..::Football III::..

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Ferguson: I wanted to continue as United manager

Alex Ferguson has revealed that would have definitely carried on as Manchester United boss were it not for the death of his wife's sister.

The legendary Scottish manager called time on his tenure in 2013, after winning 38 trophies in 26 glorious years at Old Trafford.

Ferguson's retirement, at the age of 71, surprised many and the two-time Champions League winner has now admitted that he had no plans to call time on his coaching career until the passing of his wife Cathy's twin sister, Bridget Robertson, in 2012.

"I definitely would have carried on," Ferguson told The Telegraph.

"I saw she [Cathy Ferguson] was watching television one night, and she looked up at the ceiling. I knew she was isolated. Her and Bridget were twins, you know?

"But when I told her this time I was going to retire she had no objection whatsoever. I knew she wanted me to do it."

David Moyes was swiftly appointed as Ferguson's replacement in May 2013 but his countryman's reign was short-lived, sacked less than 10 months into a six-year deal after overseeing United's worst ever Premier League season.

There were suggestions Moyes - since replaced by Louis van Gaal - was left with a declining squad, who had claimed a 20th Premier League title the season prior with Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra and Robin van Persie on board, but Ferguson strongly disagreed.

The 73-year-old added: "Even when I knew I was retiring we still tried to put some things in place, with players coming in.

"Like everything I say about Manchester United, the bus was still moving forward. No one was getting left behind. Everyone was optimistic about where we were going."

 

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SAF​

 

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Madrid? No way, Juve is my team - Morata

Juventus striker Alvaro Morata has dismissed suggestions he could return to Real Madrid next summer after revealing his strength of attachment to his current club.
Morata left Madrid for Juventus last season but the Spanish club can re-sign the Spaniard for a fee believed to be in excess £25million at the end of the 2015-16 campaign.

But the 22-year-old Spain international, who scored 15 goals in all competitions last season as Juve won a fourth successive Scudetto and reached the Champions League final, insisted he is happy in Turin."No way, Juventus is my team and I'm OK here," Morata said when asked by Sport Mediaset if he was interested in a return to Real "I'm not thinking about other clubs."

Morata added in another interview with Sky Sports Italia: "I appreciate Madrid's high regard for me, but right now I'm working on scoring and winning everything I possibly can with Juventus."Juve - who are without a win in Serie A after three matches - are on the road at Genoa on Sunday.

 

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Barcelona confirm Bartomeu & Rosell must prove innocence in Neymar case

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and former club chief Sandro Rosell must present their defence to a court in the Catalan capital by the first week of October as they face charges in the Neymar case, the Catalan club have confirmed to Goal.

Bartomeu, who signed documents in the forward's controversial transfer from Santos in the summer of 2013 as Barca's sporting vice-president, is implicated along with Rosell, who resigned due to the scandal in January of last year.

Both men are charged with fiscal fraud to the tune of €13 million in the deal, which Barca initially claimed had cost the club €57m, with €40m of that paid to the player's parents.

Bartomeu later revealed that the whole operation had in fact totalled €86.2m after taking over from Rosell and the Catalans are alleged to have evaded taxes which would have taken the deal to in excess of €100m.

Rosell and Bartomeu have already appeared in court, but now have until the first week of October to present proof of their innocence ahead of a trial - set to take place later this year unless they can prove they did nothing wrong in advance.

If found guilty, however, Rosell could face seven years in prison and a fine of €25m, with a possible two-year jail term and a €3.8m sanction for Bartomeu.

 

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Sturridge can lift Liverpool to a 'new dimension' - Rodgers

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes that the return of forward Daniel Sturridge can add a "new dimension" to his struggling side.

Sturridge, 26, was limited to just 12 Premier League appearances last season and required hip surgery at the end of the campaign.

The England international is nearing a return and could make his comeback when Liverpool host Norwich City on Sunday.

Having seen Sturridge in action alongside new signing Christian Benteke in training, Rodgers is upbeat about what the former Chelsea and Manchester City man can add to his team, who sit 10th in the table ahead of the weekend's action.

"He [Sturridge] has been really positive in terms of the training, in terms of his work off the field," the Northern Irishman said.

"He's come back with a real hunger to succeed, which is great.

"He's looked really powerful and fast, and his quality is there to see.

"Some of the staff who have come in had heard me talk about him, and they've seen from his very first session that we're talking about a different level of player.

"And when you have that standard of player available, it can lift you to a new dimension."

Rodgers' side need a boost after scoring just three times in their opening five Premier League matches, which have yielded seven points.

