while Hernanes was sold to Serie A champions Juventus on deadline day - yet Inter refused to even entertain the idea of cashing in on Guarin.

It was just as well, really, as the decision to sell Guarin to Juve in January of last year prompted such passionate protests among the Inter faithful that club owner Erick Thohir performed a last-minute u-turn and vetoed a deal that would have seen Mirko Vucinic move in the opposite direction.

On Sunday evening at San Siro, Guarin proved just why he remains such a popular figure among Interisti despite his often inconsistent form, with the 29-year-old settling the Derby della Madonnina against AC Milan with a wonderfully measured left-footed strike from outside the area, after a terrific surge from midfield.

"It's nice that my goal that will go down in the history of this massive fixture," the former Porto man told Sky Sport Italia afterwards. "But what matters to me is that I repay the coach and the team for their faith in me."

Guarin's was a strike of great quality in a game characterised by poor finishing. Both sides have spent huge amounts of money strengthening their respective attacks this summer but a number of clear-cut chances were squandered at San Siro.

Luiz Adriano missed a one-on-one inside the opening two minutes, while Mauro Icardi surprisingly botched an excellent opportunity to mark his first derby as captain (Inter's youngest skipper in a game against Milan for 50 years) with a goal just before the break.

Milan splashed a total of €38 million on Luiz Adriano and Carlos Bacca and they combined well throughout, confirming the early indications that this is a partnership of real potential.

However, the derby suggested that the loan signing of Mario Balotelli could well prove to be Milan's most inspired move of the summer. The Italy international, of course, is coming off the back of a disastrous season with Liverpool and question marks remain about his temperament – hence the insertion of a number of behavioural clauses in his contract. As Rossoneri CEO Adriano Galliani has repeatedly stated, the success of Balotelli's seconds spell with Milan "depends on Mario."

Encouragingly, he looked more determined than ever during a very exciting cameo against Inter. Of course, that is unsurprising, given the magnitude of the game and his past association with the Nerazzurri. Still, Balotelli created more havoc during his 28 minutes on the field than any other attacker on show.
Of course, Super Mario specialises in disruption - he leaves a trail of chaos wherever he goes - but he created all of the right kind of problems in the derby, with Inter coach Roberto Mancini admitting that his players had struggled to deal with his former charge: "Mario had us in trouble." Indeed, only the post denied Balotelli what would have been a deserved equaliser.

Milan boss Sinisa Mihajlovic reiterated on the eve of the derby that Balotelli was still not in perfect condition; that he still had some body fat to lose - hardly surprising, given that this was his first competitive outing since April.

However, on the evidence on Sunday night, when he is fully fit, Balotelli is going to be a scary prospect once again, with his dynamic display underlining precisely why Mancini considered re-signing the 25-year-old during the summer.

The result may been negative but Balotelli’s contribution was undoubtedly the big positive. This was a very encouraging start to his second spell at Milan. Now he has to build on it.

As Mihjlovic stated: "It is still too early to make a judgmen but he came on with the right attitude and did well. He can give us a big hand in the rest of the season but he knows what he must do."

As ever, it all depends on Mario.

 

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Pato: I'm the best Brazilian striker

Alexandre Pato insists he is the best striker available to Brazil manager Dunga and says that he expects to be named in the next Selecao squad.

The former AC Milan striker scored his 22nd goal of the season for Sao Paulo against Gremio on Sunday, as he bypassed the opposition defence before smashing home from the edge of the box.

And, following his goal, a jubilant Pato expressed his belief that he is the finest Brazilian striker currently playing.

"I want to return to the Selecao, that's my aim. It [the squad] will be announced on Thursday, and I deserve to be in the national team. I am the best Brazilian striker, I don't see anyone better,” Pato told TV Bandeirantes’s Terceiro Tempo ahead of the announcement of the squad to face Chile and Venezuela.

"I can be there, I can help team-mates, either as false nine, on the left, on the right, but it’s Dunga's decision.”

Pato was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League in the summer, with Tottenham mooted as potential suitors, but no move materialised.

 

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Foul-mouthed Mourinho lashes out at Martinez after Chelsea defeat

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was involved in an angry confrontation with Everton counterpart Roberto Martinez after Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Goodison Park.