Of those goals, two have been stunners – Philippe Coutinho against Stoke City and Benteke at Manchester United – and the other was the Belgian's offside goal against Bournemouth.

Rodgers, who could also have captain Jordan Henderson (heel) back against Norwich, said his team needed to be brave.

"I have always said that possession is no good without purpose – you have to be able to penetrate and that’s something we are looking at within the team," he said.

"Of the last 19 games, in 17 of them we have scored only one goal. When you look at that cold fact it tells you we have to be better with our creativity and part of that is having the bravery to take people on, to take a risk and make individual actions that might not come off but has us in an aggressive mindset.

"That’s something the players are aware of and are working very hard to achieve."

 

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I'm the last Ballon d'Or winner 'born on this planet' - Kaka

Kaka has praised Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by joking he was the last Ballon d'Or winner to be "born on this planet".

The Brazil international won the prize in 2007during his time with AC Milan ahead of Ronaldo and Messi – who have shared it in the seven years since.Kaka, 33, said it was an honour to win an award as he paid tribute to what his successors have managed to do since.

"Ronaldinho, Cristiano, Messi and myself are the only Ballon d'Or winners who are still playing," he told Marca."It fills me with pride to stand alongside these great players, and to be the last player to have won the award before Messi and Ronaldo.

"You could say that I was the last Ballon d'Or winner to have been born on this planet."

Kaka's Milan career was followed by a less impressive stint at Real Madrid, where he struggled for game time under Jose Mourinho.But the attacking midfielder, who is a Champions League, Serie A and La Liga winner, said his relationship with the coach was fine.

"I always acted very professionally and respected the decisions he made. My relationship with him wasn't bad," Kaka said."It's true that there were certain things that I didn't agree with, but I had no choice but to keep on working hard, and that's just what I did.

"And you know what? For me, it was rewarding to hear what he said about me when we both left the club. When he was asked about me, he said that I was a top professional."

 

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Shaw to leave Eindhoven hospital following double leg break

Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has been released from hospital after undergoing surgery on a double leg break sustained during Tuesday's Champions League loss at PSV.

The England international suffered the horrific injury 24 minutes into the 2-1 defeat at the Philip Stadion, after being on the receiving end of a strong challenge from Hector Moreno.

It remains to be seen whether the 20-year-old will play again this season but Shaw's operation in Netherlands has been deemed a success and the left-back confirmed on Saturday that he is now ready to return to Manchester.

"I just wanna say a massive thank you to everyone at St Anna hospital for all the care and attention they have given me the last few days," he stated via Instagram.

"Something I will never forget! Am pleased to be flying back to Manchester today so I can start my journey back onto the football pitch!"

United boss Louis van Gaal will certainly be delighted to see Shaw in good spirits, with Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino having revealed earlier in the week that his former Southampton charge had been reduced to tears after the injury.

 

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Get well soon Shaw!​

 

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Barkley has matured - Martinez

Everton manager Roberto Martinez praised Ross Barkley for accepting responsibility and having the attitude to turn his team's fortunes around.

The Merseysiders endured a disappointing 2014-15 Premier League campaign, finishing 11th, but they have eight points from five games so far this season, having taken reigning champions Chelsea apart last time out.

Barkley has already matched his goals tally (two) of last league season and bettered his assists (three, compared to two).

Martinez said the 21-year-old's attitude deserved praise as the England international aimed for improvement, rather than blaming others.

"Football is a team sport and last season was a disappointment for us in the league," the Spaniard said ahead of his team's trip to Swansea City on Saturday.

"We started with a real good feel-good factor and great expectations, but we never reached those.

"Now as a young player, you’ve got a choice. You can say, 'It's the team’s fault' or you can change the team’s performance by improving. That was the attitude of Ross, which is very rare in football.

"He openly said he was not performing as well as he should be. When you have a young player with that incredible attitude, that’s when you see a difference.

"The difference between last season and this one is down to his choice as an individual to take responsibility and say what could he do to make the team better."

Barkley was substituted 10 times in the league last season but Martinez is willing to afford the midfielder more game time this season.

"If you give him minutes for the sake of it, you're not going to get the benefit," Martinez said.

"But, as a player, what I've seen with Ross is a maturity because of the decisions he has taken on the pitch, which allows him to play different roles."

 

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Benitez keen to keep Kroos fresh

Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez says he will rotate Toni Kroos this season to ensure he remains fit for the entire campaign.

The Germany international made 55 appearances in all competitions last term but Benitez is keen to reduce the workload on the 25-year-old.