As the manager of the away team, Mourinho had expected to be allowed to do his post-match press conference first - as is customary - so that the Premier League champions could make an early start on their journey back to London.

The Portuguese was furious that Martinez elected to speak to the media before him, forcing Mourinho and his players to delay their departure.

As a result, the two-time Champions League winner interrupted Martinez while the Everton boss was speaking with a group of journalists near the pitch.

“Roberto, next time tell me go before you because we have to travel," Mourinho said.

Martinez countered: "We don’t control that, Jose. I don’t control that.” An exasperated Mourinho then exclaimed: "F****** hell!"

After Mourinho had stormed off to attend his press conference, Martinez said: “When he beat us 6-3 [last season], he was such a nice man. I prefer him like that!”

When asked if he would nonetheless invite Mourinho for the traditional post-game drink, the former Wigan manager replied: "Of course – and I am sure he’s going to come round."

Martinez has previously criticised Mourinho over Chelsea's interest in Everton defender John Stones, claiming that the Blues were guilty of unsettling the England international, who had a transfer request rejected before the close of the summer window.

 

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Mihajlovic: Balotelli can have a big season at AC Milan

AC Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic believes that Mario Balotelli can have a big season at San Siro, after watching the striker make a positive impact in Sunday's derby defeat to Inter.

Balotelli has returned to the Rossoneri on loan from Liverpool, after enduring a dire 2014-15 campaign at Anfield that featured just one Premier League goal.

Milan have inserted a number of conduct-related clauses in the Italy international's contract in the hope of getting the best out the 25-year-old, who has been involved in a succession of off-field incidents during his career.

On Sunday, Balotelli made his first appearance since returning to Milan and went desperately close to forcing an equaliser during a stirring 28-minute cameo, with the forward hitting the post late on.

"It is still too early to make a judgment but he came on with the right attitude and did well," Mihajlovic told Sky Sport Italia after Fredy Guarin's goal had decided the Derby della Madonnina in Inter's favour.

"He can give us a big hand in the rest of the season but he knows what he has to do.

"And everyone did well. For this reason, there's a lot of disappointment because of the result.

"I don't think that we deserved to lose. The difference was that they scored a goal and we didn't manage to.

"In certain situations, we need to be more decisive and more aggressive but in relation to the first two games, this was a big step forward.

"It's a shame we lost, but I cannot complain about the performance. Tonight, I found my team again.

"I can be happy when we lose and unhappy when we win, because if we keep playing like this then we'll be successful.

"The only thing I'm unhappy with is the result. We took the initiative. We could've done better in the goal situation, but we also have to give credit to Inter and Guarin for scoring a great goal."

Balotelli had come on in place of Carlos Bacca, with Mihajlovic explaining that he felt that the €30 million summer signing from Sevilla had been Milan's weakest link.

"Why did I take Carlos off? Because he hadn't done as well as the others and there was a need to maintain a certain balance on the pitch," the Serbian coach added.

 

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Begovic: The Chelsea dressing room is flat after poor start

Asmir Begovic admits that the Chelsea dressing room is “flat” but insists that the club can arrest their current slump against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Blues were beaten 3-1 by Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday, as they were condemned to their third defeat from five games thus far this season.

Begovic admits that the squad have struggled to come to terms with their poor start to the season, but maintains that they have the ability to turn their form around.

"It is a case of getting going, [getting the] season back on track and a good result on Wednesday will get the confidence going again – we need a boost at the moment and hopefully it will come soon," Begovic told reporters.

"No-one was kicking off in the dressing room – nothing. We had to pick ourselves up. There are lots of games to go, we cannot feel sorry for ourselves or points fingers. We will get that good feeling through the squad again.

"I think we still have good character, guys who believe in themselves, guys who can make a difference and guys who have a lot of confidence. Sometimes, that can be an issue."

Begovic insists that the squad will not let their heads drop, as the club prepare for a Champions League clash in midweek and a derby meeting with Arsenal next weekend.

"We have characters and we will not hang our heads, football is like this and you have your bad spells. We will get it out of our system, kick on and get stronger and stronger as the season goes on," he added.

"We have confidence in this dressing room, guys know we can go on a big run. Once thing start clicking for us, psychologically, mentally, physically, we can be a very powerful team and everyone knows that.

"We just need to get going and get a decent result on Wednesday. Arsenal is a big game and one we look forward to . But we cannot look past Wednesday as we want to start Wednesday on a good note.