Kroos watched on from the bench as Madrid thrashed Espanyol 6-0 in La Liga last weekend before returning for the Champions League win over Shakhtar on Tuesday.

"I know how important he was for the team last season and how difficult it was for him to hold down the fort in midfield virtually alone all campaign, so what I want is to keep him fresh," he told a news conference.

"Luka [Modric] and Kroos make the difference when they're on the pitch. I will rotate by making changes in certain positions, but Kroos is very important for us."

Kroos joined Madrid from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014.

 

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Liverpool captain Henderson facing injury lay-off

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson suffered a broken foot during training on Saturday and could be out of action for up to eight weeks.

Although the length of time the midfielder is likely to spend on the sidelines has yet to be officially revealed by the club, the 25-year-old has already taken to Twitter to convey his disappointment.

The news comas as a massive and untimely blow for Liverpool, who have failed to register a win in their last four matches in all competitions.

Henderson had reportedly been in contention to make his comeback against Norwich City this weekend, after being forced to undergo a procedure on a heel problem that had kept him out of action since hobbling out of the Merseysider club's second game of the season, against Bournemouth last month.

 

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Perez lauds Ronaldo goal haul

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as he prepares to become the highest goalscorer in the club's history.

The 30-year-old has scored 321 goals for Madrid, leaving him needing just two more to draw level with Raul's tally of 323 ahead of Saturday's Liga meeting with Granada at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in the club's Champions League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, days after finding the back of the net five times in the 6-0 thrashing of Espanyol.

And Perez - who brought Ronaldo to the club from Manchester United for a then world-record €94 million (£80m) fee back in 2008 - believes there is still much more to come from the forward.

He said: "Cristiano Ronaldo is already a legend of Real Madrid and has earned a place in the history among the largest in this club.

"He has already been the top scorer of Real Madrid in the league, and certainly in the coming days will be the top scorer of all time.

"He's a unique player who is going to continue to give us much happiness."

Perez also reserved kind words for Iker Casillas - who joined Porto in the summer - and said it was the goalkeeper's choice to leave rather than the club's.

"Iker Casillas made the decision to go. He strongly recommend us to accept it and asked us to help. We did it because he deserves it.

"He has been the best goalkeeper in the history of Real Madrid and the Spanish football. His example remains and leads the way for those who dream of being part of this team."

 

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Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal: Mourinho's champions back to winning ways against nine-man Gunners

Diego Costa again proved the decisive figure as Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-0 in a controversial clash at Stamford Bridge.

The Spain striker provoked a red card for Arsenal defender Gabriel late in the first half with Santi Cazorla also seeing red in the second period as the visitors self-destructed.

Kurt Zouma headed Jose Mourinho's men into the lead after 53 minutes and a late, deflected effort from Eden Hazard secured a much-needed win for Chelsea in stoppage time.

Gabriel became the latest man to be drawn into an off-the-ball row with Costa, who had first tangled with Laurent Koscielny but was involved in afters with the Frenchman's defensive partner.

Gabriel received an initial booking from referee Mike Dean before his sending-off for a petulant kick on the Spain international before play had resumed on the stroke of half-time and it took the champions just eight second-half minutes to make the most of their man advantage.

The unmarked Zouma nodded in a Cesc Fabregas free-kick past Petr Cech on the goalkeeper's Stamford Bridge return.

Chelsea found their feet after the opener and rarely looked like relinquishing their lead - with Cazorla's second yellow card for a poor tackle on Fabregas effectively ending a fixture unlikely to be earmarked as a classic episode in the sides' long-running rivalry.

Hazard's goal merely rubbed salt into Arsenal's wound and summed up the visitors' luckless afternoon.

John Terry was kept on the bench following the midweek Champions League success against Maccabi Tel-Aviv and stand-in captain Branislav Ivanovic was tested early down the left by Alexis Sanchez before Theo Walcott rounded Asmir Begovic before failing to keep the ball in play.

Former Arsenal man Fabregas had Chelsea's first effort on target with the opening 15 minutes largely belonging to the visitors - unchanged from their 2-0 win over Stoke City.

Mourinho's men eventually grew into the game as Costa tested Cech with a strike prior to the half-hour mark.

A slack touch from Pedro denied him a one-on-one with Cech before Hazard saw a penalty shout turned down after tangling with Gabriel - Mourinho seemingly bemused by Dean’s decision.

Dean was then involved in the game’s main talking point prior to the break with Gabriel dismissed to the astonishment of Wenger.

Wenger introduced Calum Chambers to shore up his defence but Chelsea remained on top as they sought to press home their numerical advantage, Pedro volleying over before Zouma nodded in the opener.

Ghosting in at the far post, he gained the crucial touch on Fabregas' delivery to register his first Premier League goal for the club.

The hosts' pressure continued as Hazard's fierce effort was beaten away by Cech, with the former Chelsea goalkeeper then watching on as the Belgian dragged a shot wide after the hour mark.

Costa remained in the thick of things - seeing a penalty appeal turned away following a challenge from Nacho Monreal - with Cazorla shown a second yellow for a rash challenge on his countryman Fabregas 11 minutes from time before Hazard sealed the points.

His strike took a heavy deflection off substitute Chambers and diverted past a helpless Cech to cap another frustrating visit to west London for Wenger.

 

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Diego Costa & Gabriel Paulista clash 1kak gihin neh

 

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Diego Costa th anemanda​

 

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Martial has unique qualities, says Herrera

Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera believes Anthony Martial has added unique qualities to the club.

United brought in the France international on deadline day from Monaco in a deal that potentially rises to £58 million, adding depth to their attack, and Herrera is impressed by the qualities he brings to the club.

"I think he is a player who has some qualities that the rest haven’t got," he told the club's official site.

"I think he can run into the spaces when the midfielders look forward.

"We are always going to find him because he’s very quick, very mobile, so I think he is a very good player for us and is going to give us different options."

Martial is one of three French-speaking players at United and Herrera believes the presence of Marouane Fellaini and Morgan Schneiderlin will help him adapt to life in England.

He said: "Of course, the language is new for him, as it was for me last season.

"But Morgan and Felli are helping him a lot."

 

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Wenger: Costa should have been sent off... TWICE

Arsene Wenger insists Diego Costa "should have been sent off twice" during Chelsea's victory over Arsenal on Saturday.

Jose Mourinho's men secured only their second win in the Premier League this season following second-half goals from Kurt Zouma and Eden Hazard, while the Gunners ended the match with nine men after Gabriel Paulista and Santi Cazorla were sent off.

Gabriel was sent off for kicking out at Costa, but television replays have shown the Chelsea striker slapping the face of Laurent Koscielny in the build-up to his lengthy altercation with the Arsenal centre-backs.
Asked by BT Sport if he felt a sense of injustice, Wenger replied: A big one, yes. Because I think Diego costa should've had a red card, I wouldn’t like to be Mike Dean tonight.

"I cannot understand this situation. Costa, twice should have been sent off.

"Look at the situation before the cross comes in. He hits Koscielny in the face on purpose. He makes a fuss of it and in every game he is aggressive and gets away with it because of the weakness of the referee.

"I think two sendings off for us and Costa staying on the pitch is a shame."

Wenger did admit, however, that Gabriel deserved to be sent off, adding: "Gabriel deserves a red card and I agree, but you expect the referee to make the right decisions. That’s all you want."

The two managers failed to shake hands at the end of the game, but the Frenchman played down any suggestion he'd deliberately avoided his opposite number by claiming "he's always available".

The 65-year-old also revealed midfielder Francis Coquelin picked up an injury and will definitely miss his side's next match against Tottenham in the League Cup on Wednesday.

 

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Mourinho: Same old Arsenal, always moaning


Jose Mourinho insists Arsenal have no room for complaint after they were reduced to nine men in a toxic 2-0 derby defeat against Chelsea.

Diego Costa's antics provoked Gabriel into losing his temper and the Brazil international centre-half was sent-off shortly before half-time, while Santi Cazorla was dismissed late on for a second bookable offence.

Mourinho said: "Where is the controversy? For me, no controversy. The game is about many different aspects, technical, tactical, emotional, physical. Normally the best team wins - we were the best team.

"We were dominant, we were controlled. Obviously let's not be hypocritical and deny but playing with one man more is easier.

"I think I played against Arsenal 15/16 times and only once they didn't moan. Maybe it was because they won that game. All the other matches, they have reasons for that.

"I played my first derby in September 2000 - to win a derby, emotional control. I've played derbies in Spain, Portugal, England, Italy and I always say the same words. You always need emotional control."

Mourinho, who avoided losing three consecutive league games for the first time in his career with victory against the Gunners, sees his Chelsea side move just three points off Arsenal who sit in fourth place.

 

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Europe's four biggest clubs want Morata & Pogba - Allegri

Massimiliano Allegri understands why the likes of Alvaro Morata and Paul Pogba are being linked with Europe's top clubs but says that the pair must now concentrate on helping Juventus get their their Serie A title bid back on track.

Morata was on target in Tuesday's Champions League victory over Manchester City but has since had to deny reports he will return to Real Madrid at the end of the season – with the Spanish club retaining a buy-back clause on the striker after allowing him to join the Bianconeri last year.