"Maccabi will be a good test and it won’t be easy. We need a few days to get ready, dust ourselves down and kick on."

 

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Martial goal will raise pressure - Carrick

Manchester United's Anthony Martial will likely have to deal with elevated expectations after his debut goal against Liverpool on Saturday, according to team-mate Michael Carrick.

Martial, 19, was acquired from Monaco in a deal that could yet be worth £58 million to the Ligue 1 club, and immediately set about vindicating his price tag as he rose from the bench to seal United's 3-1 win over their bitter rivals.

And midfielder Carrick, who has been at United since 2006, believes that Martial's individual effort will only serve to increase the pressure on his shoulders, though he maintains that the Frenchman's confidence will be "sky-high".

"He is off the mark now. He has announced himself; everyone has seen it on the big stage. It's a good start for him," Carrick said.

"It's a good way to settle him and if that has raised expectation then so be it but that is part of the game. It doesn't get any better than that does it, coming in and coming on and scoring against Liverpool like that.

"He has done well to get in that position and I thought the finish was terrific, how he just slotted it home, he was so calm and composed and you can't ask for a better start.

"It's a lot of money, of course it is. I suppose time will tell, won't it? But to start like that you can't really ask for more."

 

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Mancini: Inter must go for the Serie A title

Roberto Mancini did his best to play down talk of Inter as potential Serie A champions after Sunday's derby win over AC Milan but admitted that the Nerazzurri are determined to fight for the Scudetto.

After seeing off Atalanta and Carpi in their opening two fixtures, Inter maintained their 100 per cent record thanks to a second-half strike from Fredy Guarin.

Mancini, though, admitted afterwards taht he was not entirely satisfied with the performance and argued that it would be foolish to read too much into the fact that Inter now sit top of the table, with eight points between them and reigning champions Juventus.

"It's not so easy to win the derby in only the third round of the season, when the teams are not at 100 per cent," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"Having said that, we did some good things and other things not so well.

"It's too early to talk about the Scudetto. The league only settles after 12 or 15 games.

"We still have a lot of work to do and then there's Juventus, who are in a false position.

"The Bianconeri, with Roma and Napoli, will be the teams challenging at the end.

"The table doesn't matter much now. The Scudetto race is long, we have work to do.

"As I said last week, big clubs must start out targeting the ultimate prize. Then you need luck, consistency and other things to go your way.

"We are only in week three and football can change in the space of 90 minutes. These results must give us the confidence to carry on this path.

"Other squads are better placed to win the Scudetto, but we are Inter and we must go for it."

Mancini was delighted with the efforts of debutants Ivan Perisic and Felipe Melo, as well as makeshift centre-back Gary Medel, who replaced the injured Miranda alongside Jeison Murillo at the heart of the Inter defence.

"Perisic played in a new role for him. He had some difficulties at first but then he improved," said the former Manchester City boss.

"Medel can play anywhere and there's almost always room in my team for him. He's clever, experienced, and it went well for him.

"I trained Melo at Galatasaray and he's a great player. He's experienced, can do everything and is determined – not in a bad way. He had a great game."

Mario Balotelli hit the post and forced Samir Handanovic into a smart save during a scintillating second-half cameo and Mancini admitted that his former charge had him worried.

"Mario had us in trouble when he came on, we shouldn't have let him shoot," he added.

Meanwhile, match-winner Guarin was also reluctant to talk about winning the Scudetto, preferring instead to thank Mancini for starting him.

"It's a bit early for that. We've shown we've got more quality but we need to keep taking things one game at a time," the Colombian stated.

"But obviously it's nice that my goal that will go down in the history of this massive fixture.

"But what matters to me is that I repay the coach and the team for their faith in me," the Colombian said.

"We played really well tonight and showed we have big ambitions to take Inter back to the top."

 

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Barclays Premier League 2015.09.14 Fixture

Barclays Premier League 2015.09.14 Fixture

West Ham Vs Newcastle

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LA Liga 2015.09.14 Fixture

LA Liga 2015.09.14 Fixture

Rayo Vallecano Vs Deportivo​

 

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PSG aiming for Champions League final - Thiago Silva

me para CL walata PSG lath hoda fight 1k dei.

 

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me para CL walata PSG lath hoda fight 1k dei.

Ow bro Di Maria th gattha 1ka team 1kata loku influence 1kak
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Leicester City 3-2 Aston Villa: Dyer header completes superb Foxes comeback

Leicester Riyad Mahrez patta ne.eye match eke 2 assist & 12 dribbles

 

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Ow bro Di Maria th gattha 1ka team 1kata loku influence 1kak
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aniwa

 

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Di Maria: Ibrahimovic on the same level as Messi & Ronaldo

Paris Saint-Germain's new signing Angel Di Maria now believes that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is on the same technical level as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Di Maria is a team-mate of Messi's for Argentina, while he spent four seasons playing alongside Ronaldo at Real Madrid before departing for Manchester United last year.

However, having now been given the opportunity to work with Ibrahimovic at the Parc des Princes, Di Maria is convinced that the Sweden international is as gifted as both Messi and Ronaldo.

"As you know, I have had the chance to play with Leo, Cristiano and [United captain] Rooney, but now Ibra," the 27-year-old told Le Parisien.

"Frankly, I am impressed by the quality of his technique and his movement. He's on the same level as Leo and CR7."

Di Maria also revealed that he has been bowled over by the potential of PSG's 22-year-old Italy midfielder Marco Verratti.

"He is also is an awesome player," the winger added. "In addition, he is still very young and can go very far."

Given the quality at Laurent Blanc's disposal in the French capital, Di Maria is confident that PSG are capable of winning this season's Champions League - despite being placed in a tricky looking group alongside Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk and Malmo.

"We have many good players, we have a lot of ambition and I have come to help this team, like others before me, win this competition," he added.

"It's possible for us to win our group, too, but it will be complicated.

"I think we will have to be perfect at home because it will be difficult to win away in this group.

"There is no miracle recipe for beating Madrid either. One of the important things is not to make any mistakes because, let's face it, they are a team of very talented players with lots of experience.

"This is what happened in Paris last season against Barcelona in the quarter-finals, with two mistakes costing them dearly.

"With Madrid, it is the same. But if the Spaniards make mistakes, with our team, we can make them pay very badly.

"As I often say, to win the Champions League, you need a little luck, to play the best games possible and also rely on a close-knit group. The latter is one of the most important conditions."

 

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Aguero ruled out of Juventus clash

Sergio Aguero has been ruled out of Manchester City's Champions League opener against Juventus on Tuesday night.

The 27-year-old missed training on Monday morning and Manuel Pellegrini confirmed at a press conference after the session the striker's absence for the visit of the Italian champions.

Aguero suffered a heavy blow to his knee and was substituted after 24 minutes of the Premier League leaders' 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

However, the City boss did confirm that David Silva and Raheem Sterling, who missed out against Palace due to respective ankle and hamstring problems, are both available.

As well as Aguero, Fernandinho, an ever-present for City this season in midfield, and Samir Nasri were also not involved in the session.

Pellegrini hopes both will be ready to play some part on Tuesday, though.

Holding midfielder Fernando has not featured so far this term due to a groin problem, but he was back training with the squad.

 

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Juventus suffer Marchisio injury blow

Juventus have been rocked by the news that Claudio Marchisio will be out of action for another month through injury.

The Italy international had only just returned to action after missing the first two games of the new Serie A season with a hamstring problem.

Marchisio made his comeback in Saturday's clash with Chievo in Turin but lasted just 45 minutes, with subsequent scans revealing that the midfielder had suffered a grade 1-2 strain of his right adductor muscle.

The 29-year-old's injury issues have hit Juve hard, with the reigning Italian champions having only picked up a point from their first three league outings.

Marchisio had been the man charged with the responsibility of filling the void left by influential playmaker Andrea Pirlo, who departed for New York City FC during the summer.

With Marchisio now facing another spell on the sidelines, it is believed that Hernanes, a deadline-day arrival from Inter, could be asked to play as a regista, rather than the trequartista he was signed to be.

Indeed, it is thought that the Brazilian could start in front of the defence in Tuesday's Champions League showdown with Manchester City at the Etihad.

As well as the trip to Manchester, Marchisio is now also set to sit out the upcoming Serie A clashes with Genoa, Frosinone, Napoli and Bologna and the Champions League meeting with Sevilla at the end of the month.