Pogba, meanwhile, was heavily linked with a move to Barcelona in the close-season but not only did the midfielder remain in Turin, he was given Juve's prestigious No.10 shirt following the departure of Carlos Tevez for Boca Juniors.

Before the win at City, neither Morata nor Pogba had done anything of note in Juve's three preceding Serie A outings, with Allegri's men having picked up just one point from their opening three fixtures.

Consequently, the Bianconeri boss is hoping that the pair can now combine to kick-start the club's bid for a fifth successive Scudetto.

"It is clear that the value of the players has increased," Allegri told reporters on Saturday.

"Pogba and Morata are extraordinary players and it is logical that they are in the sights of the four largest clubs in Europe.

“Tuesday represented an important success for our Champions League campaign. Starting off with an away triumph over the group favourites and a side tipped to win the competition outright is a good result for everyone.

“The league though is a different matter entirely. We’ve started badly in terms of results, despite decent performances against Udinese and Chievo, but we need to be realistic and look at the table.

“Genoa is a tough place to go to and they’re a very aggressive side to face. It’s one of those games that become crucial for your season as a whole.”

Indeed, with 16th-placed Juve already six points behind the runners-up for the past two seasons, Roma, and a further two adrift of the early pacesetters, Inter, the champions are in dire need of a win at the Luigi Ferraris.

Allegri is not pushing the panic button just yet but acknowledged that his side are no longer the title favourites.

"The championship is not compromised because there are a lot of games to come," the former AC Milan coach added.

"We cannot talk about the Scudetto because we are less than eight games in. Right now, the favourites are Inter and Roma. We are realists and we will take it one step at a time.

"If we win against Genoa we go to four points, not 12 so we must begin by not conceding goals and winning.

"I do not know if it's an advantage, you have to look at the table for now. We're late, we face the championship game after game, we'll see where we are at Christmas."

 

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Darmstadt 0-3 Bayern Munich: Coman and Vidal open Bundesliga account

Kingsley Coman and Arturo Vidal scored their first league goals for Bayern Munich as they swept aside Bundesliga new-boys Darmstadt 96 3-0 on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts' enthusiasm was spectacularly punctured by Chile midfielder Vidal, who rifled home a spectacular long-range opener after 20 minutes.

Coman, who followed Vidal in making the journey from Juventus to Bayern during the summer transfer window, was handed a maiden start as Pep Guardiola shuffled his starting XI with an eye on Tuesday's showdown against last season's runners-up Wolfsburg.

And the 19-year-old Frenchman marked the occasion memorably by slotting in from Sebastian Rode's pass in the 62nd minute, shortly before the midfielder got on the scoresheet himself.

Bayern move on to 15 points, three ahead of Borussia Dortmund, who can extend their own 100 per cent start against Leverkusen on Sunday.Coman darted infield from the right in the 10th minute to play in Vidal, who flashed his first attempt of the match wide of the near post.

Douglas Costa rippled the side-netting with a 19th-minute free-kick and the Brazilian provided his sixth assist of the season when the hosts opened the scoring a minute later.

Costa cut inside from the right and laid off a square pass to Vidal, who took a touch before burying a thunderous 25-yard strike via the inside of the right-hand post.

Darmstadt responded impressively as Dominik Stroh-Engel burst through, only to be denied by Manuel Neuer, and Marcel Heller spurned a better chance in the 32nd minute as he blasted wide at the far post after excellent work by Jerome Gondorf down the left flank.Costa flashed a left-footed effort wide and Coman was off-target with a back-post header as Bayern were unable to add to their advantage before the break.

Guardiola's side maintained their customary grip on possession early in the second half and Darmstadt goalkeeper Christian Mathenia saved well when David Alaba made a foray forward from defence.

Stroh-Engel made way for Sandro Wagner and the substitute almost had instant impact with an hour played, heading Marcel Heller's cross over.But the game would soon be beyond Darmstadt as Rode was allowed room to advance down the right channel and pick his pass for Coman to finish.

It was somewhat negligent for the Darmstadt defence to allow the same situation to develop a minute after restarting, Rode going alone this time and converting when his initial attempt came back off the post.Darmstadt struggled to recover their composure after that double blow – a last-ditch challenge from Aytac Sulu to thwart Mario Gotze indicative of their desperation.

Coman missed his kick and a chance to pile on further misery in the final minute but the earlier encouraging signs suggest Dirk Schuster’s team will enjoy plenty more fruitful days on their Bundesliga return.